Pet Alien: An Intergalactic Puzzlepalooza

Game Profile

Pet Alien - An Intergalactic Puzzlepalooza

Publisher: Game Factory, The

Release Date: 28/08/2007

ESRB: E

Genre: adventure
Setting: cartoon

Someday, I have got to get television. Not a television . After all, I do play games. But you know, reception, cable, satellite, that sort of thing. I mean, some of the games I get to play just seem to have the neatest characters, and I know nothing about them! Take Pet Alien from The Game Factory. Never seen the show, but anything with five whacky aliens just seems cool. I kinda like the game, too.

Pet Alien is a logic puzzle-solving game. There's a story to it — the aliens were kidnapped by ... aliens. And, they've got to find their way home. That's about it for the story, and it's really just there to give you a reason to explain why they have to work their way through these different maze-like puzzles.

You have five aliens: Gumpers, Dinko, Scruffy (nice tongue!), Swanky and Flip. Each has a different skill, and it's up to you to determine which skill to use at the right time to make it through the puzzle. The puzzles are small platforms/panels of squares about 30 by 30 with various obstacles: walls, boxes, bombs, teleporters and whatever else the aliens who kidnapped the aliens need to get around that particular area. But, there's a catch — you need to collect gems on the board, or you won't have the "key" to unlock the door to the next platform.

Learning to play is very simple as you're not just thrown into the game with four aliens and told "go." You never manipulate more than one at a time, and you begin by using only one: Gumpers. Gumpers is big and smashes things. So, your first few puzzles require that you learn to smash items in the proper order, allowing you to obtain said crystal fragments to open the next panel. As you proceed, you'll receive new aliens one at a time. Their powers are as follows:

  • Gumpers — Smash.
  • Dinko — Dash.
  • Scruffy — He's got that long tongue ...
  • Swanky — I wouldn't call it "talent," but the guy can push and pull things.
  • Flip — He's like a chicken, he can fly for short periods.
    • To switch between characters, you'll find telepad-like objects that either let you switch between specific creatures or allow you to choose. If you lose a puzzle (i.e. continually blow up Scruffy by touching the bomb with his long tongue and NO, I never did that once ...) it simple restarts. Infinite lives are niiice.

    In essence, there are four levels to the game with 20, 15, 15 and 15 platforms a piece. At the end of each series is a boss monster. These are... tough. Not so much because they're difficult to figure out (there are even clues in the book) but just for the patience to repeat them over and over again until you get the timing just right. But, the reward is worth it. Not only do you proceed to the next level, you receive a mini-game. My son's favorite is Burp'n Fart (duh).

    Yes, that's right, Burp'n Fart. Think Simon (you know the game where you have to mimic the colors and sounds?), only this time when you beat on the drums, they make burping and farting sounds. There's a mini-game like the shell game, a platformer and a few others. They're the real fun. And, you need not complete all panels on a level to unlock them. Just beat the boss monster. If you want to complete all of the panels, you can — some of them require thinking, and for children of a certain age (or a few of us logic-challenged adults) it's an accomplishment!

    Pet Alient is a fun game that makes for a distracting pasttime. For the younger crowd, it will hold them indefinitely. There is replay value in the mini-games and in the puzzles. For the older crowd, it's a decent challenge and a good value price. Now ... I'd like to see exactly what this show is all about.

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    About the Author, Kelly Heckman (A.K.A Ophelea)

    I'm a mother of two boys, ages 11 and 13 and live in the chaos that ensues. I've a permanent disability that keeps me homebound, so books, kids, games and books are my constant companions. Oh, and books, too. *grins*

    My children both play games so I often play them first, getting to know exactly how something may effect my sensitive and easily stimulated older child vs. my stoic and imperturbable younger.

    I like games for games; for the pure enjoyment of them and believe that no game is wholly bad, though some are real stinkers.

    I also have the dexterity of a camel in mittens so find playing FPSs difficult (and I also don't like the gore) and RTSs at times can stump me. I just can't seem to move quickly enough to keep up with them. Some of my favorite games are arcade games and I'll spend 3-5 years on the same 5-6 levels because I just never get any better. But, I have fun.