Retro Game Lookback: Alien For C64 and ZX Spectrum

“In space no one can hear your tape drive squealing”.

We recently managed to dig out both retro versions of Argus Press “Mind Games” 1984 imagination of the ultra scary sci-fi movie “Alien”. The Commodore 64 version, developed by Paul Clansey (with Roy Gibson and Concept Software), consists of a large plastic case (around A5 size) containing the cassette, and a 16 page booklet consisting of:

• A mini story of Alien with scans from the movie included for illustration
• An introduction to the game and key elements including the Personality Control System (PCS) and the Command Monitor.
• A look at the screen displays within the game
• Some times for survival
• A brief background of the movie

The Spectrum version was developed by John Heap, and packaged in a similar manner, but in game it also included a handy “mapping symbols” section to tell us what each of the icons on the map display is for, such as the room indicator, subject indicator, ladder, connecting door, and so on. The inlay card from the pack was also removable and included a glossy reverse with a foreboding image of an alien hand together with loading details for the Spectrum 48K and Commodore 64.

Apparently there was also an Amstrad CPC version of the game but we’ve never seen it.

Set aboard the mining ship Nostromo you control the crew members, Dallas, Kane, Ripley, Ash, Lambert, Parker and Brett as they explore the ship in their search for the Alien whilst making sure you keep as many of them alive as possible.

The ultimate aim of the game is to hunt down and toast the Alien or eject it from your ship, The Nostromo. The game is refreshingly different and manages to play on the suspense factor that made the original movie so good with you in some distant control room issuing orders to the crew members. For each order you have to wait for the tracker to post an update with the latest progress.

Once the game is started you are presented with a three panel display, the Map, the Command Monitor, and the Report Monitor with the TOOH (Tome Out Of Hypersleep) clock ticking down to your oblivion as the oxygen slowly runs out of your ship. The Map allows you to see each section of the ship as you explore (30 rooms and 40 ducting areas), the Report Monitor keeps you up to date with what’s happening and the Command Monitor is where you give instructions to each of your remaining crew members.

Whenever the Alien attacks one of your crew member a chilling image will appear on the screen and you need to be quick to save them. Two neat features are:

• Catching Jones, the cat, and keeping him safe from the Alien
• One of your crew is an Android (and it’s not always Ash) – you need to figure out who it is to prevent them sabotaging your mission.

All too often a movie tie-in ends up being a bit of a shambles but this wasn’t the case with Alien – you could tell the developers must have been quite keen on the movie and wanted to retain the important elements – the game is based around the scary search for the aliens through the tight vents within the ship. I can remember finding the Spectrum version of the game quite eerie at the time – with the music and sound effects, and that sudden flash of the Alien creature, playing an important part of the experience.

If the game has any faults it’s probably around the movement of crew from location to location which you really have to get your head around (as we seem to be more familiar with games that offers instant response). Upon choosing to move a crew member or perform a special action it can take quite a few seconds for the various monitors to update with progress – which kind of recreates the feel of watching a tracker, from a remote location, which is following the movement of a human at regular intervals. A simple status report such as “Ash is moving East” would have added immensely to this aspect of the game.

In play and graphically the two versions are pretty similar in execution although playing them side by side, in our opinion at least, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum version has the edge in terms of speed, animation, responsiveness, and the use of more vivid colours. Though both are very playable and the game is surely ripe for a re-imagination – imagine controlling the crew members of the Nostromo from a remote location using an Unreal style engine – where you only get updates of what’s going on in bursts – it could be great – almost an interactive movie.