Overview – originally developed by Team 17 and brought to modern platforms by Antstream and Commodore, Alien Breed 35th Anniversary collection brings 6 classic Sci-Fi horror games back. Take on the first era of Alien Breed, with top down and first person action, spanning space stations and planets to fight the Alien horde. This collection is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch and PC with a link to each version of the release at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Evolve PR for providing the copy of Alien Breed 35th Anniversary collection used for this piece, via the Terminals service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. Since this is a compilation/collection release, I will be going through each of the games in the collection with a summary on the general gameplay experience and some story details.
Alien Breed – 1991
In the year 2191, humanity has entered space as earth has become overpopulated, with the Inter-Planetary Corps (IPC) peacekeeping force keeping settlements secure. A top secret research facility has fallen silent, with concerns that it has been taken over by rebels. Due to this, two elite IPC officers have been sent to investigate. Upon reaching the station, they discover it is not rebels, but a swarm of alien invaders who have overrun the facility.
This title features a top down style of action, with the players controlling the IPC officers, Johnson and Stone, who must secure the facility. Starting at the docking bay, the player will move through the different levels and segments of the station. As the officers move through the facility, they will face the hordes of alien life, which appear from all directions. This means players will need to be aware of their surroundings at all times.
In order to progress through the stages, the player will need to blast the hordes, armed with a standard blaster and limited ammunition. However, there will be ammo pick-ups that players can find on the floor. This is alongside credits that need to be collected and added to the player wallet, and keys to open locked doors. If the player runs out of keys or ammo, they may not be able to progress, but there is a way to get out of trouble.
Scattered throughout the station, the player will be able to access INTEX Terminals. These computers will allow the player to buy items like ammo, keys and health, in exchange for credits that have been collected. Players can also purchase upgrades like maps, as well as weapons, with multi barrel blasters, flame throwers and more that can be picked up. But be aware that the more powerful weapons are expensive, so they may not be worth getting early on.
As the player makes their way through the different levels of the station, the player will have a few different objectives. The main one is to wipe out the alien horde, then making their way to the exit, before moving to the next area. Then there are the stages that have self-destruct sequences, which need to be activated to destroy the area above. Last are the boss stages, where the officers will encounter deadly boss aliens in deadly battle.
During the course of the game, the player will have a limited number of lives. These can be lost from gradually losing health from enemy attack, or by hitting traps that can instantly kill players. If all lives are lost during battle, they will be sent back to the start of the game, with only one life. This can be frustrating as there are places the player can be trapped, with death being the only escape and no passwords. But there are some quality of life improvements to deal with this.
Alien Breed Special Edition – 1992
This is a special enhanced version of the original Alien Breed, with players returning to the horror aboard the station. With the original game only having 6 different stages for players to travel through, Alien Breed Special Edition features an expanded campaign of 12 stages to explore. These new levels are separated into reworked variants of the original floors, alongside brand new stages that implement new unique mechanics.
With this new content, the gameplay length has been doubled, offering players an even bigger horror experience to dive into. There are also changes to the way that players experience the space horror, with the way enemies appear to add tension to the stages. There is also the inclusion of new hazards and dangers, with pitfalls that can instantly kill the player. Players will also encounter new alien types, adding greater danger to the mission.
Alongside the new stages and mechanics, there have been some adjustments made to the way that progress can be made. There are an increased number of credits that can be collected around the maps, with balances rising quickly. However, these windfalls may not last for long, as the Terminal costs have been adjusted, increasing the cost of all services and weapons. There are passwords that have been added, allowing players to resume after death.
These enhancements make this game feel relatively unique from the original release, offering a distinct horror adventure for players to take on. While it is mostly the same gameplay loop, the game does feel like it is distinct from the game it is based on. This is a positive for the player as the changes add more variety to the gameplay, giving players even more content to dive into, with the updated stages feeling like an expansion rather than a remake.
Alien Breed II: The Horror Continues – 1993
Released as the direct sequel, this top down horror takes place around a decade after the first alien outbreak. After Agent Stone and Johnson eliminated the threat aboard the research station, the IPC breathes a sigh of relief as peace returns. However, a federation colony broadcasts an emergency signal. After receiving this signal, the IPC sends a team to investigate, discovering that the threat has returned and the horror continues again.
Like the previous game, this title follows the same style of gameplay loop as the original. Here the players must navigate 17 stages across the colony, facing deadly alien foes and new traps that ramp up the danger. This time there are four selectable characters, with each of them having a unique loadout of weapons, gear, credits and keys. There are two humans and two non-human officers that player can select, adding some variety to this new adventure.
The progress of stages in this release have a relatively linear feel to them, while remaining maze like, with the gates and doors returning. This gives each of the stages throughout the colony a good feel of exploration, with many paths and corridors for players to explore. Alongside the new maze like stages, there are new enemy types and deadly robotic security forces. These increase the challenge that players will face, making it harder for players to survive the horrors.
Just like the previous titles, the INTEX Terminals return with players able to use credits to obtain upgrades and items. These can be very important to survival, as ammo and keys can run out quickly if players are not careful. Players also have limited lives again, with no ability to continue if all lives are lost. Due to this, players may find it frustrating, especially on the first stage as there are security drones that will instantly kill the player.
When the objective is cleared and the player reaches the exit of the area, they will move onto the next, with a map showing their progress, alongside a mission briefing for the next area. The engine for the game has also be reworked, maintaining the same feel as the original, but with improved scrolling due to the larger stages that make up the experience. The password system from Alien Breed Special also carries over, with the ability to continue and use special secret codes.
For this release, there are two versions that can be accessed, with the standard version using OCS “Original Chipset” graphics/performance, as well as the AGA “Amiga Advanced Graphics Archetecture” versions. These provide two distinct ways to experience the game, with the feel of the game being different between the two versions.
Alien Breed: Tower Assault – 1994
In deep space, a facility send out a distress signal from an otherwise uninhabited planet, with a troop of soldiers deployed to the facility to search for survivors. As the ships get close to the source of the beacon, the security systems activate and shoot down the ships until only one remains. This lone ship crash lands on the planet, with only two survivors away from the facility. They must make their way to it, find out what has happened and try to escape with their lives.
This is the last of the top down shooters in the first era of Alien Breed, with this being the biggest game of the series. The gameplay remains largely the same, with the player needing to use blasters to fight aliens and machines, while avoiding deadly traps. The Key system, credits and lives also return which players need to keep an eye on during the adventure. Each of the maps feel larger, with several exits that give the game a non-linear progression.
Each of the stages that the player finds themselves in will have multiple paths, which gives players the opportunity to keep the experience unique each time they play. This was a selling point of the game, with the box stating there were more than 250 ways to clear the game. Over the course of the game, the player will be able to actively plan out which way they want to go. This makes the game more exciting, but also can make it more challenging.
The difficulty of this release is a little higher, with the players having to fight enemies that will endlessly respawn, deal with the different hazards and monitor resources. But thankfully, the INTEX Terminals are back again, allowing players to fill up their weapons and keys, while also buying upgrades to gear. As usual this comes at the cost of credits, so plan purchases wisely, as spending funds frivolously will make survival much harder.
Like the other games after the original, there are passwords here for players to find within different areas of the game. With limited passwords available, there are also secret passwords that can be used to give the player additional boosts. Like Alien Breed II, Tower Assault also offers multiple versions of the game for players to check out, with the standard Amiga version and the CD32 release with FMV video. Sadly, this didn’t seem to want to work during play.
Alien Breed 3D – 1995
This is the first of two first person shooters, taking Alien Breed from a top down perspective to a whole new dimension. In this title, the player is on a secret research base, where scientists have been cultivating and cloning alien eggs. But the project goes out of control, with the Alien Breed overrunning the research facility. Now a single officer must destroy the Breed, find an escape route and survive before the life support system fails.
This horror adventure features 16 levels for players to try and navigate, armed with a blaster to destroy the enemies that appear. The player moves around in a manner similar to doom, with the objective of each stage being to eliminate the enemies, find keys and reach the exit. In action, the player can move around and turn in all four directions, with the ability to auto aim to some degree when battling the foes.
On screen there are two bars that start green and run down to red, with these being the Life and Ammunition bars that players must keep an eye on. The weapons have a limited number of shots, with ammo pick-ups scattered throughout the different levels. This is important as the only way to fight off the Breed is to use firearms, with the Blaster, shotgun, plasma weapon and explosive launchers that can be found.
With the limited munitions available, players must make every shot count as the swarm will surround the player, attacking them the second they are seen. As the player takes damage, the health meter will slowly deplete with the only way to recover being through health kits. In different areas, there will also be Keys to find that are needed to open doors, with four different colors of key that may be needed for a level.
There is an awkward difficulty curve with this title, as there is a pretty rough transition to the first person perspective. The movement can feel sluggish and turning is a little awkward, as well as enemies constantly attacking from behind. There are some innovative elements, like underwater sections, minor platforming and general atmosphere. The general experience looks a little overly pixelated, making it hard to see into the distance.
For this release there are a few different versions of the game available. The main one is the original game, which is just the core experience for players to get into straight away. But also players are able to access two different Demo Disk builds of the game, which contain unreleased content that was omitted from the main game. These can be unstable, but are a good inclusion for the historical meaning, as prototypes can often be excluded.
Alien Breed 3D II: The Killing Grounds – 1996
The final release of the first era of Alien Breed, being the second first person shooter released that marked the end of the series for a time. This is a direct sequel to the previous game, where a Space Marine has been rescued by an earth ship, after surviving an attack by the Breed. However, his safety is short lived as he is caught up in another attack, being forced to fight back alone to survive, with only a few weapons and his skill to rely on.
This is a significantly improved first person shooter, with enhanced graphics and implementation of 3D models for weapons and some enemies. Like the previous game, there are 16 levels for the player to make their way through, filled with alien foes that roam the areas. The game plays out the same as the previous title, with full movement of the character in a 3D space, while introducing vertical look for this entry in the series.
At the start of a mission, the player will be provided with a text crawl, telling them what their mission is, before starting off properly. Unlike the previous game, the player doesn’t start with a blaster, but a double barrelled shotgun and a handful of ammo. The shotgun uses two shells at a time and they are limited, this immediately adds some tension to the game, as there are no melee weapons for players to use during play.
However, while there are still no melee weapons, the arsenal has been expanded with the weapons from the previous game returning, alongside brand new weaponry. These include a rifle, mines and a laser gun that bounces off walls. There will be some ammo pickups scattered throughout the area, which will add a modest amount of ammo to the weapon stock pile. There will also be health items that can restore damage taken by enemies.
During exploration of the different areas, the player will have text pop ups that will give hints to the objective. This is due to each stage being mission focused, where the player will be given different tasks, like wiping out all enemies or destroy a target. To help players navigate the different areas, there will be an automap that will help guide the player on their way. This can be toggled off and on, allowing players to use them if they want to.
Unlike the other games, there is no password system for this game, as saves were added to this release, allowing players to have up to 5 saves in the original game. This was a first in the series, allowing players to freely save and load games, giving players a solid record of their progress. This is the only other game in the package not to have alternate versions or demos, with only one version of the game available for players to try.
Now with the games covered, it is time to cover the other elements of this package, covering the additional content, quality of life and more.
Additional material – Included in this release is a special interactive gallery, designed to look like a level of the original game, with the different elements in their own rooms. The content in this space contains details about the games, with screenshots, details on stages, concept arts and even documents for cancelled projects. There are also videos that players can access including developer interviews, which offer insight into the series.
Next we have the quality of life updates, with save/load states, as well as digital manuals which can be accessed freely, offering information on the game. There is also the option for online play, where players can connect via peer to peer play, giving the online play a nostalgic feel, like two systems connected. There is also an extra mode called the Horde Mode, a survival mode where players have to last as long as they possibly can against endless waves of enemies.
This title has also received extensive controller enhancements, adding twin stick movement to the games and refined first person movement inputs. The inclusion of these updated controls is a great addition, as it makes games that may be a little awkward feel more comfortable. All of the inputs are responsive, work well and feel natural, giving the game a feel similar to that of modern twin shooters. The first person shooters also work well but can feel sluggish.
For players who want a classic look to the game, there are scanline and CRT filters that can be applied. These give the player a feel that is closer to the original big box screen style, with the extra inclusion of custom in-game bezels that can be used to frame the screen. But if players don’t want to use them, there are simple black bars set as default, or a 16:9 full screen set up. All of these elements come together to create the ultimate celebration of Alien Breed.
Final Thoughts – I like Alien Breed, having played the first couple of the games years ago on the Amiga via bootleg disks that I got from someone else. So I had a little experience with them, but I had not been able to experience the other titles. Having finally been able to sit down and give each of these games a try, I have some mixed feelings about them. This is due to some of them being a little too difficult to really get into during play.
My personal Choices for the most enjoyable games are the two variants of the first Alien Breed and Alien Breed 3D II, as they I didn’t find them overly punishing or awkward. Sadly this could not be said for the other games, as the other top down games were a little too difficult, alongside the awkwardness of Alien Breed 3D. I had a lot of trouble with Alien Breed II, as the first stage was way more difficult than it should have been, but save states did help.
I think this is a good package in general, with the additional content, bonus mode and emulation being of a high quality. This made for a fun, albeit frustrating experience at times, but I was happy to put my time into each of the games and explore them. I was unable to test out the online features, as they require P2P connection, but I did test out local co-op a little and it worked quite well. In general I am happy to recommend this package to fans old and new.
In the end, I give Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection a final score of 4.5/5. This is a pretty solid collection of classic retro games, offering players a selection of fun and challenging Sci-Fi horror, with a good amount of bonus material to create the ultimate celebration of Alien Breed. If you want to check this release out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Steam version (HERE) – GOG (HERE) – EPIC (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch version (COMING SOON)
Link to PlayStation 5 version (HERE)
Link to Xbox Series version (HERE)
