Recent reviews by DesArch

Alien Hominid HD is a rerelease of the game of the same name, primarily using the Xbox 360 version as a base. This means that for people revisiting the game, they will not experience the original space/ending cutscene music from the PS2/GC versions of the game, and other changes from the 360 version will persist in this version of Alien Hominid. Note that there is no online co-op functionality whatsoever, not even for PDA Games which formerly had online co-op support in the 360 version. Co-op will only work if multiple controllers are present, so there cannot be a mix of one keyboard, one controller player in co-op without having a second controller.

Unfortunately, despite being a rerelease, not very many changes have happened between the original 360 HD version and this version. While preserving the old spirit of the original is good, I was hoping at least that the non-HD music tracks or adding an option for only one roll keybind instead of two keybinds/buttons would be added. While keybinds can be made playable enough where I earned all achievements with keyboard and mouse, controller still feels overall smoother even after I tried rebinding my controls primarily because of the two separate roll buttons.

In terms of new technical additions, the main differences are that the max framerate can now be up to 480 FPS and up to 4k resolution support. There is also a launcher that appears while starting up the game, which while mostly pointless, also does not significantly impact the experience overall.

Alien Hominid throughout the years has aged fairly well overall, given that it is effectively a Flash game given the content of a full release. While controls are a bit clunky, shooting FBI agents and the like still feels satisfying, and unleashing a charged shot on bosses always feels satisfying. Levels are different enough where you always feel like there is something fresh in each new level, and bosses never feel like they are insurmountable for long. The artstyle, given that this was The Behemoth’s first console release, is very much reminiscent of Adobe Flash, and I really like it even today. That being said, some people may not like that type of artstyle or gameplay, which is understandable. One thing that I am not a huge fan of is how fast the normal attack can be shot, which can feel extremely spammy and is used a lot in speedruns, which is essentially the main replay value of Alien Hominid.

Earning 100% achievements is a fairly fast task. I completed the game in 9 hours, and some of that time was spent messing around with settings or in co-op where I was not actively making progress on achievements. Two achievements of note that differ from the 360 version are Survivalist, which requires 10 minutes instead of the original 20, and Head Chomper, which now requires 10 consecutive head bites instead of 50. These changes make earning all achievements noticeably easier. Some achievements I recommend keeping an eye out for is Hungry Yeti, which I think might actually require the kills be in one game, and Perfect Fight, which requires beating the final boss without a continue and thus, fighting the boss on friendly while doing that achievement is recommended. For some more specific achievements, I personally used level 2-1 for Head Chomper, where I camped the outpost, Urban Challenge for Survivalist by staying in cars and charged shooting enemy cars, and camping on top of the first 3-3 computer for Killing Spree, as it is a safe spot for farming 1,000 kills.

Minigame wise, the offerings are just like that of Alien Hominid 360 HD. Of particular note is PDA Games, which are platforming minigames where the objective is killing all agents and reaching the exit. The content offered in them matches the 360 release with all DLC pre-included, so no additional purchase is required for all the content. There is no level editor for PDA games unlike the PS2/GC releases, and there is no longer online support for it in this version. Some other minigames include guiding a soviet missile and having it travel as far as possible, and a minigame somewhat like volleyball that requires another player and is effectively the only PvP mode included.

Even after 19 years, Alien Hominid still holds up well enough that I can recommend it at full price for people that have not played it before. That being said, if you do not like how the first level feels, you probably will not like the game as a whole.

I really wish Steam had a neutral rating instead of a pure yes or no rating. While I personally enjoyed my time playing the game, Steam asks for whether I recommend the game or not, and for most people, I probably would say no, as I likely would not have stuck around for this long if I was not a massive fan of the Behemoth aesthetic and style.

Patch thoughts as of Update Part 2/Version 1.3: While there are new environments, don't go in expecting new gamemodes or biomes. The new environments do look more visually varied, but the enemies and hazards are still the same green/purple colors. One interesting change is that boosts have received boosted stats across the board, meaning that if low impact builds are your main reason for not playing, builds will feel more impactful.

Patch thoughts as of Update Part 1/Version 1.2.0: It changes how stats are displayed so that they display bigger numbers, or display letter grades if they were originally very small amounts. They still work exactly the same otherwise. Difficulty has been made mildly easier. Nothing significant enough so far, so I would still wait for a sale or Update Part 2.


Alien Hominid Invasion has finally released! Unfortunately, despite multiple years passing, it does not feel like the full game offers significantly more than the demos released across multiple periods of time. Note that this is an entirely new game from the original 2004 Alien Hominid and plays significantly differently from it, so if you are looking for a straight up sequel of Alien Hominid, it will disappoint.

One of the best parts about Alien Hominid Invasion is the core combat. Firing a gun in Alien Hominid Invasion feels great. Each weapon has distinct differences from other weapons in the game, which makes them the main source of gameplay variety. While some weapons feel sufficiently balanced, other weapons do not feel like they have enough punch without the right build, most notably the Megashot. It took me multiple seconds to kill a basic agent with that weapon, while with most other weapons it takes me about 1 second for a single basic agent. Even after stacking fire rate, megashot still feels like it isn’t particularly great. Invasion does feel like a 2d platformer looter shooter through and through, with how much loot you are thrown and the incorporation of light stat customization through stats such as life steal, regen on dodge, crit per hit, and more. The main problem with the loot is that there is often times no clear explanation of how significant the stats are, as even in the guidebook, regen is never specified on how significant it is, life steal feels like it heals way more than 1.4% of my total damage output, and there is no indicator on what your weapon’s base damage or fire rate is, among other omissions. That being said, when a build works well, it truly gives that sense of satisfaction of seeing it help you through a level when paired with the right strategy. This is enhanced by the mobility of the game, as it can make you feel a sense of speed at times.

Performance wise, the game runs flawlessly, and takes hardly any space. I also hardly experienced any bugs in my playthrough, although I experienced one bug, where there was a van stuck in the ground that caused me to get stuck and die. Mouse and Keyboard controls work smoothly for me, and do not feel clunky, but may require rebinding for a comfortable setup, as I rebound my keys. During the launch window though, there have been occasional problems with the servers not letting online co-op function, or leaderboards not displaying.

The procedural permadeath elements don’t feel like they add enough variety to the game for what they detract from. Nearly every level besides the train level feels and looks the same, and I personally did not feel like the random modifiers really made the game interesting in a good way. Being unable to challenge a boss or try a specific objective or map without going through other tiles felt extremely tedious when trying to either test a build or complete the insane mode achievement. There is also currently no way to fight the final boss after completing the story without creating a new save or joining another player, which hurts the replay value of the randomized elements of the game in the postgame. There is also a lack of extra modifiers or anything that adds extra replay value after beating the story, further compounding the problems with replayability.

One of the biggest complaints I have about the game is the sheer amount of projectile spam that clutters the screen. This is what would have easily turned me away from the game if I did not enjoy the feeling of shooting a gun and moving around. The problem gets even worse in co-op, as the camera is not centered on the player character, and players cannot move horizontally infinitely, so if a player is on the other edge of the screen, will effectively stop progress of a mission until said player starts moving the opposite direction. The health bar is not fixed to the player or fixed in a set place on the screen by default, so I found tracking my stats difficult, and would often end up seeing my health drop because I got lost in co-op. While there is an option to have static health bars, it is buried in option menus and as a result, can easily go unnoticed by players. Compounding this problem is that there is nothing that stops two players in co-op from sharing the same color, and hats lack a transmog feature that lets players run the visuals they want without losing out on the stats for a build they like. I think if the hat was separated into the cosmetic that unlocks permanently for a save, and a new type of boost containing the hat’s current stats, it would be better for both guidebook completion and letting players select the visuals they prefer.

Another weird design choice is that countdown timers do not reset to the full amount after canceling them. It keeps how much time has already ticked down previously and I have started a level without wanting to do that specific tile, as the countdown by the time I reselected it was instant. Jumping into a new run after failing a previous run also takes a fair bit of time and gets tedious. It takes me 53 seconds to go from the fail screen to being able to properly enter a new run after being beamed down by the mothership, which adds up, really quickly, if you are failing runs very early.

The main thing that I think causes the game to look repetitive very fast is not only the overabundance of green, purple, and grey, but the lack of contrast as well. While there are two bosses that use colors that are not those three colors, they are the exception and far from the standard. Overall, unless you are a more dedicated fan of the Behemoth, I would wait for a sale.

God tier soundtrack. For $5, it's easily a steal.

Another Zup! game, another month. Ever since Greenlight has been published, it is no secret that cheaply thrown together games created by people who don't have the dedication to create a completed game get published to greenlight every day. Zup! Zero combines two of the things that I dislike greatly, casual puzzle games where levels can be completed in seconds, and games put together in a premade software without trying to create something interesting.

Created in Clickteam Fusion, Zup! Zero is the fifth zup game in a series of bland puzzle games. This time, Zup! is another physics puzzler that uses explosions to guide a blue ball into a turquoise platform. The main interaction in the puzzle is clicking red objects to create an explosion that sends yellow objects towards a direction and clicking grey tiles to make objects fall. Being a poorly thought out game would normally turn away people from buying such a game.

However, Zup knows that earning a lot of achievements and earning trading cards is an effective way to convince people to buy the game. To further seal the deal, Zup! makes the price at $1, the lowest base price a game can be on steam without being free. Zup! takes achievements to the extreme by generating an achievement around every second you play the game. When you make achievements earned so easily to the point of not having any special merit, then the word "Achievement" loses it's meaning.

Zup! is a game series that will continue to pop up on the steam front page with such a successful formula to attract casual players into buying it.

This game is seriously one of the worst of the worst to hit steam.

It's a premade unity template game, with no effort into making the presentation any better than the template. Since the game is a template, the graphics are just basic voxel graphics that make unturned's graphics look godly in comparison. This also means that the only sound you'll be hearing is basic gunshot noises and the music in the game will be nonexistant.

But what about the controls, you say? The controls just feel a bit too clunky, and the game runs at a low FPS (15) despite the low graphical quality. The class selection screen makes it confusing on how to load the game, and exiting the game is broken, because there is no "quit game" option, you must do the alt+F4 trick instead! This game is the textbook definition of a template used as an attempt to earn some quick revenue from foolish buyers, whether they do it ironically or not.

The only thing I can remember is that you are a king and there are a ton of cards involved in choice making.

Clash Royale clone but military themed. At least they tried to change the units.

Mix of Clash of Clans and Boom Beach, neither of which are too interesting

How does a game get this awful?

The graphics are worse than Age of Mythology, a 2002 game.

The sound is nothing new, and the voice acting is too over the top.

The objective system is confusing and over the place.

The price is more expensive than many good games.

And more importantly, the interface is just completely confusing.

Good but short puzzle-platformer game.