Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Aliens Go Boom starts with an immediately understandable target: you pilot a fighter plane, move through side-scrolling stages, and shoot alien turrets. There is something pleasingly blunt about that. You are not asked to learn a complicated premise before acting; the score chase gives every destroyed target a purpose from the outset.

The main draw is the pressure to turn a straightforward run into a better one. Since points are the stated goal, the game naturally invites you to care about how effectively you clear each level rather than simply reaching its end. That makes it a better fit for short, focused sessions than for anyone looking for a sprawling action adventure.

Its narrow focus can also become the friction point. Shooting through multiple levels of turrets is a dependable arcade framework, but it leaves little room for the experience to surprise you on paper. Give it a chance if a simple score-driven scrolling shooter sounds refreshing; skip it if you need a broader set of objectives to stay invested.

Graphics

The action is built around a 2D side view, with your fighter plane travelling across scrolling levels while alien turrets serve as the targets. That perspective suits the premise: you can keep your attention on the plane, the incoming stretch of level, and the defenses you need to destroy.

Story

The story is stripped down to an alien invasion of Earth. That is enough to frame the fighter-plane action, but it is not a reason on its own to stick around.

In a game this score-focused, the invasion works more as a backdrop for arcade combat than as a narrative destination. You are here to push through hostile levels and erase turrets, not to untangle a detailed science-fiction plot.

That can be a virtue when you want a shooter that gets out of its own way. Anyone hoping for characters, twists, or a more developed account of the invasion should not expect the premise to carry that weight.

Overall Experience

Aliens Go Boom is easy to understand and easy to place: a compact side-scrolling shooter built around flying, firing, destroying alien defenses, and accumulating points. Its strongest quality is its lack of pretense. The game knows what it wants you to do and points you toward it immediately.

The trade-off is simplicity. The central loop has to do most of the work, so your enjoyment will depend on how much you value repeatable arcade shooting and score improvement. There is no indication here of a larger narrative or genre-blending hook to broaden the experience.

For a quick Xbox 360 action game, it is worth considering if you want a no-frills alien-blasting score chase. Go in wanting a direct 2D shooter, and the premise is suitably focused; go in wanting depth beyond its levels, turrets, and points, and it is likely to feel slight.

Retro Replay Score

5.2/10