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ALIENS NEOPLASMA 2 (NEXT)
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Publisher: SaNchez Crew.
Developer: SaNchez Crew. Released: May 2024. Genre: Run 'n' Gun. Other versions: SPC. Posted 27th May 2025. By Tom Clare © 2025 |
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I described Aliens: Neoplasma as “officially the best unofficial Aliens game there’s ever been”, and with good reason. A frenetic, action-packed run ‘n’ gun for the ZX Spectrum, the game’s atmosphere, visuals and masterfully programmed levels proved highlights in what has to be considered among the system’s finest games. You can imagine my excitement when I discovered the Russian-Ukranian development studio, SaNchez Crew, had been quietly cooking up a sequel. Neoplasma 2 released in 2024 on the ZX Spectrum and its spiritual successor, the Spectrum Next. A case of bigger, faster, brighter, better? You better believe it!
Having narrowly escaped the carnage of the Achilles mining ship with her life, Lieutenant Ashley Smith seeks vengeance for the death of her squad. Her investigation leads to a secret (and heavily guarded) Weyland-Yutani laboratory. However, as she discovers, not everything aboard the Achilles perished with its destruction. It’s quickly apparent AN2 harbours greater ambitions than its predecessor. Equipped only with a screwdriver in the opening phases, Ashley is tasked with stealth-killing or outright avoiding security, making for a markedly different tone. Admittedly, this feels a little discombobulating at first. Surprisingly though, divergent as this opening sequence is, it never really disrupts the flow of the game. Players must keep an eye on the guards, as they’ll glance periodically over their shoulders, creating windows of danger or opportunity, depending on Ashley’s position.
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Every screen harbours danger, though its more immediately obvious in some than others
Once Ashley locates a rifle and a supply of grenades, the fun really starts and Aliens: Neoplasma 2 finds itself in its element. Able to fire diagonally, on the run and whilst jumping, crouching or crawling, there’s a multitude of ways to tackle the alien threat. In homage to the films, there’s once again a liberal quantity of vents to negotiate, with familiar foes making a return in the form of facehuggers and xenomorphs. In addition, fans of the first game will recall the deadly fan blades that can briefly be halted with a well-placed grenade, and malfunctioning doors that require timing to pass through safely. There are a few new hazards, most notably directional conveyor belts that can launch the Lieutenant great distances, or slow her progress. Screen scrolls are pleasingly rapid and the pace of the action is unrelenting.
A trio of boss encounters add a dash of theatre and creative flair to proceedings. The second sequence delivers a stand-out encounter, a fiendish trap consisting of three ceiling vents that drop facehuggers. The player must decipher a lights system and quickly destroy the vents to avoid being overwhelmed by the awkward critters. The jeopardy of these sections is enhanced by an energetic, climactic boss theme.
A trio of boss encounters add a dash of theatre and creative flair to proceedings. The second sequence delivers a stand-out encounter, a fiendish trap consisting of three ceiling vents that drop facehuggers. The player must decipher a lights system and quickly destroy the vents to avoid being overwhelmed by the awkward critters. The jeopardy of these sections is enhanced by an energetic, climactic boss theme.
FOCAL POINT: ZX SPECTRUM VERSION
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Available for a little over £7, AN2 sits towards the higher end of the homebrew pricing range. On the plus side, a purchase grants ownership of both Next and ZX Spectrum iterations. Given the continued prominence of the ‘classic’ ZX Spectrum community and its more accessible ecosystem, it is worth commenting on the 128k edition, as this is the one most players will likely end up playing. Happily, it’s excellent. Whilst screen transitions are a little less rapid, and the visuals understandably offer less in the way of detail and clarity, performance is faithful and all of the key innovations, such as the bosses, the ending and the all-important score-charting QR code, remain intact. There’s even a password option, for those wishing to tackle the game in chunks. It’s an ideal way of experiencing AN2, should the barriers to playing the Next version prove too arduous.
The run ‘n’ gun gameplay remains a joy. Intelligent design ensures the game fits the atmospheric, jump-scare nature of the Aliens series, whilst also retaining the flow necessary for satisfying speedruns. SaNchez delights in throwing surprises the player’s way, deploying enemies when you’re vulnerable, such as whilst navigating unstable platforms. A screen may appear clear as you head for the exit, but it’s important to stay on guard, as now and again, you’ll be ambushed. One shot from security will kill Ashley, just as a mauling from a xenomorph will result in her instant demise. Oh, and every manner of foe can hunt her through screens. Face-huggers frequently spring from vents or drop from the ceilings at awkward angles. They’re slippery customers and regularly deliver a shock to the system. The hair-trigger combat is similar to Alien 3. In spite of modest hardware capabilities, AN2 leaves Probe’s nineties title behind in the platforming and level design stakes, with far greater platforming variety and fantastic controls.
Aliens: Neoplasma 2 makes giant strides in its replay value. The core challenge is a progressive, stern one, but with fair checkpoints to dampen the frustration of deaths. There are now three difficulty settings, and on the surface, they play fairly similarly. However, subtle changes to the checkpointing helps reshape the experience somewhat. Easy features all of the enemies and traps of the other settings, but proves a little more forgiving in that any defeated enemies will not respawn, should Ashley perish. On Normal, dying sees any enemies subsequently-defeated revived, needing to be tackled again. On Difficult, the player can only activate each terminal once, making it harder to chip away at tricky sequences, bit by bit. Although this won’t especially harm players who know where they’re headed, it can result in some lengthy passages where you’ll need to remain alert to avoid careless deaths.
Aliens: Neoplasma 2 makes giant strides in its replay value. The core challenge is a progressive, stern one, but with fair checkpoints to dampen the frustration of deaths. There are now three difficulty settings, and on the surface, they play fairly similarly. However, subtle changes to the checkpointing helps reshape the experience somewhat. Easy features all of the enemies and traps of the other settings, but proves a little more forgiving in that any defeated enemies will not respawn, should Ashley perish. On Normal, dying sees any enemies subsequently-defeated revived, needing to be tackled again. On Difficult, the player can only activate each terminal once, making it harder to chip away at tricky sequences, bit by bit. Although this won’t especially harm players who know where they’re headed, it can result in some lengthy passages where you’ll need to remain alert to avoid careless deaths.
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In a stroke of genius, completing the game produces a scannable QR code. This allows players to place on SaNchez’s leaderboards, which chart performance across metrics such as time, accuracy and a mixture of silent kills/enemies avoided. For those who love honing their performance and discovering speedier routes to completion, this is all the motivation you’ll need. Speedrunning AN2 highlights how beautifully, and smoothly, the action comes together. It will take around an hour and a half to beat first time, but I ended up playing it through five times. Though there’s just one ending this time, the replayability is far stronger than in its predecessor.
A wish-list for a third game would perhaps include some alternative weaponry, or if this is too fiddly, sections where the player swaps out the rifle for a spell with a shotgun or a flamethrower. These would fit the theme, lending a little more variety to the combat without harming the gameplay’s flow. A little more visual variety would also be nice. I say this more for the Next version, because the hardware provides more scope for environment design through its expanded colour palette. Despite a progressively darker tone, I didn’t find myself getting caught up in the settings as much as I did in the first game. The laboratory areas aren’t as distinctive as the ship decks of the original, you don’t get as much of a feeling for your location, even if the gameplay remains entirely absorbing.
A wish-list for a third game would perhaps include some alternative weaponry, or if this is too fiddly, sections where the player swaps out the rifle for a spell with a shotgun or a flamethrower. These would fit the theme, lending a little more variety to the combat without harming the gameplay’s flow. A little more visual variety would also be nice. I say this more for the Next version, because the hardware provides more scope for environment design through its expanded colour palette. Despite a progressively darker tone, I didn’t find myself getting caught up in the settings as much as I did in the first game. The laboratory areas aren’t as distinctive as the ship decks of the original, you don’t get as much of a feeling for your location, even if the gameplay remains entirely absorbing.
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The Next version enjoys a far larger colour palette, though the environments aren't as memorable as they might have been
The memorably dramatic music of the first game has been remoulded, with a new BGM retaining the ominous blips and cascading percussions that are already a hallmark of the Neoplasma titles. The game enjoys slightly cleaner audio, whilst satisfying cracks of gunfire, fearsome xenomorph growls and Ashley’s rending death scream further elevate the Next as an auditory experience.
Though the original game shades it in terms of an atmospheric experience, Aliens: Neoplasma 2 is a supremely enjoyable follow-up. Non-stop peril and challenging, varied platformer-shooting ensures it’s a blast to play and hugely addictive. Boss battles, stealth sections and new hazards highlight SaNchez’s ambitions to build positively on the first game, whilst clever, common-sense design touches ensure there’s a healthy number of return plays awaiting fans of the Aliens universe.
Though the original game shades it in terms of an atmospheric experience, Aliens: Neoplasma 2 is a supremely enjoyable follow-up. Non-stop peril and challenging, varied platformer-shooting ensures it’s a blast to play and hugely addictive. Boss battles, stealth sections and new hazards highlight SaNchez’s ambitions to build positively on the first game, whilst clever, common-sense design touches ensure there’s a healthy number of return plays awaiting fans of the Aliens universe.
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VERDICT"Another fantastic dose of run 'n' gun action. Neoplasma 2's setting and presentation are a fraction less impressive than its predecessor. However, it delivers gameplay in spades. Not only immensely addictive, but extensively replayable. Another must-play from SaNchez Crew." OVERALL: 8/10 |
OTHER ADDICTIVE RUN 'N' GUN GAMES REVIEWED
Metal Slug 3 (2000, Neo Geo)
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Aliens: Neoplasma (2019, ZX Spectrum)
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