"Don't be afraid of the dark. Be afraid of what's in it."
- Release tagline
Alien: Another Life is a real-time strategy survival horror game concept by Red-Verse-Writer, based on the Alien franchise. Loosely based upon the first movie, it has gameplay inspired by the 1984 Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum game Alien, the popular 1990 action arcade game Aliens, the often-reviled 2013 first-person shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines, the well-received 2014 survival horror Alien: Isolation, and even other games such as This War of Mine and Silent Hill. The game is set in a alternate timeline to the films, and follows the crew of the Nostromo, a commercial space freighter that docks on board the mining space station Zeus, where they come across the hostile extra-terrestrial organisms known as Xenomorphs and must fight for their survival.
Gameplay[]
Alien: Another Life is a real-time strategy game with an emphasis upon survival, exploration, item management and team co-operation. The player is placed in command of the eight members of the Nostromo, who must scavenge around the Zeus, fighting Xenomorphs and acquiring supplies to survive and attempt to make a escape. The player does not have direct control over the crew members, but can instead give them commands, which they will follow depending on the circumstances, such as the order, the danger proposed by it, and the character's mental state and mood. While a crew member is out on a mission, the player may view their progress using various security cameras located around the ship and station, switch to the character's perspective, or use a menu-based system to track movements around the area. The player can also give other alerts to the characters, such as alerting them to the presence of Xenomorphs in the nearby areas, informing them of hidden items in the areas, or telling them what has been detected in a nearby room.
The player is tasked with managing the health, oxygen, mental state and inventory of each crew member. Due to a lack of a heads-up display (barring status alert icons included in certain situations), a separate inventory screen must be consulted to check a character's health, oxygen, stability and inventory while they are on a mission. All eight of the main characters require a constant supply of oxygen to survive and will die immediately if they run out of it. Health is depleted when they are attacked, and they will die if their health is fully depleted. As their health depletes, a character's performance is affected, and they begin moving more slowly. Each character can carry a limited number of items at a time and can store more items at the Nostromo's living quarters. A crew member's mental state is affected by the circumstances around them, and when given a command they will interpret it based on both their personality and emotional state. A character's mental state can be decreased from confident (green; they will always be able to follow the player's instructions and do better on missions) to stable (light green; they have average performance on missions and will still always obey the player) to uneasy (blue; they retain the average performance of the stable state but may sometimes disobey the player) to scared (yellow; they perform worse on missions and have a higher chance of being unable to follow commands) to shocked (orange; they perform even worse and some equipment becomes unusable by that character) to terrified (red; they often do not follow commands and even more equipment is unable to be used by that character) to hysterical (black; they will rarely obey the player's commands and will be unable to use most equipment), progressively decreasing their performance and ability to copy the player's commands. At lower states, there is also an increasing chance of the character having a nervous breakdown, causing them to become frozen with fear and preventing them from following the player's instructions. A character's mental state can be improved by having them sheltered at the Nostromo's living quarters, which functions as the game's main safe room, having them pick up weapons and other useful tools, guiding them through a mission safely, or having two or more crewmembers back each other up on a single mission. Conversely, their condition can be worsened by sending a crew member off alone, engaging in combat with hostiles, putting them in a claustrophobic environment such as an air duct, having them put down tools when outside a safe zone, or if they are damaged by enemies or are running low on oxygen. The player will need to keep all the crew members healthy and sane in order to be effective.
Littered around the Nostromo ship and the Zeus space station it has attached itself to are various useful items, including tools such as motion trackers, flashlights, spanners, tool kits, image intensifiers, fire extinguishers and welding torches; materials for crafting such as gauze, alcohol, computer chips, bullets, medicine, paper, metal scraps and wood; and weapons such as electric prods, nets, laser pistols, shotguns, revolvers, flamethrowers, bolt guns and grenades. Characters can collect these items and either use them directly or as ingredients in crafting recipes to make other items, such as Molotov cocktails and EMP grenades. Different characters have specific weapons they are highly skilled at using, making equipping them with their "favourite" weapons a significant advantage. Some weapons, such as the net and flamethrower, do not have such a impact on the character's ranged performance, and can be equipped by any character without penalties or benefits. Other equipment include "mice", robotic drones that can serve multiple functions, and devices made to provide distractions such as noise-makers.
Throughout the game, the player and their crew members must contend to battle against enemies, the majority of which consist of various types of the predatory, hostile alien lifeforms known as the Xenomorphs. Xenomorphs are fast, strong and durable, and often travel around the Nostromo and Zeus using air ducts. While they are restricted to close-range combat with their fists, teeth and tails, they are usually able to quickly approach the crew members. Xenomorphs can also climb across walls and along ceilings, camouflage themselves against walls, and detect the characters using pheromones. The Xenomorphs come in various different varieties, all of which have their own specific special abilities and weaknesses that the player must learn and exploit. All Xenomorphs are afraid of fire, thus making weapons such as the flamethrower very useful in combating them. Aside from the Xenomorphs, the player and their crew members must also engage with "Infectoids", human corpses revived by the Xenomorphs into zombie-like troopers, as well as reprogrammed robotic security systems and combatants deployed by the Xenomorphs. In addition to this, the player and their crew members must occasionally deal with heavily mutated Xenomorph bosses, which are typically resistant to conventional damage and must be dealt with using the terrain and other methods.
Plot[]
The commercial space tug UCSCC Nostromo is on a return trip to Earth with several thousand tons of mineral ore when Ash, the android pilot of the ship, detects what appears to be a distress signal coming from a nearby remote space station, the Zeus Station, which orbits around Jupiter. With the Nostromo running low on fuel, he decides to take the opportunity to investigate the signal and acquire supplies, and awakens the seven human members of the crew - Captain Arthur Dallas, Executive Officer Thomas Kane, Navigator Joan Lambert, Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, Security Officer Gilbert Fazio, Engineer Dennis Parker and Medical Officer Samuel Brett - from cryogenic stasis. As they dock onto the Zeus, they find the station damaged and seemingly abandoned. Dallas, Kane, Lambert and Fazio decide to investigate the station while Ripley and Ash attempt to decipher the radio transmissions and monitor their progress, and Parker and Brett work on fixing the damage the port has sustained.
During their attempts to find any survivors, the quartet find a strange nest-like structure where multiple dead bodies are found cocooned to the walls. Lambert finds a single survivor amongst the bodies, who briefly begs for death before beginning to choke and convulse. A small alien creature then bursts from the survivor's torso, killing her as the Nostromo quartet panic and retreat. They attempt to contact base, but find that fully grown variants of said alien have attacked the hangar, forcing Brett to flee further into the station while Ripley, Parker and Ash retreat back into the Nostromo. Dallas, Kane, Lambert and Fazio head towards the lobby to try and locate Brett while Ripley, Parker and Ash effort to defend the Nostromo from the aliens. After rescuing Brett, the group proceed back towards the Nostromo, bringing down a group of aliens before reuniting with Ripley, Parker and Ash, who reveal that the creatures, named "Xenomorphs" by Ash, have damaged the engines of the Nostromo, preventing them from escaping. With no other options, Dallas suggests that they gather the supplies needed from within the Zeus. The group then head into the station to find the resources they need, armed with laser pistols and whatever other weapons they can find.
Following several missions inside the Zeus and battling against the Xenomorphs, the crew are able to acquire several components for fixing the engines as Ripley theorises that the signal they picked up was a warning meant to keep people away from the space station. Ash develops an interest in capturing a live Xenomorph specimen, and the crew find themselves having to deal with "Infectoids", human corpses reanimated by an unknown force into zombie-like troopers used by the Xenomorphs. During one mission to acquire a supply of pressurised oxygen containers, Ash, monitoring the Nostromo's computer systems, is hijacked and brought under the control of an unknown third-party, causing him to begin blaring alarms and opening and closing doors to coordinate the Xenomorphs. During this incident, Dallas and Brett become trapped in the ventilation systems of the Zeus, where they come across a Xenomorph hive led by a Queen, who they are able to defeat. Ripley, who was alone on the Nostromo with Ash, is able to help him override this reprogramming, and then begins using the intercom system to guide Parker and Lambert through a blacked-out part of the station with the oxygen containers. Kane and Fazio catch a brief glimpse of a heavily mutated Xenomorph with animalistic traits as they flee back to base, where the group reunite and discuss the situation. Ash attempts to trace the signal that controlled him while the others reinforce the connection between the Nostromo and Zeus.
Soon, the mutant Xenomorph, nicknamed the "Tigermorph", attacks the connectors, and the Nostromo crew engages it in battle, eventually defeating it by atomizing the creature with their ship's engines. Following this, they begin searching for spare space suits so they can investigate the connectors. After locating these, Parker, Brett and Fazio begin to do so while Ripley helps Ash finish his attempt at encrypting the signal and Dallas, Lambert and Kane collect supplies to assist with the repairs. After repairing the connectors,
Characters and Enemy Types[]
Nostromo Crew[]
- Ripley: The Nostromo's warrant officer, as well as the ship's civilian advisor and emergency pilot. Able to use traps with more efficiency than her crewmates and access unique explosive weapon recipes only she can create and use, she is also able to sneak around enemies while making less noise and avoiding detection to a greater extent.
- Lambert: The Nostromo's navigator, being able to also function as a surveyor if required. Able to use navigation systems such as motion detectors with greater ease than her crewmates and craft faster than them, she is also able to hide in lockers and under objects for longer without Xenomorphs and other enemies noticing. However, she is also the most vulnerable of the crew members and is deeply afraid of the Xenomorphs, reducing her performance while in infested areas. Her favourite weapons are the laser pistol and bazooka.
- Parker: The Nostromo's engineer, tending to also act as a scout and scavenger. Able to repair objects and weapons at a faster rate than other crewmembers and hack and rewire computers and defence systems both faster and easier than the rest of the crew, he is also resistant to stress and is less afraid of the Xenomorphs than his fellow crewmates are.
- Ash: The Nostromo's android pilot, who is also trained in physical combat and science. Physically the strongest of the crewmembers, he is able to carry more supplies in his larger inventory than them and does more damage when engaging in melee combat, and due to his physiology is able to avoid most Xenomorphs for a period of time by simply playing dead.
- Dallas: The Nostromo's captain, also capable of social engineering and navigating when needed. Balanced in most areas of individual statistics and able to make his crew members feel at ease with more efficiency by being around them and helping them, he can also carry around two tools at once without needing to add them to his inventory unless switching items. While he lacks many exploitable weaknesses, he is not a master at any one trade. His favourite weapons are the laser pistol and shotgun.
- Brett: The Nostromo's medical officer, doubling as a secondary engineer should one be essential. Possessing the ability to create medical supplies at a faster rate with less components needed and access to unique medical crafting recipes only he can create and use, he can also utilize his skills to heal his fellow crew members at a faster and more efficient rate.
- Fazio: The Nostromo's security officer, serving as a weapons expert and computer technician. The best marksman of the crewmembers, he is able to carry two weapons at once without needing to add them to his inventory unless switching weapons and can also perform a powerful melee kick attack strong enough to knock over and stun even Xenomorphs.
- Kane: The Nostromo's executive officer, who also serves as an emergency paramedic. Trained to engage difficult situations non-violently, he is less likely to be attacked by Xenomorphs and other enemies and is also able to engage Infectoids and robotic enemies with much greater efficiency than his teammates.
Xenomorph Types[]
Primary[]
- Drone: The weakest and most common Xenomorph variety,
- Warrior:
- Runner:
- Prowler:
Secondary[]
- Crusher:
- Boiler:
- Ranger:
- Sentry:
Fodder[]
- Facehugger:
- Chestburster:
- Neophyte:
Special[]
- Praetorian:
- Queen: The most powerful Xenomorph type,
Mutant Xenomorphs[]
- Tigermorph:
- Spidermorph:
- Electromorph:
- Antmorph:
- Constrimorph:
- Ovummorph:
- Dolphimorph:
- Starmorph:
- Humanmorph:
Others[]
- Infectoids:
- Experiments:
Items[]
Tools[]
- Motion Tracker:
- Flashlight:
- Spanner:
- Tool Kit:
- Image Intensifier:
- Fire Extinguisher:
- Welding Torch:
Weapons[]
- Electric Prod:
- Net:
- Laser Pistol: A small handheld laser weapon with unlimited ammunition but limited power. Due to its infinite energy resources, it can be used to distract Xenomorphs or deal with small groups of Infectoids. Dallas, Kane and Lambert are skilled with the Laser Pistol, while Ripley, Parker and Brett struggle with it and Ash and Fazio use it normally.
- Revolver: A stronger bullet-based handheld weapon that uses Bullets as ammunition. It is able to kill Infectoids in a single shot and can inflict decent damage upon Xenomorphs, but has a small clip size and slow firing speed. Ash, Fazio and Parker are skilled with the Revolver, while Dallas, Kane and Ripley struggle with it and Brett and Lambert use it normally.
- Shotgun: A powerful close-range weapon that uses Shells as ammunition. It is very powerful against Infectoids and effective against Xenomorphs, but suffers very heavy spread at long ranges. Dallas, Ripley and Fazio are skilled with the Shotgun, while Kane, Lambert and Ash struggle with it and Parker and Brett use it normally.
- Flamethrower: A very powerful close-range weapon that uses Gas as ammunition. While its range is inferior to almost all other weapons, its heavy damage and fire effect is very useful in damaging and scaring off Xenomorphs.
- Bolt Gun:
- Bazooka: A incredibly powerful but very dangerous weapon that uses Rockets as ammunition.
- Pulse Rifle:
- Sniper Rifle:
Crafting Ingredients[]
- Gauze:
- Alcohol:
- Screws:
- Computer Chips:
- Paper:
- Metal Scraps:
- Kerosene:
- Leather:
- Bonding Agent:
- Separating Agent:
- Shell Casing:
- Gunpowder:
- Distilled Water:
- Electric Gel:
- Brass Tube:
Plot-Relevant Items[]
- Space Suit:
Other Items[]
- Aspirin:
- Bullets:
- Shells: