Alien Challenge/FAQ

From Mizuumi Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

General

What is this?

Alien Challenge is a 1994 fighting game developed by International Game Systems (yes, the guys that made Martial Masters) and was their first attempt at cashing in on the new game genre. It obviously didn't turn any heads at the time and ended up being forgotten, but there has been a small revival for the game as of late and more is being discovered about it!

Is this for me?

It's definitely worth a shot to just mess around with. You should really get into this game if you generally like playing games that don't really have much balance and have that "jank" feeling to them. With that being said, there is good emphasis on knowing specific character traits in matchups (even with only 9 characters it can sometimes be hard to apply that knowledge). If you want a more general (or dare I say functional) game, this probably isn't for you. There are a lot of game quirks that could turn you off from getting into the game (full special chip, low xx overhead unblockables), but if you get past that / exploit it you can have fun with the game!

Gameplay

I'm taking full damage on block! What gives?

There's a property in the game where specials do full damage if they're cancelled from a blocked normal. This can essentially allow for blockstrings that are functionally like combos, like Jean Paul's 5HK xx 46LP loop or Claus's 2MP xx 236LK combo. This quirk also acts strangely with hitgrabs ( Drew 646P) and hitgrab supers, as they're treated like the opponent didn't block at all.

How do I select Claus?

You can select Claus by doing the following: Highlight Nic-San and press right 8 times, left 4 times, and down 4 times. If you did this correctly, you will be greeted with Claus as your portrait. The code is very lenient as it doesn't require any kind of timing like you'd expect for a secret.

What does the tier list look like?

While new developments and strategies come up that has varying amounts of impact on the game's meta, here's a good idea of where characters are:
Top: Claus, Fang, Dougster
High: Jean Paul, Melanie, Drew, Stevareno
Low: Nic-san, Burnie
Some placements have small gaps in viability (Claus and Fang are essentially equal in terms of dominance) while others may have bigger gaps (Nic-san is more well-rounded and better than Burnie). Other people have opinions on who goes where, so it isn't necessarily set in stone.