They Came From Another Planet Review

• Platforms: Steam
• Price: Free
• Release Date: Apr 2, 2023
• Genres: Shoot ’Em Up, Arcade, Retro, Action
• Developer: Magnus Fredriksson
• Publisher: Bortbyting AB

Heya folks, Shaun here, and I’m back with another of my past reviews! In this one, I’m covering an indie arcade game called They Came From Another Planet by Magnus Fredriksson and Bortbyting AB. A big thank you to the developer for getting in touch to ask me to review the game, it’s much appreciated, thank you!

They Came From Another Planet is an arcade style vertical shoot ’em up game that has you controlling an exceptionally stretchy cat who shoots bullets out of its eyes. The earth (or what I assume is earth, the planet is inhabited by cats), has been invaded by an alien species and it’s up to our stretchy blue cat to save the day.

The game is actually a lot harder than it sounds because you must shoot incoming enemies while also collecting stars that fall out of enemies by stretching the cat’s face horizontally. You must do this while dodging incoming fire. The controls take some getting used to as well, because simply pressing left or right causes the cat to stretch, so you have to push the A/D and the left/right keys at the same time in the direction you wish to move.

The game is also heavily inspired by arcade games from the 1980’s and its boss battles reflect this. Each boss battle is themed after a specific arcade game like Pong, and Arkanoid to name only two.

Overall, I honestly think the game is quite fun, and it’s available for free so there’s nothing stopping you from giving it a shot yourself. If you like vertical shoot ’em up games or retro themed games, then you’ll enjoy this game. It’s a pretty enjoyable experience, if a bit frustrating at first due to the learning curve for the controls.

• Story: 6
• Gameplay 8
• Controls: 5
• Sound: 6
• Graphics: 7
• Final Score: 32/50