Alien Vs Predator: The Last of his Clan - Game Boy - Review

It seems strange looking back now but in the early nineties it wasn’t uncommon for 18 certificate films to be blatantly marketed at children. As long as it had a cool sci-fi setting or a badass looking monster then it was considered fair game to turn into a toy line, comic series, video game and maybe even a spin-off cartoon. 

The Alien and Predator films were certainly no exception and after years of ‘who would win in a fight’ playground speculation, the two iconic monsters finally duked it out in 1989 in the form a comic series. Simply titled Alien Vs Predator this coming together of two of the deadliest sci-fi species proved a winning combination and before long the inevitable video-game adaptation followed.   

Activision had the honour of developing and they released two Alien Vs Predator games, both in 1993, one for the Super Nintendo and one for the Game Boy. For the purpose of this review though I’m only interested the Game Boy offering titled, ‘Alien Vs Predator: The Last of his Clan’.

 

The game is set in 2593ad, 8.6 million lightyears away from Earth on a planet named Alpha Centauri 3. The planet, recently occupied by human colonists, is now the hunting ground for the proud warrior race known as the Predators. The colonists became the unfortunate victims of an intergalactic bloodsport when a Predator drone ship visited with a cargo of deadly Alien eggs.  Before long the parasitic creatures inside had wiped out the human population and now all that remained was a deadly swarm of Xenomorphs; the Predator’s preferred prey. The Predators return to the planet but find more than they bargained for, and one by one they are overcome. It seems the Xenomorphs have multiplied at an unexpected rate which could mean only one thing, there must be a Queen nearby. Now only one Predator remains, and it falls on him to win back the honour of his clan and singlehandedly destroy the Alien Queen. 

The game plays as a 2D side-scroller in which the player takes control of the last remaining Predator. The controls are very basic with the A button being used to jump and the B button being used to attack.  Up and Down on the D-Pad also moves the camera slightly, and pressing down also enables the Predator to crouch. 

There are seven stages in the game and each stage is laid out as a multi-layered labyrinth, with numerous dead-ends, ladders, and jumps to negotiate. The objective within each stage is to reach the exit, and the exit is always beyond a locked door. The locked door can be opened with a key which is hidden somewhere in the stage. Reaching it is not only a matter of tackling the maze like layout but also battling through the many Xenomorphs, Chestbusters and Facehuggers that inhabit it. 

Being a hunter, the Predator is well equipped to deal with his prey. As well as his standard melee attack in the form of his wrist blade, other weapons can be selected via a menu by pressing the select button. The Cutting Disk is a shuriken-esque blade that returns to the Predator after being thrown. Care must be taken though, if the disc hits a wall or for whatever reason isn’t caught by the Predator on its return, it will need to be picked up from where it lands before it can be used again. The Laser Cannon is a shoulder mounted firearm which fires a projectile that locks onto a nearby enemy (handy for taking out Xenomorphs in awkward places). Bombs are used to destroy destructible walls which allow for further exploration, and with careful timing can also be used to increase the height of the Predators jump, allowing him to reach otherwise out of reach platforms. 

Unfortunately, none of these weapons (bar the Wrist Blade) are usable from the start of each level, as ammunition for each must first be found. Sadly, any unspent ammo from the previous level doesn’t carry over to the next and so the Predator is at his most vulnerable when entering a new area.

As well as these offensive tools, the Predator is equipped with a few other gadgets to help him survive. Taking up a large chunk of the upper half of the screen is a map. As the Predator explores the stage the map will be filled in making it easier to see where he has and hasn’t been. As well as this, the Predator can also activate a cloaking device to make himself invisible allowing him to slip past enemies unharmed.

Both the map and the cloaking device need power to operate though and this is also in short supply. At the beginning of each stage the Predator will have 50 energy indicated in the top right of the screen. This will be counting down constantly and even more rapidly if the cloak is activated. Once this reduces to zero, the map will almost disappear completely only showing the immediate area around the Predator’s current location, making it all but useless.

Hidden somewhere in each stage is an energy refill  but if this is used after the energy meter has fully depleted then sadly any progress in terms of filling the map is lost.

There are a few other values shown in the top right hand corner of the screen too and the first of these denotes the amount of lives the player has remaining. The player starts with three and with no continues or password saves to fall back on, once these are gone it really is game over. 

Mercifully, the Predator can take a fair amount of punishment. He starts each level with 8HP, but if this is reduced to zero, the Predator loses a life and the stage must be started again from scratch.

Starting with so much HP, you might think the game is being overly generous, but the speed and unpredictable nature of the Xenomorph attacks means that taking damage is often unavoidable. Oftentimes, enemies will continuously respawn (though only ever one at a time), and often in awkward places making it hard to progress without taking a hit. Ladders are a particularly problematic area as often Xenomorphs spawn whilst you try to climb up, or are waiting for you as you drop down and being unable to attack in mid-air it makes the Predator helpless in these situations.

Therefore despite the generous health bar, a cautious, defensive approach is needed throughout each level to survive. Combined with the continuously draining energy meter it actually gives the game a decent feeling of tension and unease as you explore the labyrinthine stages.

The game becomes increasingly difficult throughout too, as enemies take more and more hits to kill with each successive stage. (Perhaps they’re defending their Queen with extra ferocity as you get closer or perhaps it’s just lazy game design, who knows?) Keys and weapons are also hidden in more and more awkward places, and fairly early on the game requires you to find secret areas through passable walls. 

Graphically the game is somewhat of a mixed bag. The Predator is large and decently detailed, but his animation looks stiff and awkward and dare I say a bit goofy. Also, I know it’s a strange thing to point out but when climbing a ladder he has a disconcertingly cute bum. (Moving on…)

The Xenomorphs look equally well detailed but are also poorly animated. The Chestbusters however look laughably bad, and may has well have crawled straight of the pages of a Hungry Caterpillar book.

The levels themselves look decent enough but are lacking in variety with some backgrounds being used over multiple stages. This certainly doesn’t help when trying to navigate the labyrinthine layouts where everything has a tendency to look the same. When playing on an original Game Boy enemies blend into the background too which, although thematic, makes the game a little uncomfortable on the eyes. Playing on a Game Boy Color however gives the Predator and Xenomorphs a different colour to the backgrounds to help them stand out, which is not only is easier on the eyes but also makes it easier to play.

The music in the game is suitably creepy and atmospheric and though I don’t think it will be everyone’s cup of tea, I certainly enjoyed it quite a bit. It certainly puts you in mind of the Predator soundtrack, and there’s even a nice rendition of the Predator theme in the intro. 

Overall I enjoyed Alien Vs Predator: The Last of his Clan though it’s far from being an easy game to recommend to others. The controls feel stiff and awkward at first, and having to bring up a menu every time you need to change weapon is a pain. Xenomorphs spawning in awkward places causing unavoidable damage often led to annoyance and frustration. Saying that, never knowing when and where you’re going to be attacked from does add a certain suspense to the game which is certainly in keeping with the setting. I’m slightly ashamed to say it but on at least one occasionally I actually got a mild jump scare from a suddenly appearing Xenomorph. 

It takes a few goes to get a feel for the game and start to appreciate the slow and steady pace it demands. Sadly however, with only seven stages on offer, the game is over before you know it. Much of the difficulty is felt early on when having to aimlessly wander the stages in the hope of finding the required items and keys. After a few attempts however it’s easy to remember the locations and routes and with that most levels can easily be completed in just a few minutes.

Nevertheless if like me you’re a fan of the Predator and Alien franchises then I definitely think there is some enjoyment to be had here. The game does a decent job of making you feel like the Predator with a decent arsenal of gadgets and weapons at hand, and keeps you edge on as slowly explore the Xenomorph infested corridors. 

So if you like what you’ve heard, why not seek out a copy of Alien Vs Predator for the Game Boy and take control of the last of your clan and win back your honour by singlehandedly fighting your way through the endless Xenomorph horde on Alpha Centauri 3 to take out the Alien Queen.