Alien Hominid's combination of fast, challenging gameplay and a unique artstyle creates quite the worthwhile package.
What makes Alien Hominid so different and interesting right off the bat is the old-school styled gameplay mixed with an insane art style (ala resident Behemoth artist Dan Paladin). “Old -school”, meaning its a blatant Metal Slug rip-off, but without being completely unoriginal or overly nostalgic. Fans of challenging side-scrolling shooters should be hard pressed to be disappointed by Alien Hominid s difficult and originality, but don't take that as a reason to pass this gem up.
The games story compliments the overall feel of the game without being completely overbearing or unimportant. You are an alien and you have crash-landed on Earth, your objective is to find your ship and escape in one piece. This is of course is easier said than done. With three worlds the story mode is not particularity long but the games challenge keeps it from being blown through in one sitting, which is both its main strength and weakness. What it lacks in approachability it makes up in sheer content. The story mode (much like Gears of War) is quite the thrill ride and never seems to let up for a moment as a variety of colorful enemies and bosses cross your path. Even as a appreciator of difficulty in games the challenge present in Alien Hominid HD can be some what frustrating which again compliments its old-school nature, but might be somewhat of a turn off for the more casual video game player who doesn't have the fastest twitch reflexes. However the game does have multiple difficulty settings and should not be deemed 'impossible', especially when helped by a friend. The game allows for a same-screen partner to accompany you throughout the main game, and while sometimes the difficulty and chaos on screen can hamper the experience a bit it can still be great fun.
Speaking of chaos, Alien Hominid has plenty due to the previously mentioned “insane art style.” With its cartoon-like, hand drawn styling the game visually does a great job of instilling some unique personality and lasting impressions. Additionally the game contains a bunch of meaty singleplayer/multiplayer mini-games and challenges that constantly cause you to wonder how the game possibly sells for a mere 800 Microsoft Points ($10 U.S). One of the few downsides being the multiplayer is limited to most of the mini-games and not the main game. The mini-games are interesting and diverse, ranging from a simple yet strangely addictive platformer to world themed challenge levels that pit you against a multitude of increasingly difficult enemies.
Overall, even with the games occasionally frustrating challenge level Alien Hominid HD's combination of humor, fast pick-up-and-play gameplay, and a interesting art style creates a great and ultimately fresh experience that no one with a pulse and a handful of Microsoft Points should miss out on.