Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection: An Imperfect Classic Gets the Museum Treatment
I’ve spent my entire life playing video games in one form or another. I’ve been around long enough to say that I’ve seen most major video game and computer game technology as they debuted. While I do collect retro games, the popularity in doing so has made owning some of these bygone games and systems a little bit harder. Especially for those who don’t have the knowledge to use them.
That’s why it’s a delight that so many games are acting as interactive documentaries–both showcasing the games in a playable format but also with extensive developer interviews, video game art and box art, etc. Alien Breed 35th Anniversary does exactly that, and for a game series that may be obscure for those in the United States.
For those unaware, Alien Breed is essentially what put Team 17 on the map, which they followed up with their fantastic Worms series. Team 17 really pushed the Commodore Amiga hardware to its limit and proved that it could deliver smooth, fast gaming experience to compete with video game consoles of the early 1990s. Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection gives gamers in the west a possible never-before-seen glimpse of European video game history.
As a computer gamer in the 90s, I was aware of Alien Breed, but not their overseas significance. Instead, being a huge Alien and Aliens fan, I sought out any excuse to live out my xenomorph blasting fantasies through copyright adjacent franchises like Alien Breed. Not having an Amiga (or probably having any awareness of their existence at the time) I played the Alien Breed DOS ports. While those aren’t available in this package, there are a ton of things for Alien Breed fans and newcomers alike.
The Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection packages all of the Amiga versions of Alien Breed, which includes 6 games:
Alien Breed (1991)
Alien Breed: Special Edition (1992)
Alien Breed II: The Horror Continues (1993) (Includes both ECS and AGA hardware versions) Alien Breed: Tower Assault (1994) (Includes Amiga and CD32 versions)
Alien Breed 3D (1995) (CD32 version)
Alien Breed 3D II: The Killing Grounds (1996)
In addition to that, there have been some control modernizations and quality of life updates. Twin-stick support has been added, as well as multiple save states and performance boosts. The classic 3D first person shooter entries run better than their classic counterparts. You can also switch aspect ratios between 4:3 and 16:9, as well as add CRT style scan lines to make it more visually like you might have played them back in the day. There is also online multiplayer added, as well as a few extra game modes like a Rush mode and Horde mode.
The best part of all of is the interactive archives. There is an archive that is set up as an explorable, in-universe map that resembles an actual Alien Breed level. There is box art, game art, documentaries and interviews with the development team. I think I spent more time watching interviews than playing the actual games. Sadly, while you can pause the movies it doesn’t seem like there’s an ability to scrub through them. So if you lose your place you’re forced to watch the whole thing again. Which is a bummer.
If you’re a fan of retro game content, video game history, or just curious about Alien Breed, you should definitely check out this title. I don’t want to get on anyone’s bad side, but I never thought the Alien Breed games were great even for their time, so you sort of have to go into the whole thing with academic curiosity or some thick nostalgia goggles. That’s not to discount this amazing pack of games, or the impact Alien Breed has had on gaming as a whole.
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