Story/Concept :

This is what probably the developer of Alien Scumbags imagined and a baby was born.And the name?Master Chef!
Alien Scumbags is a Side-Scroller - 2D - Action-Platformer where you take the role of a bad-ass hero,named Master Chef.Master Chef is a character that externally looks like the Doom-Guy from Doom and talks like Duke Nukem.What a great combination for a real hero!


We are in the year 20xx and since earth has been ravaged by nuclear wars,the only hope left for human kind is the space ship Nostrami.But it seems that something weird happened there and Earth lost communications with the ship 48 hours ago.Someone must find out what happened there and give some answers.But this not a mission for anyone!Only the best can do this and since some of the best like Duke,Lara and Snake are occupied with other missions,only one person left that can do this!Yes,you guessed right...It's time for Master Chef to arm his weapons and "Make Space Great Again!".


From the first minutes of the game we can clearly see the developer's obvious intentions to add references to some characters that are considered classic.The game has many references to well-known characters from classic games,movies and even politics!Some few examples are Lara Croft,Snake,Doom-Guy,Mario,Isaac-Clarke (Dead Space),Duke Nukem and literally tons of others.But wait a second.Did i say Duke Nukem?Here comes the best part!Apart from all the references,as i said in the beginning,our main character Master Chef,talks like Duke Nukem.By "talks", i mean that every now and then he makes some really nice DUKE-like comments,with DUKE-like voice,commenting on the current situation or even mocking the enemies.
All these references and comments are really well-made and they are not only welcomed but they make the game even funnier.There were not few times that i literally stopped to just listen what our protagonist will say or if i could get all the references i found.

Gameplay :

Alien Scumbags is a 2D Action-Platformer at heart.The main objective is to find the exit in each stage in order to progress to the next one,until you finally see what really happened in Nostrami.But this won't be an easy task,because different types of Aliens are everywhere and they will try to stop you at every step.
Many different types of enemies,from little(easy-to-kill) ones to some really big ones that will need many bullets in order to die.Normal enemies,exploding enemies or even big bosses are all there,too.


You start with a pistol and towards your way,you will be able to find more and stronger weapons or even upgrade them.Only your main pistol has unlimited bullets, as for all the others you will have to search and find bullets,if you want to survive.But be careful,because there is a very limited amount of bullets you can find for the other weapons and most of the times you will be left with your precious pistol.Although we don't see a huge variety of weapons and the game could have had more,i can say that these weapons that exist, can cover most of the situations we will have to face.

In Alien Scumbags you won't have to fight all the enemies.it is designed in such a way that you can avoid the enemies,too.It is not a typical Run'n'Gun platformer.You will need to think how you will progress through each area (especially in higher difficulties).You will need to think which weapon you will use(some may not be appropriate for each situation) ,or even hide in a locker in order to avoid the enemy and let him pass.We can't say this game is stealthy,but it is designed in such a way that you can choose how you want to play it.And yes,in harder difficulty levels,avoiding enemies while you are out of ammo,could be a bless.


The game offers 4 different difficulty levels.I can say that in normal ,it's already pretty challenging.In higher difficulties ,you will get a different experience,as the enemies are way harder and you will have to think more how you will progress.
From the game are not missing some nice features that make it even more fun,like Collectibles,Golden Eggs,Log files and Audio Tapes!But the best part,are the secret areas and secrets.Cleverly made secrets that will satisfy the fans of exploration and the hunter of "secrets"!And to make it even better....there are many!Last but not least,you can unlock different characters with unique abilities each,that will make the game a...different experience.Some quick examples are charcters with longer jump or lower gravity.

Visuals/Graphics :

The developer has done some great work with the pixel art that will satisfy the fans of this style and will bring some nostalgia to old-school gamers.Nice cute pixel graphics,combined with a tone of horror and gore.

Sounds/Soundtrack :

The soundtrack is really amazing ,adding more points to the whole atmosphere.And here i will mention once again the memorable Duke-like voice with the great comments.

Strongest Points :

Weakest Points :

My only complaint is that the game is a bit short.The main story is about 3 hours long only.But fortunately we can replay it with a different character that has his own unique ability and we can have a different experience every time.Also considering that the game offers more difficulty levels and many secrets to discover and areas to explore,i think you can expand the time of playing.That's why i added in the strongest points the replay value point.

Summary/Conclusion :

“It is obvious how much love the developer has put in this game and the amount of respect he has for the classics.Alien Scumbags is a real hidden gem that although it might be a low-budget indie game,it will reward anyone who will play it.It is a well-worked game that has personality and style.Personally,i had a blast and one thing i can say for sure,is that, it has exactly what a game needs to have : IT IS 100% FUN! :) ''