Alphaman screenshot on mobile phone
I’ve had my sci-fi cap on this past week, what with Star Trek: Nemesis on HBO, and Hyperion in between, so you might say I had it coming when I was sent Alphaman for review.

Contrary to what the title might imply, Alphaman isn’t a testosterone-pumped super-junkie with hero tendencies but rather (from what I’ve observed on-screen) a wee little sprite of a bounty hunter, humble and unpretentious but with only on thing on his mind: “to hunt down and capture the rogue ‘Zaik’ who is the dread of all star systems.” And so his tale is told, but don’t think it to be that simple, not only does Alphaman have to deal with the hordes of mercenary bodyguards ‘Zaik’ has built up around him but he also has to slog through a multitude of interplanetary obstacles such as mines, lasers, and what appear to be super-evolved cockroaches. I’d hate to see what kind of rats ‘Zaik’ has at home.

On a less gross note I found Alphaman’s interface refreshingly reminiscent of older arcade games I used to play. Basically this is a space romp with a vintage feel but with very modern gameplay. Sound and graphics are solidly good all throughout the game, graphics especially (how else do you think I could make out the cockroaches).

Alphaman stalks through levels with space armor which absorbs damage for you until it runs out at which point you will instantly die. Alphaman’s laser rifle is upgradeable up to three times (in terms of bullet spread but ammo is limited at higher levels) but doesn’t carry over onto the next level. Be wary of firing too often though, unlike most shooters Alphaman rewards the cautious shot and punishes the trigger-happy fool. Let me elaborate: the firing system in this game features a heat bar for your weapon, keep firing and the bar will steadily rise until your weapon gets so hot that it will either fire less rapidly or cease to function completely. Perhaps one of the cleverer aspects of the game, it certainly improves the quality of the already first-rate gameplay.

Graphically sound, and very very playable, Alphaman deserves every ounce of time you put into it. I certainly felt fulfilled after having led Alphaman to Zaik’s lair. Being the generous gentleman that he is Alphaman split the bounty of 2,000,000 SCr with me. I wonder how much that is in Euro’s.
Screen sizes: 176x220