Alien Spidy

Last updated

Alien Spidy
Alien Spidy Coverart.png
Developer(s) Enigma Software Productions
Publisher(s) Kalypso Media
Platform(s) Windows, Macintosh, Xbox 360 (XBLA), PlayStation 3 (PSN)
Release
  • Mac, Windows, Xbox 360
  • 20 March 2013
  • PlayStation 3
  • 16 July 2013
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s) Single-player

Alien Spidy is a platform game for Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, Xbox 360 (through Xbox Live Arcade), and PlayStation 3 (through PlayStation Network). It was developed by Spanish studio Enigma Software Productions and published by Kalypso Media. Players control an extraterrestrial spider who has crash-landed on Earth, as he seeks to repair his spacecraft and rescue a fellow extraterrestrial spider.

Contents

Announced on 8 November 2011, Alien Spidy was published on 20 March 2013 for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and Macintosh, and on 8 May 2013 for the PlayStation 3. It received mixed reviews upon release; critics praised the game's aesthetics but found the gameplay frustrating due to imprecise controls and an unforgiving level of difficulty that hampered progression through the game.

Gameplay

Alien Spidy is a physics-based platform game. Players control the eponymous Spidy, an extraterrestrial spider, and navigate him through a series of levels that are filled with deadly obstacles. Spidy can run and jump, and has the ability to shoot a web, allowing him to grapple and swing from object to object within the environment. [1] Interspersed throughout each level are a large number of orbs, which Spidy can collect to score points. Finishing the level quickly, collecting a large number of orbs, collecting several orbs in quick succession, and finding score multipliers all increase the player's score for that level. Players can also lose points by dying, collecting certain orbs that decrease the player's score, or going for too long without collecting an orb. [2] Players earn between one and five stars on each level, based on their score. Levels are grouped into several stages, including a forest, a pond, a cave system, and outer-space. In order to progress from one stage to the next, players must collect a certain number of stars. [1] [3] Players can collect special power-up orbs scattered throughout levels. These orbs allow Spidy to perform feats he is otherwise incapable of, including traveling underwater and jumping to extreme heights. [1] [ citation needed ] Most of the game's levels take between 90 seconds and three minutes. [1]

Plot

Alien Spidy has a minimal plot. [4] The story follows the Spidy, a spider from the planet Aracnia, who has crash-landed on Earth during an attempt to rescue a lady spider, Virgi. [5] [6] Spidy must locate Virgi and collect pieces of his spacecraft in order to return to Aracnia. [7]

Development

On 8 November 2011, the game was announced in a press release, with Enigma Software Productions as the developer and Kalypso Media as the publisher. The press release indicated that the game would be released in the second quarter of 2012.[ citation needed ]

Alien Spidy was advertised as a PlayStation Vita game early in its development history, with Sony using gameplay footage of the game on the Vita at a presentation at Gamescom 2011. The game was never released on that platform, however. In an interview, Enigma Software CEO Daniel Parente claimed that the game was developed for all major platforms, and after bringing Kalypso Media on board as a publisher, the latter chose which platforms to release the game on, and when. The project manager at Kalypso Media for Alien Spidy, Andrew McKerrow, noted that the developer attempted to secure a publisher by pitching the game on a large number of platforms. [8] In a separate interview with Daniel Parente, conducted in October 2012, Enigma Software's CEO called the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 the game's lead platforms, stating that the game was "designed to be played with a gamepad". [9]

It took eight months for Enigma to build the physics behind the web-based grapple and swing game mechanic. During early builds of the game, the motion was slower, but the development team sped up the movement, feeling it was truer to the character. [10] The Sonic the Hedgehog series served as an inspiration for the game's pace. [9] Significant effort was put into creating the game's visual style and making Spidy a relatable, charismatic character. Daniel Parente cited Limbo , Braid , and Patapon as influences for the game's aesthetics. [10] Comics and cartoons served as influences for Spidy's design. [10] [8] The character was given a pair of large yellow eyes, which allowed the character to emote. Two of the legs were removed, bringing the total from eight to six, which Andrew McKerrow described as an effort to avoid triggering the fears of people with arachnophobia and "make the character a little more friendly looking and little less creepy". [8] It was only after making these changes to Spidy that the developers decided to make Spidy an extraterrestrial, as that would justify the character design's deviations from regular spiders. [8] [9]

The game was delayed several times. In August 2012, the website XBLA Fans reported that the game would be delayed into the fall of that year. [11] By October, a preview on the gaming website Twinfinite listed the release date as 31 December 2012. [12] The game was released on the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and Macintosh on 20 March 2013, and was released on the PlayStation 3 on 8 May 2013. [5] [13]

Reception

Alien Spidy received mixed reviews upon release. At Metacritic, a video game review aggregator, the Xbox 360 version of the game received an average score of 55 out of 100, based on 19 reviews. [15] [A]

The game's visuals were praised by reviewers. GamesRadar's Lorenzo Veloria opined that "Adorable characters, beautiful visuals, and upbeat music stand out as the high points of Alien Spidy". A large number of reviewers called the game and its characters "cute". [1] [ citation needed ] [2] [3] [4] [6] [7] While a few of the reviewers praised the game's music, [2] [4] Jeremy Peeples of Hardcore Gamer found that it lacked staying power. He noted, however, that the music could be muted without also muting the sound effects, allowing people to play their own music. [16]

Critics near universally took issue with the game's controls. [1] [ citation needed ] [2] [3] [4] [6] [7] [16] Critics found that the webs that they shot did not go where they wanted them to go, [1] [ citation needed ] [6] [16] and multiple reviewers described navigation as "trial and error". [1] [ citation needed ] [4] Reviewers also found that they could not always jump when they wanted to, [2] [7] and one reviewer found that power-ups failed to activate when she wanted them to. [1] Reviewers also complained that it was extremely difficult to get enough stars to progress from one stage to the next, forcing players to replay the same levels over and over again. [1] [2] [4] Because points are subtracted each time Spidy dies, the problems with the control scheme exacerbate how difficult it is to get enough stars to progress. [3]

Opinions on the game's mid-level checkpoint system were mixed. Matt Cullen of Canadian Online Gaming noted that the checkpoints meant that players were not sent too far back into the level after each death, saving time. [7] Official Xbox Magazine's Taylor Cocke, however, noted that the checkpoints save players' point progress, meaning that players would have to start the level over if their performance wasn't good enough before they reached the checkpoint. [3]

Notes

^A Metacritic tracks ratings for each platform separately, and does not assign aggregate scores for a platform until it receives at least four reviews specific to that platform. As Metacritic only lists two reviews for the PlayStation 3 version and one review for the personal computer version, it has not issued aggregate scores for those platforms.
^B GameRankings, like Metacritic, tracks scores for each platform separately, and had only two reviews for the PlayStation 3 version and one review for the personal computer version. Unlike Metacritic, GameRankings does provide a score for platforms with too few reviews to be a true aggregate. For both the PlayStation 3 and personal computer versions, that score was 50.00%. [17] [18]

Related Research Articles

<i>Alien Hominid</i> 2004 video game

Alien Hominid 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.

<i>Metal Slug 3</i> 2000 video game

Metal Slug 3 is a run and gun video game developed by SNK. It was originally released in 2000 for the Neo-Geo MVS arcade platform as the sequel to Metal Slug 2/Metal Slug X. The music of the game was developed by Noise Factory.

<i>Eets</i> 2006 video game

Eets is a 2D puzzle video game developed by Klei Entertainment and released on March 27, 2006 for Microsoft Windows. It was later released for Mac OS X on December 9, 2010. Both the Windows and Macintosh versions of the game are distributed digitally via Steam. On April 25, 2007 the game was released for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade under the title Eets: Chowdown. Eets is a puzzle game with similarities to Lemmings where players must guide a character through an on-screen puzzle.

<i>Castle Crashers</i> 2008 2D hack-and-slash video game developed by The Behemoth

Castle Crashers is a 2D side-scrolling hack-and-slash video game developed by The Behemoth. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008, via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. The PlayStation 3 version was released in North America on August 31, 2010, and November 3, 2010, in Europe via the PlayStation Network. A Microsoft Windows version, exclusive to Steam, was released on September 26, 2012. The game is set in a fictional medieval universe in which a dark wizard steals a mystical crystal and captures four princesses. Four knights are charged by the king to rescue the princesses, recover the crystal, and bring the wizard to justice. The game includes music created by members of Newgrounds.

<i>Spider-Man: Friend or Foe</i> 2007 video game

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a 2007 action-adventure beat 'em up platform game, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The game borrows characters and designs from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, with a plot that is non-canon to the films and therefore taking place within a divergent timeline where the villains seen in the films managed to survive. It features two player co-op gameplay, where one player controls Spider-Man and another one of his allies. The storyline of the game revolves around P.H.A.N.T.O.M.s, dangerous creatures created by mixing symbiotes with holographic technology, which a mysterious villain plans to use to take over the world. This villain has also captured and brainwashed many of Spider-Man's foes to help him acquire meteor shards that will strengthen his army. After being recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Man journeys across the globe to retrieve these shards himself and recruit more allies to his cause.

<i>Defense Grid: The Awakening</i> Tower defense video game first released in 2008

Defense Grid: The Awakening is a tower defense video game developed by Hidden Path Entertainment for Windows and Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360. The game was one of the titles promoted by Microsoft during their Game Developers Conference keynote speech on February 20, 2008. The game was released for Microsoft Windows on December 8, 2008, and for Xbox 360 on September 2, 2009. The OS X version shipped from Virtual Programming on July 7, 2010.

<i>Spider-Man: Web of Shadows</i> 2008 video game

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is a 2008 action-adventure video game based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The game was released in October 2008 across multiple platforms, and encompasses three drastically different versions: one released for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360, which features an open world and non-linear gameplay; one for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, which is a 2.5D side-scrolling beat 'em up; and one for the Nintendo DS, a Metroidvania-style beat 'em up. All three versions have several common elements, such as moral choices that alter the narrative, the ability to summon allies during fights, and a similar plot, despite different characters being featured. Web of Shadows' storyline is significantly darker than most previous Spider-Man games, as it revolves around a symbiote invasion threatening Manhattan, which Spider-Man must stop with the help of several unlikely allies.

<i>N+</i> 2008 video game

N+ is the console and handheld version of the Adobe Flash game N, which was developed by Metanet Software. N+ for Xbox Live Arcade was developed by Slick Entertainment and published by Metanet Software. Unique versions of the game were also ported separately to the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS by developers SilverBirch Studios and Atari. Metanet Software licensed their N IP for this deal, provided single player level design for both versions, and consulted on the project.

<i>BattleBlock Theater</i> 2013 video game

BattleBlock Theater is a comedic platform game developed by The Behemoth and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360, Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is the third title from The Behemoth following Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers. The game was released on Xbox Live Arcade on April 3, 2013, and later temporarily made free via Games with Gold on July 16, 2014.

<i>Pinball FX 2</i> 2010 video game

Pinball FX 2 is a pinball video game for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows and is the sequel to Pinball FX. It was developed by Zen Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on October 27, 2010, via the Xbox Live Arcade service. The game includes several new features, such as local multiplayer and the ability to tweak table settings. Players can also import all of the tables from Pinball FX they had previously purchased. The Windows 8 version of Pinball FX 2 was released on the Windows Store on October 27, 2012, two years after the original XBLA release. The game was subsequently released for other Windows platforms via Steam on May 10, 2013. Pinball FX 2 was announced for Windows Phone in February 2012. A sequel, Pinball FX 3 was released in September 2017.

<i>Marvel Pinball</i> 2010 video game

Marvel Pinball is a 2010 pinball video game developed by Zen Studios. It features Marvel Comics-themed pinball tables. It is available as a standalone game for the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network, and as downloadable content for Pinball FX 2 on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. Its content on the PlayStation 3 is also playable in Zen Pinball 2. It is the second pinball title for the PlayStation 3, succeeding Zen Pinball. It was released on December 8, 2010, on the Xbox 360 and December 14, 2010, on the PlayStation 3.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled</i> 2009 beat em up video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled is a beat 'em up video game developed and published by Ubisoft. It is an enhanced remake of Konami's 1991 arcade game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. It is mostly based on the 1987 animated series, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures and the second movie, like the original game.

<i>The Adventures of Shuggy</i> 2011 video game

The Adventures of Shuggy is a puzzle-platform game developed by British studio Smudged Cat Games and published by Valcon Games. It was released June 15, 2011 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade, for Microsoft Windows on June 13, 2012, and for Linux and OS X on October 30, 2015. It follows the vampire Shuggy as he seeks to rid his newly inherited mansion of its undesirable inhabitants.

<i>Trials Evolution</i> 2012 video game

Trials Evolution is a racing video game for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in which each player controls a motorcycle trials rider who traverses an obstacle course. The game was developed by Ubisoft RedLynx and published by Microsoft Studios. It is a follow-up to Trials HD of 2009 and successor to several preceding Trials games by the same developers.

<i>Runner2</i> 2013 video game

Bit.Trip Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is a 2013 side-scrolling platformer developed by Gaijin Games. The game is the sequel to Bit.Trip Runner (2010) and was released as a downloadable title on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Wii U, Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, and iOS. Versions for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch were later released in 2016 and 2024 respectively. The PC, Mac, Linux, and Wii U versions were self-published by Gaijin Games, and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were published by Aksys Games.

<i>God Mode</i> (video game) 2013 video game

God Mode is a co-op, arena-based, third-person shooter video game focusing on survival mode style gameplay. It was developed by Saber Interactive in conjunction with Old School Games and published by Atlus. The game uses Saber Interactive's internal Saber3D Engine. Its gameplay was later used as basis for R.I.P.D. The Game.

<i>Alien Rage</i> 2013 first-person shooter video game

Alien Rage is a 2013 first-person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 developed by CI Games, then known as City Interactive, using Unreal Engine 3. The game has single-player and competitive multiplayer modes. In its single player campaign, players are put in control of an elite soldier named Jack which is sent to destroy a mining facility and its aliens after they turned against and killed the humans that they had shared the facility with.

<i>Blood Knights</i> 2013 action role-playing video game

Blood Knights is an action role-playing game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The game was developed by German studio Deck13 Interactive and published by Kalypso Media, also from Germany. Blood Knights was released in November 2013 for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3.

<i>Motocross Madness</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

Motocross Madness is a motocross racing video game that was developed by Austrian studio Bongfish and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on April 10, 2013 on Xbox Live Arcade. It is a sequel to two Microsoft Windows games, 1998's Motocross Madness and 2000's Motocross Madness 2, which were developed by Rainbow Studios, who have since moved on to making the MX vs. ATV series.

<i>Boulder Dash-XL</i> 2011 video game

Boulder Dash-XL is an action-puzzle video game developed by Catnip Games and published by Kalypso Media for the Xbox 360 (XBLA) in July 2011. It is part of the Boulder Dash series. A PC version was released later in 2011. A Nintendo 3DS and iOS ports were released in 2012. The 3DS port is known as Boulder Dash-XL 3D.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Riendeau, Danielle (10 April 2013). "Alien Spidy review: spider in sheep's clothing". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Peterson, Blake (20 March 2013). "Alien Spidy Review". Game Revolution. CraveOnline Media, LLC. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cocke, Taylor (17 May 2013). "Alien Spidy review". Official Xbox Magazine. Future Plc. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Veloria, Lorenzo (20 March 2013). "Alien Spidy review". GamesRadar. Future Plc. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 Gera, Emily (7 March 2013). "Alien Spidy invading XBLA, PC and Mac on March 20". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Porter, Matt (3 April 2013). "Alien Spidy". Hooked Gamers. Cutlass Isle. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Cullen, Matt (20 March 2013). "Alien Spidy (XBLA) Review". Canadian Online Gamers. Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 McKerrow, Andrew (3 May 2012). "Designing Charismatic Characters For Alien Spidy, Coming To PSN In June". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 Hannley, Steve (16 October 2012). "Interview: Alien Spidy's Enigma Software CEO Daniel Parente". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 Litten, Matt (18 January 2013). "VGB Feature: Alien Spidy Interview with Enigma Software CEO Daniel Parente". VGBlogger. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Santangelo, Nick (10 August 2012). "Alien Spidy pushed back to fall". XBLA Fans. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  12. ↑ Eaton, Mike (13 October 2012). "[Preview] Alien Spidy Does Whatever a Spidy Can". Twinfinite. Twinfinite LLC. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "Alien Spidy - PlayStation Network, PSN game". uk.playstation.com. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  14. ↑ "Alien Spidy for Xbox 360 - GameRankings". GameRankings . CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Alien Spidy Critic Reviews for Xbox 360 - Metacritic". Metacritic . CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  16. 1 2 3 Peeples, Jeremy (19 March 2013). "Review: Alien Spidy". Hardcore Gamer. Hardcore Gamer, LLC. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  17. ↑ "Alien Spidy for PlayStation 3 - GameRankings". GameRankings . CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "Alien Spidy for PC - GameRankings". GameRankings . CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.