PAX East 2020: Alien Hominid Invasion – First Impressions

Developer The Behemoth early this year told to be returning to this coming Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Boston, Massachusetts which never really comes as a surprise from the game studio. Among the line of annual events for PAX, The Behemoth is the most prominent booth you would see as the team is always marked for attendance for the last few year. However, what stood out for the developer is that the then-approaching event would showcase a new project.

Noted, this is not entirely a new property altogether, instead it’s a revisit to a title that is well needed for a new coat of paint. Alien Hominid which initially arrived in 2002 on Newgrounds was later met with a retail release in 2004 for GameCube and PlayStation 4. The title later received an updated HD version in 207 for Xbox 360. Now more than a decade later, The Behemoth has decided to reiterate on their most memorable property.

Announcing the game to be receiving a remake, Alien Hominid Invasion showed to already have a graphical upgrade just from the looks of the trailer alone. However, we wouldn’t know regarding the gameplay until this weekend. Luckily, while on the show floor I managed to get an hands-on demo of the game.

An interesting take only known with The Behemoth at these events is that the team sets up showcased titles with arcade cabinets, and the same has been done for Alien Hominid Invasion. Once getting my hands on the joy stick instantly presented the change of direction for the game.

Rather than simply landing on Earth, you initiate the demo with a tutorial on the alien ship to grasp the mechanics of the game. Elements like shooting, jumping, dodging, and grenade throwing are what the player is subjected to. My gaze quickly picked up the glowing look to the game, similar to the remaster for Castle Crashers. However, the more noticeable trait is the reworked gameplay mechanics.

Instead of simply shooting in a horizontal path (left or right), the player can now use the directional stick to aim at any direction in a complete 360 degrees. Making it to the Earth’s surface is where this truly shined though: being greeted with the objective to “Kill for Intel,” a swarm of government foes dropped in to stop the fun.

Reiterating on the ability to dodge, this mechanic became the most used aspect once let free. Enemies began swarming the screen and incoming shots quickly overtook every visible path when completing the objective. However, while the game was overwhelming to say the least, performance was not sacrificed despite the amount of noise on the screen (at least nothing noticeable).

Furthermore, the overall feel of the game with the controls in my hands continued the refined feeling of the Alien Hominid reinvention. The biggest complaint I had was not being accustomed to the cabinet control scheme which led to my gameplay suffering near the end of the demo. Especially when the concluding boss came onto the screen, the following enemies stressed the entire encounter atop of my learning curve nearly cost me my last life, but it was still a blast.

Expanding more on the new elements of the game, this branches off to before the level starts. Taking inspiration from Castle Crashers and the succeeding Battleblock Theater, player customization has a strong footing this time around. Only granted with three different appearances for the demo, there are roughly 30 to choose from which you can unlock from in-game completions.

Apparel also applies to the different abilities/boosters that unlock separately in the game. Alike the cosmetics, there were only a few to choose from and each were issued through a different hat your alien could wear. These only slightly altered the core game like health regeneration or dealing more damage. Weapons are also categorized in this section as well.

Ultimately, there is plenty of promise as for what holds from Alien Hominid Invasion. Disregarding my only setback with the control scheme present on the show floor, I am eager to see more of the game as the future unravels. Hopefully there will be a newer build with a handheld gamepad present for me to fully indulge in.

Alien Hominid Invasion has no set release date, but is listed for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.