A brand-new open-world survival sandbox game on Steam is putting a fun spin on the Project Zomboid formula, swapping out zombies for an alien invasion and a planet that has been completely overrun. Obviously, there are tons of survival games on Steam, and Project Zomboid lays out a good formula for any game looking to tackle the survival sandbox genre.
Like Project Zomboid, this new Steam game focuses heavily on the simple act of surviving another day. Food, water, exhaustion, and a lack of resources can become just as dangerous as the creatures roaming outside. While some survival games eventually become endless resource management games, games like Project Zomboid ensure that it’s more of a daily thing than that.
Alien Apocalypse is Project Zomboid with a Unique Alien Twist
Developed and published by Umbu Games, Alien Apocalypse enters Early Access on Steam on August 21 and essentially replaces the zombies in Project Zomboid with aliens. Both are simply named, and that simplicity brings out the core elements of its survival gameplay. Alien Apocalypse is built around scavenging, crafting, base building, exploration, and trying to stay alive in a world where humanity is no longer in control.
Build your perfect top ten one reveal at a time.
Swap two picks?
Pick two spots to swap before locking in your final ranking.
Earth has been taken over by aliens, and survivors must collect alien technology, study it, and reverse-engineer what they find, potentially turning the invaders’ own weapons against them. Human and alien engineering can also be combined to create new tools, giving the survival sandbox game a more flavorful progression system than some games. The open-world elements of the game are functional, instead of artsy, with the game intending to be explored for survival needs and not be somewhere players smell the roses. Crumbling city blocks and desolate countryside dot the player’s survival journey nonetheless, and every location is designed to be a shelter, a crude battleground, or a trap, as someone would expect from an alien takeover of Earth. Alien Apocalypse players will need to explore the world to gather their bearings, but they should expect nothing to be easy.
There is also a multiplayer side to Alien Apocalypse, with online co-op allowing friends to share supplies, build together, and defend their bases from alien incursions. Umbu Games also claims that its aliens are not simply mindless enemies, either, claiming they can think, learn, and change, making encounters less predictable as players venture deeper into the world. The longer a survivor lasts, the more hostile the world becomes. Alien Apocalypse is ultimately less about rebuilding civilization and more about figuring out how to survive after it has already collapsed. Post-post-apocalypse games, especially ones where the world is defeated, are somewhat uncommon and at least gives the game even more unique flavor.
The combination of Project Zomboid-style survival systems, open-world exploration, base building, and an alien threat gives it a straightforward hook (humanity lost the planet, and now they must survive). It’ll be interesting to see how the new game is ultimately received, but the alien invasion takes place on August 21 when Alien Apocalypse enters Early Access.