Contra. Metal Slug. These are the games that come to mind when you want to play a run and gun shooter. Well, I am going to add another name to that list. Alien Chaos 3D. Yeah, I never heard of it either until I saw it on the shelf of my local game store. But, with a price of $20 (and a $10 coupon), I will take a chance on a good looking game…and this one does look good.

The story here is that you and your mother run a cleaning business, but, when Mama is kidnapped by aliens, Really Shooter (that’s actually your character’s name) must lock and load to rescue her. Hey, you telling me you played Contra for the story? I didn’t either. The draw here is the sweet run and gun game play. Very similar to Contra and Metal Slug, but there’s other elements here at work with Alien Chaos 3D. Since you are a janitor, your job is to clean. Every bullet you shoot actually creates a shell on the ground. If you push those shells into containers, you will get upgrades to your gun. Machine gun, spread shot, and even plasma rifles are available this way. Every enemy you blow up creates smoke stains on the walls. If you pause in front of one, you will wipe it clean. Doing this builds up your super shot, which is a bomb that kills everything in a small circle around you. Unlike Contra and Metal Slug, developer Ludosity has given you a health bar instead of killing you after taking one hit. Finishing the level will net you bonus points based in how much health is left. You can earn silver or gold medals based on how many points you earn each level. The idea is to keep retrying levels to get the maximum score. As far as I know, there are no online leader boards or anything, but there is a Street Pass feature that may let others challenge your hi scores.

The biggest problem with Alien Chaos 3D has to be the price. This game would be awesome if it was a $5-10 eShop title, but $20 for the retail version? That will turn off many people. All in all, the game has 25 levels, split over 5 “episodes”. Currently, I am on level 23 and have been playing the game just over an hour. Replay value is pretty much nonexistent unless I find a bunch of people to street pass with and want to try and beat their scores. If you love Contra and Metal Slug type shooters, you won’t be disappointed. Just try to find a coupon or something to knock the price down a little. I am glad I got it for $10 and not $20.

Alien Chaos 3D from GMG Play
Developed by Ludosity
Genre: Run and Gun shooter, Action
Alien Chaos 3D is available at Gamestop and Hastings.

Nick Abrams