I can’t quite remember when or why I made the decision to buy
Super Mutant Alien Assault; most likely from the release sections of one of the
Co-Optional Podcasts. I do remember the art style having a 2D “SNES” feel to
it, and that would have engaged me as much as anything else. However, it was a
long time between buying the game and playing it…
Super Mutant Alien Assault is an arena / roguelike game
released in 2015.The premise is that aliens have taken over some space ships in
three different galaxies, and you play as a security robot tasked with eliminating
the aliens and saving the human race, or something along those lines. Let’s be
honest, you don’t usually play games like this for the plot!
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| One of the boss battles... |
The game is a fast and frantic platform shooter, with the roguelike
elements linked mainly to progression – extra starting items unlock the more
you play through the game. There are three galaxies and four levels per galaxy;
each galaxy ends with a random boss battle and the other three levels are randomly
generated as well. You must take on hordes of irradiated aliens, killing them
quickly before they mutate into their upgraded forms, whilst completing the
level objectives to move on, beating the boss on each level, until you clear
the game on one run. No easy task!
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A lot of frantic action is sometimes
hard to keep track of! |
You start off without weapons, but can pick up a primary weapon
on most levels – these start off with the fairly standard shotgun, uzi and
rocket launcher, but later go on to include laser guns, plasma cannons, a
handheld weapon of concentrated light that is definitely not a lightsaber, and
even a chakram that holds exploding bombs. You also have secondary weapons –
pistols, chackrams and a burst assault rifle. There are explosive weapons as
well, ranging from grenades to trip mines to entire bomb packs. And finally,
you have some special abilities as well – higher jumps, faster movement, plasma
blasts. Play the game for long enough and you’ll find a combination of weapons
and upgrade items that you like, but the game randomises the equipment drops so
there’s no guarantee you’ll get the one you’re looking for – you get what you’re
given, and it’s up to you to make it work.
Super Mutant Alien Assault works very well; the game has
tight and responsive controls, challenges you at the right level and the levels
are quick enough for an engaging experience that don’t require too much of a
time investment. Killing aliens is always fun, but additional objectives in the
missions, plus the game not always giving you access to certain kinds of weapons,
and only allowing you to heal once per galaxy, lend a strategic element to the
game that requires strategic thinking and forward planning. The graphics are
nothing special, but they don’t need to be; they’re top end of 5th
generation 2D graphics and will still look as good in 20 years. The sound is
good as well; the sound effects are marvellous, and the backing music is made
up of dubstep tracks which are just old enough in 2021 to provoke a feeling of
nostalgia.
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In these levels, you must get the green capsules
up to the receptical at the top... |
If there is a criticism to be made it is in the difficulty:
It’s a little too easy to beat. I defeated the three galaxies and bosses quite easily
and found most of the challenge in trying to get through the entire game – the advanced
difficulty levels don’t unlock until you’ve done this. With Roguelikes, most of
the progression is found in unlocking extra items and upgrades, but you really
don’t need to be playing for very long at all to have found all of these. It’s
not necessarily a problem for me as I wasn’t looking for a long experience, but
people who like a tough route to progress through the game might expect a little more.
All in all, Super Mutant Alien Assault is a great game that
I’d happily recommend. It’s a great introduction to this sort of game, plays
very well and a lot of fun. Roguelikes aren’t everybody’s preferred style of
game, and this game lacks exposition, but most people will have a good time
with Super Mutant Alien Assault.
Final Score: 4/5: Great game.
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