| Alien Rampage | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Inner Circle Creations [1] [2] |
| Publisher(s) | Softdisk [1] |
| Designer(s) |
|
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release | December 30, 1996 [2] |
| Genre(s) | Run and gun |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Alien Rampage is a 1996 run and gun video game developed by Inner Circle Creations and published by Softdisk for MS-DOS.
The protagonist is an alien named Krupok whose spaceship was destroyed by Untharian scavengers and has crash-landed on the surface of a planet. The objective is to locate the Untharian base and repair the spaceship. [6] [7] [8]
Alien Rampage is a side-scrolling run and gun game. There are 21 levels featuring parallax scrolling. The levels are divided into three "episodes", each containing seven levels. The shareware version includes the first episode. [9] The game features seven weapons (assault rifle being the starting weapon) which can be bought from an arms dealer as the player progresses in the game. [10] [8]
Alien Rampage was developed by Inner Circle Creations, a game developer founded in early 1995 by brothers Christopher and James Simms who lived in Louisiana at the time, the same state Softdisk was based in. [3] The game was originally developed by Apogee Software as Ravager until it was cancelled, sold to Inner Circle Creations, and renamed to Alien Rampage. [11] [12] [13] [14] The shareware version was released on October 11, 1996. [7] The full version was released on December 30, 1996. [2] The game was available as a download and CD-ROM. [15]
Piko Interactive released an emulated version for Linux, macOS, and Windows in 2017. [16] [17] The release uses the DOSBox emulator. [18] In 2024, the game was released on the Antstream Arcade streaming platform. [19]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Games Magazine | 3/5 [20] [4] |
| Computer Life | 4/5 [21] |
| Hacker | 77% [10] |
In a preview, PC Top Player called the graphics attractive, the controls were compared to Prince of Persia . The game's appearance was said to be similar to Opera Soft's Sol Negro (1988). [22]
Hacker called the game imaginative but occasionally frustratingly difficult. The game was praised for its technical performance, for running smoothly on lower hardware specifications. [10] Computer Games Strategy Plus summarized: "this is solid, classic gaming, with fierce action, fun and diverse levels, and good control." The save system was remarked as annoying. [4] Next Generation called it a fun side-scrolling action game with excellent parallax scrolling, although they noted the game as somewhat outdated. [23] MikroBitti liked the graphics and the low system requirements but said the level design is too straightforward. [8] CD Expert said the graphics are conventional but are sufficient for portraying the game's scenery. The player character was noted for looking similar to the Predator alien from the film series. [24] PC Collector called it a fun platform game. [25] PC Team said the game's most unique feature is the high level of gore and violence. They noted the sound effects for enhancing the action effectively. [5]
In December 1997, the game ranked among the top ten most popular titles at Softdisk's online store. [26]
A GAME BY: Inner Circle Creations, PUBLISHED BY: Softdisk Publishing
The team finished it and released as Alien Rampage
[...] a platformer we later cancelled, called Ravager.
SN 74-647,746 APOGEE SOFTWARE, LTD., GARLAND, TX. FILED 3-16-1995. RAVAGER. FOR COMPUTER GAME SOFTWARE (U.S. CLS. 22, 23, 38 AND 50).
This game is powered by DOSBox.
