
[Experience with the Game & Genre]
Before Cuphead, you had shoot-em up games like Alien Hominid in 2004 on the sixth generation of consoles. Even before that, it was a flash game in 2002. I can't recall what's the first game I've played from this genre, as I remember playing Metal Slug as a kid. But the Alien Hominid game on Newsground was one of the first early ones I've played. The game also advertised a full version on consoles, which I would then get on the Nintendo Gamecube. I decided to buy the old remaster on sale for the Xbox One where I'll eventually play it one day, then years later, a newer remaster gets made on all platforms with the exception of my primary platform where I play 3rd party games, the PS4 / PS5. I waited it out in case they'll release it there, and finally got to replay it again 10 years later.
[Why I did this Challenge]
Originally, I wanted to do a no damage challenge on the game itself on the Insane difficulty, but then found out after playing that it was quite impossible with the way the bosses are designed, and one mistake means playing the whole level again. Level 3-5 is different though, as it is simply a boss-only level. Just like how I did a challenge for myself on Cuphead back then, I tried to do one similar to that but for this game instead. It's just for fun. I point out "Default Gun" on the video because you could get a power-up from those enemies in the beginning. You barely get any grenades on this difficulty, but I never use the three you start with. The game automatically charges your weapon, it's all about the timing when you shoot it out.
[Attempting the No Damage run]
The attempt at speedrunning this final level is a little messy. The 1st phase is always RNG attacks on what the boss wants to do. I have done speedier attempts where the attack where he sets the place on fire happens only twice instead of the three he's programmed to do, but I would die in the later phases. The 2nd phase is only annoying because of the bullets. Once I tried to jump, it eased up. The 3rd phase is all about not being close to him, which makes it worse near the end when he can easily kill you. I looked up on the WR speedrun (HD version) of the game & didn't know about the strats with the extra shot. The player was extra cocky getting close to the boss in the third phase and lost one life. Once I got no damage, I left it at that as it already took several hours of attempts.
[Cuphead Comparison]
Unlike all the past levels in the game, Level 3-5 is the only level where you just face a boss. This final boss has 3 phases. Of course, the game existed before Cuphead. But this boss gave me a Cuphead vibe now, except it's more unfair as it's designed for you to lose lives. The 3rd phase where the two helicopters (they don't attack) appear, it reminded me of the 3rd phase on Cuphead's final boss where the two demons (they attack) appear. The 4th & final phase in Cuphead makes the platform small, just like this game, except it happens near the end of the 3rd phase. I couldn't find what inspired Cuphead in terms of gameplay besides the art style. It could just be a coincidence.
0:00 Level 3-5 Intro
0:14 Alien Hominid Final Boss
4:00 Difficulty in the Options
4:03 Outro
Platform: PS5
Version: Release
Uploaded on Father's Day.
#AlienHominid #Speedrun #GameAtHeart
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