Act: Alien Flux [by Puppy Games]

Game Review: Alien Flux
Release: June 10, 2003
Genre: Action
Developer: Puppy Games
System Requirements: Windows 95 OSR2/98/ME/2K/XP, 500MHz processor, 3D card with hardware accelerated transform & lighting (T&L) (GeForce, Radeon, etc), OpenGL1.4 drivers, DirectX 5.0, 48MB of free RAM, DirectSound3D-compatible sound card, two button optical mouse, a keyboard, 20MB of hard disk space
Price: US $19.95

Life as a Zoo-keeper isn't all it is cracked up to be.  In Alien Flux you are a Zoo-keeper watching over an endangered species from the planet Fluff.  These fluffies are supposedly intelligent, but they have no visible arms and spend most of their time bouncing up and down when they are trying to see how many directions they can look in 10 seconds.

Unfortunately for the fluffies, bubbles from another dimension are trying to turn the fluffies into lime Jell-O.  You have no other choice but to pilot a robot spaceship to their defense.  If you fail you'll be forced to eat all the lime Jell-O...

Alien Flux is an old school blast everything you see shooter.  It adds in spectacular graphics and singular game play to the mix to provide challenge worthy of the most skilled gamers in the galaxy.

You control a ship and your goal is to attempt to defend the fluffies through multiple levels.  Each level adds in new or harder enemies.  However there is no need to fear.  Your ship is well-equipped with a laser and some nifty thrusters.  The key to defending your fluffies is to move and fire around the game board without getting shot.  Of course it's much more difficult than it sounds.  The playing field is seen from an overhead perspective, but you will rarely see all your fluffies on the screen at the same time.  There is an over-view map available to you that will help you keep track of your enemies and how close they are to you and your fluffies.  In addition, if any of the bubbles begins to envelope a fluffy you'll see a portion of a large circle as it scales down in size and designates where the poor fluffy is. 

No shooter is complete without power-ups, and Alien Flux supplies a few.  There is a rapid fire power-up that will save your fingers, in addition to floating orbs that help by destroying the occasional enemy that gets too close, a laser power-up that increases the swath and power of your laser, and my favorite missile, that targets newly enveloped Fluffies.  Well actually it targets the bubble, but you get the idea.

Blasting bubbles off of Fluffies isn't as easy as you think.  One wrong shot and the fluffy will go down with the bubble.  However, you are well rewarded point wise for making such a dangerous move.  Alien Flux sports an online hi-score list that is well-used.  Gamers spend hours trying to make their way onto the list to break the hi-scores already posted.  So anything you can do to increase that score might be worth doing.  Just make sure you blast the bubble off the Fluffy before it turns into green Jell-O or you'll have another mess to clean up with your laser.

Playing Alien Flux is a little bit of a trick.  Instead of a joystick, Puppy Games opted for a mouse and keyboard combo.  The reasoning for this becomes fairly obvious as you play.  You use the mouse both to target your enemies and to move.  Instead of just firing away blindly at enemies, you must carefully target by moving your firing targeter, a graphically enhanced crosshair, over the spot where you want to shoot.  Pressing the left mouse button, or whatever button you've designated as fire, will fire at that location.  If you press the right mouse button you move to that spot, so it's important not to get those two mixed up.  You also have a shield and smart bombs at your disposal.  Each is activated by pressing a button on the keyboard or whatever key you've mapped to that function from the options screen.

Alien Flux I think could then best be thought of as a shooter with a bit of strategy.  You need to figure out where you are going to fire first instead of blasting blindly away.  That piece of the game is certainly refreshing and I believe it will win many fans for this game.

Graphics: 9
Before I played I checked out the help file, which I recommend by the way, and I was itching to play after looking at all the beautifully drawn items in the game.  Alien Flux definitely delivers on the graphic front.  With some nice light-mapping, the area around your ship lights up as you move about.  Each of the enemies and power-ups are well drawn, and the Fluffies are so well designed that people will want a game just about them. The vapor trails on the ship and the ship itself are a wonder to look at and will keep you glued to the screen as you move about.  Just don't forget to focus on killing your enemies or you'll be watching your ship get destroyed!

Sound: 8
Initially when I was entering my registration key, a process I got to repeat a half dozen times, I was impressed by the stark, eerie music.  The music reminds me a lot of the background music while you are waiting in line to ride Space Mountain in Disneyland.  Each of the sound effects has a very "old-school" feel to them and they will likely remind you of Robotron and other great games from the mid and late 80s.  Overall the sound does a decent job adding to the overall feel of the game.

Game Play: 6
Despite what would seem a nearly unbeatable combination in other areas, the game play really let me down.  I spent the first couple of hours I was playing wishing that I could use a joystick.  I spent the next couple of hours coping, and the last few hours I played the game I spent trying to figure out how it would be possible to use a joystick.  Perhaps one with 2 d-pads like the X-Box pads?  Still not sure it could be done, but playing the game with a mouse is very difficult and is what keeps the game from becoming all that it could be.  Those who are great using both their mouse and their keyboard at the same time, without ever mixing up the keys will do well.  Those like me, whose wrists hurt after prolonged use of the mouse, or who occasional left-click when they mean to right click, or move when they mean to use a smart bomb will likely become frustrated with the controls of the game.  The amount of precision needed in playing the game does not lend itself well to the mouse, and will likely turn many possible fans off of what otherwise is a great game.

Options: 10
Certainly no lack of options here.  Multiple visual and sound options are available.  The game also includes a link up to the website through a High Score table that will keep you guessing how everyone else gets it done. 

Concept: 8
The basic idea here is to protect your worthless comrades by destroying everything that threatens them.  It certainly isn't a new idea or concept, but the Fluffies are quite memorable, and the bubbles that ensnare them are cool.  In addition, the pinpoint firing system is interesting as it puts more focus on hitting your enemy instead of just firing at everything that moves.  On that one feature alone Alien Flux pushes itself past the "dumb shooter" group and should appeal to those who like more skill in their gaming.

Fun: 7
The amount of enjoyment I got from the game was greatly tempered by the difficulties I had using the mouse.  I typically would do well losing few Fluffies or lives prior to level 8.  Then problems started to occur.  A simple mistake such as moving when I mean to shield would end my life and cost me a special weapon making the game much more difficult.  I often found the pinpoint firing system very difficult to work with as I could seemingly not hit anything with my weaker weapons.  Feeling like I'm just waiting to be killed wasn't too fun.  There were a couple of other issues worth mentioning that took away from the fun as well.  I often killed my Fluffies un-intentionally. (I killed them all intentionally several times)  In any event, I believe the game is an enjoyable play, but likely not among the most fun games of its type to play.

Overall: 8
Alien Flux is a fantastically well-designed game.  The graphics are top-notch, the game is put together extremely solidly, and it has all the extras that make for a wonderful gaming experience.  Any fan of action-intensity gaming should give it a try.  I'm sure many will find it to be exactly their cup of tea.  Those who love to show off their skill will find this a perfect game to do so with as it requires a stead hand and a battle plan instead of the mind-numbering shooting that so many similar games have.Added: August 1st 2003
Reviewer: The Mole
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Related Link: Puppy Games Homepage
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