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Aliens: The Computer Game

aka: Aliens

Description official description

Electric Dreams' game based on the 1986 film Aliens is a first-person strategy game somewhat similar to Space Hulk. The player controls six characters from a remote terminal, guiding them through a 255-room complex in search of the Alien Queen. Each character has a helmet camera and a smart gun, each controlled by the player acting in the role of overall operational commander.

The player can switch to any character at any time, and must consider coordinating their movements and finding a safe location before switching to the next character. Characters occupy one room at a time, and can pan their view a full 360-degrees inside each room. Doors can be locked to halt Alien progress, or blasted open to get through (at the cost of permanently destroying the door). Alien bio-mass must also be destroyed before it spawns facehuggers, and the Aliens themselves leave lethal puddles of acid when killed (and so shouldn't be killed in front of doors!).

Aliens prowl the complex and are attracted to gunfire. They will home in on nearby characters and attack, requiring the player to aim that character's gun to defend against the rushing Alien (a headshot kills instantly, while three to the body do the same). If an Alien attacks a character the player is not controlling, they will "capture" that character (indicated by a yellow status light). The player must guide another character to the position of the hostage and kill the guarding Alien to rescue them. If not, the captured character will be lost.

Ammunition for all characters is limited, and refilled only by making a trip to the complex's armory. Similarly, a medical bay can replenish any damage. Characters also have limited stamina, used up with every move made. When stamina is low, the player must find a safe spot for that character to rest up. The complex also houses a generator controlling the lights, which the Aliens can destroy, or the Marines can then repair.

Groups +

Screenshots

Credits (Commodore 64 version)

4 People

Game Design by
Graphics by
  • Focus
Code by
  • Soft Machine
Production by
  • Software Studios

Reviews

Trivia

Contemporary Aliens releases

This was one of two contemporary games based on the James Cameron film. The European title was developed by Electric Dreams as a straightforward first-person maze game for the popular European 8-bit computer formats. In the US, Activision developed their own Aliens game, which was a compendium of six arcade mini-games. Electric Dreams released it for the European market a few months after their own title as Aliens: The Computer Game, with the Amstrad and ZX Spectrum versions ported by the Mr Micro development team.

Related Games

Aliens: The Computer Game
Released 1986 on Commodore 64, 1987 on ZX Spectrum, Apple II
Aliens
Released 1993 on Windows 3.x
Aliens: Alien 2
Released 1987 on MSX
Monsters vs Aliens
Released 2009 on Nintendo DS
Aliens vs Predator
Released 2010 on Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Monsters vs. Aliens
Released 2009 on PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox 360...
Dino and Aliens
Released 2004 on Windows, 2005 on Xbox
Ancient Aliens: The Game
Released 2016 on iPhone, iPad
Aliens Versus Predator
Released 1999 on Windows

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 10461

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Der.Archivar.

ZX Spectrum, Commodore 16, Plus/4 added by Kabushi. MSX added by koffiepad. Amstrad CPC added by Katakis | カタキス.

Additional contributors: Ashley Pomeroy, Sciere, Dan K, Patrick Bregger.

Last modified February 22nd, 2023.