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Developed by an Australian group called Interactive Binary Illusions
(Later renamed Gee Whiz Entertainment) along with another group called SubZero
Software (Of which I currently know nothing) in 1994, Alien Carnage is
actually the exact same game as the 1993 release Halloween Harry.
This is because Apogee, the game's publisher's actually requested the
name be changed, thinking the Halloween Harry title to be too unmarketable.
According to the Apogee FAQ, Apogee didn't think much of the Alien Carnage
title, but were happy to original title changed. After this, they then requested that all distribution of
Halloween Harry (both commercial and shareware versions) stop.
Like most Apogee games of the mid nineties, Alien Carnage is a shooting platform game. (Otherwise known as a "Run 'n Gun".) However, what makes this game unique is that that the flame thrower used by Harry actually ACTS like a flame Thrower. This is interesting, given that most run 'n gun games treat flame throwers as a gun that just shoots bolts of flame. (Duke Nukem 2 for example). Whereas the flame shot from Harry's thrower will react and move around as the Harry does.
Secondly, the main character was not able to jump. Instead he had to get around on his jetpack, making the levels much more interesting than a normal platform game. Now, you didn't have to worry about trying to make a very hard jump. Instead, you had to figure out how to get around when some spaces were actually too small for Harry to fit through...also having to keep the fuel consumption in mind. While it was still possible to fly when you had run out of fuel, it was a pain as the jetpack would constantly stop, forcing you to constantly fire off short bursts to fly around, until more fuel could be located.
But Harry wasn't just limited to the default Flame Thrower, and
actually had access to a number of other weapons. (See the weapons page
for more detail.)
One last thing about the game, is that it was actually spilt into 4 separate "episodes", with the first episode (The Office Block for Halloween Harry, changed to The Sewers for the re-release as Alien Carnage. This lead to an interesting situation. Check the trivia pages for more info) released as shareware, while the remaining episodes that made up the full game would be sent to you upon registration or if you purchased the commercial release.
Shareware Version
(Freeware) Full version of Alien Carnage
Click on an
image to see a larger version.
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