Alien 8
| Alien 8 | |
|---|---|
Cover art
|
|
| Developer(s) | Tim and Chris Stamper |
| Publisher(s) | Ultimate Play The Game |
| Engine | Filmation |
| Platform(s) | ZX Spectrum BBC Micro Amstrad CPC MSX |
| Release |
ZX Spectrum
|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, maze |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Score |
| Crash | 95% |
| Amstrad Action | 96% |
| Amtix! | 92% |
Alien 8 is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ultimate Play The Game. It was released for the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC and MSX in 1985. The game is a spiritual successor to the best-selling Knight Lore, which was lauded by critics for its isometric graphics. In the game, the player takes control of a robot, Alien 8, whose job is to ensure that all of the cryogenically frozen passengers on board a starship remain viable during the ship's voyage.
The game was written by Chris Stamper, and graphics were designed by Tim Stamper. Alien 8 uses the same image masking technique as Knight Lore, which allows the developers to create composite structures out of stacked images without visual overlay. The technique was copyrighted by Ultimate as the Filmation game engine. As with its spiritual predecessor, the game is rendered isometric projection. The game was critically acclaimed upon release. Reviewers praised the game's graphics and innovation, however minor criticism was directed at its similarities to Knight Lore.
The game is presented in an isometric format and set on board a starship. Taking on the role of the robot, Alien 8, the player must explore the large starship in order to ensure that the cryogenic life support systems preserving the biological crew are re-activated. The core of this system is a series of geometrically-shaped circuits. However, the circuits have been removed by the invading aliens and distributed around the starship. The main objective of the game is to collect the correct circuits and return them to their respective locations before the starship reaches its destination. The circuits are variously shaped as cubes, pyramids, domes or cylinders.
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