With graphics and sound that might have been truly impressive about decade ago and basic space-invaders style gameplay that you’ll recognize from your Atari 2600 days, it’s hard to understand exactly what the retro allure of Alien Outbreak is, but it’s there. Perhaps it is the strangely epic quality of the game sessions, which are rarely less than a half hour – forever for an arcade game. Maybe it’s the way that all of the aliens have damage meters and requiring multiple shots to hit, giving them more presence than the normal one-shot arcade aliens, or the truly original way the alien weapons explode into circles and waves of damage that you must maneuver around? Or maybe it is the forgiving difficulty curve and movement-intensive gameplay that draws you in. It’s really hard to tell, but the whole package is actually simple retro-arcade fun.

There are issues, of course. The graphics are passable at best, and the sound is bad enough that you’ll turn it off before the first few levels are over. Moreover, some of the boss levels seem much too difficult compared to the main game, so you’ll find yourself saving lives and missiles for the boss levels and losing them all in a sort of war of attrition against frustrating special attacks you can’t possibly defend against. But what made me most disappointed is that I was collecting money through the whole game, thinking I was going to get to buy something, only to find out that they were just thinly disguised points. When a game gives me money, I expect to buy things, dang it! Especially when I go to all of the troule to fly over and pick up money pickups!

But all of those warts aside, this is one of those games that creeps under the radar and surprises you. Despite the poor graphics, the irritating sound, the completely irrelevant story, and the overall cheapness of the game, you will likely find that you’ll play out the demo before you realize it. If you are looking for an old-school arcade-game feel, and need to blow an hour, it’s definitely worth the download. For most it won’t likely be worth the purchase, but for the hardcore space invaders fans out there, it just might be.

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