1994 · Adventure · Real-time strategy

Alien Legacy

Alien Legacy is a sci-fi strategy game developed by Ybarra Productions and published by Sierra On-Line in 1994 for MS-DOS.

Released: 1994
Platforms: MS-DOS Windows
Genres: Adventure Real-time strategy Simulation Strategy
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Science fiction Warfare 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate)Mystery
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB E ACB G USK 6
Languages: English, German

›Story

After an alien attack in 2043, great technological leaps were made and space travel was significantly improved upon. In 2119, fearing extinction, Earth built gigantic seedships designed as "arks" to propel people and the sum of human knowledge across the stars. One of these seedships, the UNS Calypso, is sent to Beta Caeli star system which is the farthest colony attempted yet. In 2135, a second seedship, the UNS Tantalus, is dispatched to the same destination in order to better the chances of human survival.

The Tantalus is equipped with a more advanced fusion engine and thus will reach Beta Caeli some 21 years ahead of the Calypso. The player takes the role of the Calypso's captain. There is no sign of the Tantalus. All you have are some 5000 colonists, past radio transmissions and a few key advisers to help you colonize this new unfamiliar solar system.

You command the ship UNS Calypso with the refugees of the interstellar war. Your new home is 55 light-years from Earth. You must succeed in preserving the human race starting with only what you brought with you. You must explore planets and look for vital resources and places suitable for new colonies in the extremely hostile environment.

Keywords

aliens
managerial
resource management
space travel
micromanagement
space exploration
city builder
resource gathering
macromanagement
colony builder
research

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game includes elements of city construction, research, resource management, industrial production and combat. Players must colonize a star system light-years from Earth by building planetary cities and Space Stations. Several advisors guide the player through the plot and a PDA reminds the player of important tasks as objectives, revealed as the scenario progresses. The game progresses in real-time but the game speed can be adjusted.

Some tasks must be done before a set time limit or else the game will end prematurely. For example, at the beginning of the game, if the player fails to form a self-sufficient colony on Gaea, (a colony with at least one habitat, power plant and factory) the science advisor (also the mission's executive officer) will kill the player for incompetence and take over the command.

Story

The game takes place after the arrival of the UNS Calypso in the Beta Caeli star system. You take the role as captain of the Calypso. The Calypso has been sent from Earth to colonize the system. The UNS Tantalus was sent to the same star system after you, but because it makes use of a better engine, arrives in Beta Caeli before you do.

The Calypso, Tantalus, and similar ships were sent to colonize other star systems due to the threat of humanity's extinction on Earth as a result of an interstellar war. The story involves the Calypso's attempts to find out what happened to the Tantalus and its colonies which have gone missing, as well as other mysteries involving relics of previous non-human inhabitants of the system.

Reception

Game journalist Niko Nirvi awarded Alien Legacy a score of 82% in Pelit magazine. The game's plot carried the game for Nirvi, keeping him interested throughout and compensating for weak gameplay. He found the plot to be quite linear, and while events may happen differently on replay, felt no need to return to the game after completing it. Conversely, he found the strategy side lacking: the advisors "hold the player's hand".

He summed up the game as a "snack" for beginners. Nirvi deemed the game's graphics pleasant, its interface generally well-working, and its sounds nondescript.