Commando and cleaner aren’t two vocations that are readily found together but serve as the ingredients to this unique concoction from Reef Entertainment. Frantic, fast-paced and requiring quick thinking, Alien Chaos 3D is a side-on shooter that places enemy eradication at the top of the bill if you wish to succeed.
Really Shooter is the star here, running a cleaning business with his mother, Poor Mama, whilst also partaking in the odd commando mission on the side. When a robot invasion overruns Earth, Poor Mama lives up to her unfortunate name and finds herself kidnapped, soon seeing Really gear up as he prepares to take the fight to the invading machinations.
Despite such wacky narrative, it’s the blend of gun-blazing action and carefree cleaning that make Alien Chaos 3D stand out from the crowd, however.
Within boxed 2D terrains, Really must fend against sizeable quantities of robotic animals. Metallic rolling armadillos, armoured hedgehogs, shield-carrying hippos, suicidal frogs, and what appear to be owls. Arriving through numerous portals, levels initially begin relatively slow-paced before everything becomes ridiculously frantic as you shoot in every direction.
Luckily you have a broad array of weaponry to acquire, that includes the flame-throwing Scorcher, Blaster rocket launcher, and a Minigun, which humorously propels the player backwards whilst being fired due to its power.
Acquiring these works differently, with Really required to kick empty ammo shells and scrap metal into designated containers – filling them to capacity rewarding you with whichever weapon it supplies. It perhaps sounds like a hassle but is an oddly gratifying twist on the formula that’ll have you gleefully kicking metal around the maps.
Also, cleaning any blast marks on the wall behind you cumulatively rewards you by filling your Super bar that, once filled, sends a destructive shockwave rippling through your nearby vicinity – eradicating any mechanical monstrosities that lie in its wake.
Where Alien Chaos 3D falters is in a lack of replay value. With Story Mode containing thirty levels spanning just five chapters, this is a game that can be completed within a matter of hours. A separate Challenge Mode attempts to elongate your playtime through introducing survival and time attack elements, although such addition doesn’t warrant your efforts.
StreetPass support is welcome, allowing you to share your high scores with players that you pass, although with a lack of Nintendo 3DS owners on my daily commute it’s a shame that online leaderboards weren’t incorporated.
Despite niggling issues, Alien Chaos 3D still proves a joy to play. Manic ammo-depleting action awaits, and there’s nothing quite like it on the Nintendo eShop.
Version Tested: Nintendo 3DS
Review copy provided by Reef Entertainment
