Alien Hominid HD (NSP, XCI) ROM

Alien Hominid HD is a run-and-gun video game developed by The Behemoth and first released as a Flash game on the multimedia website Newgrounds on August 7, 2002. It was originally developed in Adobe Flash by programmer and Newgrounds founder, Tom Fulp, and animator and artist, Dan Paladin.

It has since been re-released in several expanded and enhanced iterations for home consoles and computers. The first re-release of Alien Hominid was with an expanded console version released on the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox in 2004 and 2005.

A port for the Game Boy Advance, developed by Tuna Technologies, was released in 2006 for PAL territories.  A high-definition version titled Alien Hominid 360 (formerly known as Alien Hominid HD) was released for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in 2007.

Another remaster, Alien Hominid HD, was released for Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 1, 2023, alongside a sequel, Alien Hominid Invasion. The acclaimed 2D side-scrolling game from The Behemoth is now on Nintendo Switch.

Featuring hand-drawn visuals, lightning-fast gameplay, and the same original humor, playing this title feels like a journey through time, with enhanced graphics but the same hardcore gaming experience. Explore your environment by leaping, evading enemy attacks, snatching agents, and burrowing underground!

Employ your trusty blaster to eliminate everything in your path and launch grenades at your foes for spectacular explosions. Take agents by surprise with your blade in close-quarters combat, or go for the head-chomping approach if that suits your fancy.

GAMEPLAY

Alien Hominid is a side-scrolling shooter in a similar vein to games such as Metal Slug, where one hit instantly kills and has a two-player simultaneous play. Players take over as the titular hominid, who has to fend off waves of secret agents.

His main arsenal is a blaster, while players can also melee close-up enemies and use a limited number of grenades to attack. Advanced moves include rolling under shots, jumping on and biting off enemies’ heads, temporarily scaring other enemies, and digging underground to drag enemies down with them.

Players can collect a variety of power-ups which simultaneously give players extra grenades, a shield, and unique ammo. Players can also drive vehicles, ride on top of a Yeti, and pilot a UFO. Completing certain tasks will unlock hats the players can dress their Hominid in. The main game features sixteen stages.

Outside of the main game, there are three multiplayer modes (Challenge, Neutron Ball, and Pinata Boss), a PDA game (featuring around 200 levels and a level editor), an extra mode called All You Can Eat, and a retro minigame, Super Soviet Missile Mastar.

GAME MODES

Whether you’re going solo or engaging in 2-player local co-op, Alien Hominid HD offers three classic difficulty options:

• Easy – 7 lives and continues, with two shields from weapon pickups.
• Normal – 5 lives and continues, with one shield from weapon pickups.
• INSANE – 3 lives and continues, where one hit spells doom.

KEY FEATURES

If head-chomping gets old, all the original mini-games are available for aliens seeking a brief diversion, including:

• 201 levels of PDA Games.
• Super Soviet Missile Master.
• All You Can Eat.
• Neutron Ball.
• Pinata Fiesta.
• Challenge Mode.

The game includes in-game achievements and weekly/monthly leaderboards for all three difficulties. Revisit the game that kickstarted The Behemoth’s journey, and hope you still remember those tricky boss patterns!