Alien Breed Longplay (Amiga) [50 FPS]

Developed and published by Team 17 in 1991. Having just completed a longplay of Alien Breed Special Edition 92, I thought that I'd try out the original version that was released a year earlier in 1991 to see how it compared. The game, as you might expect, is very similar. However, this version contains a mere 6 levels versus the 12 of the special edition, but has a disk that contains an animated introduction that's pretty cool. If you thought the special edition was a tough game, the original game is tougher still. This is due in large part to the level design, which feels a lot more enclosed with many narrow corridors. The enemy spawn mechanic goes into overdrive a lot of the time with vast swathes of enemies pouring through doors and from around corners making it difficult to kill them quickly enough. The number of power-ups, ammo and credits are greatly reduced when compared to the special edition. In fact, this version of the game feels pretty bare a lot of the time with endless corridors with only a few items to collect. The special edition really made the levels feel more interesting with risk versus reward coming into effect; do you risk using your keys to get the loot, or do you save them for the mission ahead? If you do manage to beat the game then you'll be treated to an ending sequence that was omitted from the special edition and paves the way for Alien Breed II. Overall, I think the special edition is the better version. Both are brutally tough, but the special edition has more moments where I felt that it was actually enjoyable to be playing; this version felt like I was being punished a lot of the time. Enjoy! #retrogaming