Space Monsters (video game)

This article is all about the first installment of the series of top-down/third-person shooter games. For enemy creatures, see here. For other uses in disambiguation page, see Space Monsters.

Space Monsters
The Space Monsters logo.
Game information
Developer(s)	Psonic
Publisher(s)	Psonic
Distributor(s)	Game Jolt, MediaFire, Indie DB
Designer(s)	Axl Jet Eno-Lee R. Baños
Artist(s)	Axl Jet Eno-Lee R. Baños
Composer(s)	Various
Programmer(s)	Axl Jet Eno-Lee R. Baños
Series	Main universe
Engine	Game Maker
Platform(s)	PC
Release date(s)	Original February 20, 2015 Expansion June 9, 2015 (with demo version of the second campaign) June 9, 2016 (full)
Genre(s)	Top-down Shooter
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	TIGRS: Teen Content
Input	Keyboard, mouse
System  requirements	168 MB per disk space and other requirements related to Game Maker engine
Download(s)	Here
Chronology
Next	Space Monsters 2
Release chronology
Successor	Space Monsters 2

Space Monsters is an open-source futuristic top-down shooter developed and published by Psonic using Game Maker 8 engine and the first game of the Space Monsters series. Originally, it supposedly be released in 2013, but moved to 2015 due to its creator's independent difficulties. As the expansion update of this game, it is released again with the demo version of the second campaign on June 9, 2015 and a fully expanded version one year later. The multiplayer edition of this game is soon to be announced.

Concept

This game is a titular reference to Taito's 1972 mechanical game, but it was renamed as Space Invaders by Tomohiro Nishikado's video game theory, especially his superiors. And if the creator is interested in video games, he gave his game project an inspiration of Alien Shooter, Alien Breed, Crimsonland, Space Invaders, Alien Swarm, Half-Life, Doom and The House of the Dead.

Some creatures bear the resemblance of Space Invaders and virtual humans.

Story

In the spectacular year 2025, people examine the scientific study of the Earth's surface, discovering the strange cosmic creatures. However, the legion of alien teleportation devices from outer space is coming to contact earth before they unleash the army of harmful aliens, launch the invasion against humanity and support the domination in our planet.

Now, humanity is in danger and the invasion has begun to overrun everywhere in the base of businesses and operations. Each operative has given a chance as the member of the marine-tasked military unit known as the Investigative Force to perform these operations: clear out offices, facilities, warehouses and experimental laboratories around the long passages of an abandoned complex where the teleportation devices have allowed legions of aliens to overrun and take control over the humanity. They are also required to go and get explosive weapons and other equipment to open up the sealed doors into these top secret areas, where they contain security systems and measures. Yet, there will be a stationary automatic gun turret available to take foes down. The government has given access to the most advanced weaponry available in hopes of solving the problem after receiving many casualties of the previous military assault.

The military survivors of the Investigative Force immediately use the defensive efforts to resist alien invasion and save the humankind from total destruction.

Expansion update

As the time continues in the next year (2026), when the previous alien incident came to an end, Syrax became the true antagonist of the second campaign and will continue the alien works after avenging its predecessor's death. However, another incident has started to investigate the cause of another aggressive invasion when humankind is in danger again. So Billmore and the rest of the Investigative Force must stop the one who is responsible behind this event before causing a massive overrun.

Gameplay

This video game features retro-styled graphics, some role-playing game elements and top-down view. The usage bar with the allowance of a variety of weapons, equipment and other items must be automatically appeared at the upper right corner of the screen. Below the layout, there is an experience bar, which allows the player how many enemies you just killed to increase points and earn more experience funds if the experience bar is reached to the maximum point, also for gaining more bio-mechanical implants to become superhuman. At the bottom left corner, a weapon system has differently separated numbers of ammo (upper left), clips (bottom right) and availability of each weapon (image at the center). At the bottom right corner, the mini-map automatically appears if you got a portable radar. Finally, at the upper right corner, there are displayed as the player's amount of health and the amount of an armor.

Through the experience of deadly missions with some top secret areas, the player can earn more currency known as credits by killing monsters or finding anywhere in the level, get more weaponry and ammunition and upgrade bio-mechanical implants to make the player's abilities powerful for survival, but there are many obstacles and hazards to resist and survive in order to finish the mission. In some missions without activating a generator, the player sees the dark places everywhere if the flashlight is equipped. another one is the target system, which has started with point blanking. In the other hand, the cross-hair is important to aim the target properly instead. Whenever the player attacked the enemy at first, then you will hear the combat music as the game's main use. Once the player obtained an extra weapon, it automatically equips but you can change it by using the number keys if some of them are available. While the ammunition clip of each weapon reduces only once, the player can reload by pressing the reload key if it has a little number of ammunition rounds or the system automatically reloads if it is empty. Whatever each weapon has a little number of limited ammunition clips from running out instead, then the player must locate through the place with extra ammo, obtain the weapon once you got, swap it into the one with enough ammo, find the secret areas, break the crates to see something inside or make use of a campaign-only item shop before performing the mission. Of course, if the player's health is low, then he or she requires more health by finding a medical kit or auto-healing with an amount of medical briefcases, which can be carried up to 5. Whenever the player lost a life, the mission resets to the start point, except in survival mode.

In the original version of this game, you will find:

• 9 types of weapons
• New types of locations
• 3 playable characters
• 18 types of monsters
• Some role-playing game elements

Keyboard Controls

• ESC - Toggle menu
• Number keys (1-9) or Q and E keys - Change weapon
• Up or W - Move up
• Down or S - Move down
• Left or A - Move left
• Right or D - Move right
• R - Reload
• M - Toggle map (if you got a radar)
• Ctrl - Toggle sniper scope (if you have sniper rifle)
• F1 - Show game information
• F2 - Debug message log
• F3 - Restart current level (Campaign Mode only)
• F9 - Take a screenshot

Mouse Controls

• Left button - Shoot/Attack
• Right button - Melee

Game modes

There are 2 game modes in this version.

Campaign

Each campaign has a different number of missions to finish: 1 in the training campaign, 12 in the first story and 8 in the second story (21 in total) with different types of locations. However, at the beginning of the first mission, the player starts with a pistol as their default weaponry. Also, this mode always loads or saves the game progress whatever the mission you want to perform respectively.

To finish the mission, reach the goal point representing a big green circle for proceeding to the next one or defeat the final boss. As a result, the game shows you the parts of performance report: elapsed time, enemy kills, obtained money, earned experience, the number of collected items, trials and total points of 5 results. If you perform the current mission quickly in less than 30 seconds, then it gives you the maximum time bonus of 500000 points. If not, then you will receive a time bonus that is lesser than the default. Without committing retries, you will receive 100000 points per mission completion.

In addition to the expansion update, there is a new feature available in the next missions of each campaign called item shop, where you can buy things to re-fill the ammo of each gun, increase the level of each bio-mechanical implant, import guns, get extra lives, obtain equipment and see the display at the upper part to remember how much is your money, lives and experience points.

Survival

This mode is way better without restarting and saving or loading game data when the player is down. Monster variety was decent, although a few different colors might be nice to differentiate them more, and maybe a few more movement styles. The first thing is career, which would be finished in the maximum experience points by slaughtering all enemies while spawning at the sides. And finally in endless, it can state how long you perform the forever rampage against the waves of enemies until the main character dies. All weapons and other items will appear in the rooms for further evacuation.

Characters

Playable characters

• Billmore Hawkins
• Josh Celton
• Sam Ramsen
• Deck Homwell
• Brake Andrens
• Rina Stock

Non-playable characters

• General Baxter

Enemy characters

• Roki
• Syrax

Weapons

1. Armed Knife
2. Pistol
3. Shotgun
4. Machine Gun
5. Grenade Launcher
6. Rocket Launcher
7. Sniper Rifle
8. Flamethrower
9. Energy Cannon

Equipment

1. Armor
2. Laser Sight
3. Flashlight
4. Radar
5. Medical Briefcase
6. Dynamites
7. Lives

Development

An arcade flyer of Taito's mechanical game is known depicting on Psonic's first top-down shooter video game project.

Axl Jet Eno-Lee R. Baños, the computer game designer, had begun the development of his first top-down shooter game that would be made with Game Maker 8.0 since March 2013 when he was going to graduate the 3rd year high school and its inspirational title was taken after Taito's 1972 electro-mechanical game. Even though he's doing a lot of important things, it absolutely took too long for designing new levels unless the 12th mission of the first campaign would come. But instead, it would be released in 2015 right away while the days of his college life through NDDU (Notre Dame of Dadgianggas University) were moving forward. In addition, its game engine would be released as soon as in the future.

Expansion Update

The second campaign was announced by its respective creator in March 2015 and it was titled The Revival. As you will see the game's latest feed, the following additional features of this update are:

• 8 new missions
• 3 additional playable characters
• New types of monsters
• Revealing new boss
• Modification of the first campaign
• Item shop will be included
• New storyline elements, especially in the second campaign
• New changes of each weapon number
• Sound channels
• The plus sign will appear beside the 'Health" text if the player's health is lesser than 20

Actually, the demo version of the second campaign was available along with the full version of the first campaign. So it would come out with more extra missions rather than 4 when its creator announces the latest update.

Gallery

Artworks

Billmore Hawkins

Josh Celton

Sam Ramsen

Roki

Screenshots

Billmore Hawkins is trying to open the gate so that he can enter the Long Passage Headquarters.

Brake Andrens is exploring anywhere in the dark with the flashlight when equipped.

Billmore is slaughtering the alien threat with M16A2 as a machine gun in the game.

Here we go again in facing Roki as the main villain of the first campaign alongside Syrax, the successor who actually appeared in the second campaign.

The updated version of this top-down shooter game has the top-down walking animation as a feature to improve the in-game character.

Green question mark with an outlined green circle helps you to experience in-game features in Tutorial Campaign.

Cover artworks

Cover art of the game (art by RGMfighter).

Another cover art for an expansion update.

Latest cover art of the game with entire cast.

Improved cover art.

Miscellaneous

A beta loading screen.

A beta loading screen (with texts).

A loading screen.

Old background for Facebook page.

Thumbnail for an expansion update of Game Jolt page.

Thumbnail for Steam Greenlight.

Videos

Trailers

Space Monsters Upcoming game trailer

Space Monsters - upcoming game trailer

Space Monsters - Pre-release indie game trailer

Space Monsters - Pre-release indie game trailer

External links

• Space Monsters on Facebook
• Game Jolt page
• Indie DB page

Space Monsters
Characters	Billmore Hawkins • Josh Celton • Sam Ramsen • Deck Homwell • Brake Andrens • Rina Stock • General Baxter • Roki • Syrax
Weapons	Armed Knife • Pistol • Shotgun • Machine Gun • Grenade Launcher • Rocket Launcher • Sniper Rifle • Flamethrower • Energy Cannon • Mounted Cannon
Equipment	Laser Sight • Flashlight • Radar • Rescue Briefcase • Dynamite • Life Kit • Armor
Items	Medical Kit • Ammunition • Access Card • Implant • Currency
Game modes	Campaign • Survival
Campaigns	Long Passage Incident • The Revival
Missions	Infiltration • Office Disaster • Blockade • The Shaft • Outer Passage • Facility • Inner Passage • Factory • Installation • Laboratory Hazard • Clear Up • Mysterious Target • Combat Again • Interior in Danger • Underground Complex • Mad Lab • Outdoor • Hit the Road • Dark Sight • End of Disaster
Themes	Outdoor • Office • Laboratory • Indoor • Sewage • Underground • Halfway • Cavern
Creatures	Space monsters • Maggot • Slug • Vipede • Spitting Vipede • Invaderling (Octopus/Crab/Squid) • Spider • Spitting Spider • Humanoid Alien • Grunt • Laser Grunt • Gunner • Brute • Enforcer • Laser Enforcer • Blaster Enforcer • Destroyer • War Machine • Laser Machine • Blaster Machine • Cannon Machine • Quadropod • Laser Quadropod • Blaster Quadropod • Cannon Quadropod • Acid Maggot • Insectoid • Spitting Insectoid • Stingray • Spitting Stingray • Leech • Spitting Leech • Quadropod Spider • Older Invaderling (Older Octopus/Older Crab/Older Squid/Tentapus/Squidropus) • Pterodactoid • Spitting Pterodactoid • Older Spider • Older Spitting Spider • Slimy Spawn • Berserker • Ogre • Ogre • Laser Ogre • Blaster Ogre • Cannon Ogre • Brawler • Gladiator • Abomination
In-game Terms	Message Log • Creature Log • Health • Armor • Experience Bar • Equipment Bar • Item Station • Cheats
Obstacles	Barrel • Land Mine
Locations	Stuckholmes City • Long Passage Headquarters • Science Complex • Plains • Dark Cave
Others	Script • Manual • Investigative Force • Crate • Door • Teleportation Device • Chainsaw
Note	The italicized ones feature in expansion update.