Alien Infiltration IV
About
Earth has fallen to an alien invasion, but the fight for survival is not over. Players take on the role of battle-hardened soldier Esmeralda “El Scorpio” as she infiltrates a massive alien facility to deliver a deadly tech virus and fight her way back out.
Project Info
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Role(s):​ 2D Artist, Game Developer
Team Size: 3
Timeline: Sept 2022 - Dec 2022
Engine: Unity (C#)
Tags: 2.5D, Action, Adventure, Retro, Stealth, Top-Down
Updated: Mar 2026
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Alien Infiltration IV was developed over three months by a team of three developers, including myself, during the Indie Game Start-Up (IGO740) module in my postgraduate degree in Indie Game Development at Falmouth University.
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The goal of the module was to simulate the early stages of forming an indie studio. We were tasked with creating a vertical slice that would later be pitched to a mock publisher for potential funding. For our project, we chose to pitch to Raw Fury. Alien Infiltration IV is designed as a faux sequel inspired by classic retro action games, presented using a stylised blend of pixel art and voxel visuals to create a distinctive look.
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The core design centres around a dual-stage gameplay loop that alternates between tension and empowerment. Each area begins with a stealth-focused section where players must carefully sneak past powerful enemies and environmental hazards while feeling vulnerable and under-equipped. Once players reach the objective, the experience shifts dramatically into a fast-paced twin stick shooter where they gain access to powerful weapons and fight their way through waves of alien enemies.
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Alongside building the vertical slice itself, the team also conducted competitor research and developed a full production plan for the project. This included budgeting, outlining how potential funding would be allocated, and creating a development roadmap that extended beyond launch with ideas for future updates and content.​​​​
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In this project, I was primarily responsible for the core player mechanics and enemy AI behaviour. I implemented mouse-controlled directional aiming so the player could rotate and shoot independently while moving. I also designed the pixel art for our main protagonist, Esmerelda, using Aseprite, drawing inspiration from Jenette Vasquez from the film Aliens.
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Alongside the gameplay systems, I playtested the game to ensure that data remained persistent when transitioning between level areas and that the experience could be played from start to finish without major issues. I also helped develop a production budget outlining how funding would be allocated during full development, along with projected revenue based on competitor research into similar indie titles and their budgets and performance.
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I really enjoyed this project because it allowed me to collaborate in a small team while building something with a clear long-term vision. We created a full development roadmap and used our time to produce a vertical slice that we could pitch to a publisher. As part of this, I researched different ways indie studios secure funding and analysed similar games in the genre to estimate how much it might realistically cost to bring a project like this to market.
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Bringing a Game to Market
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Out of all my university projects, this one felt closest to what working in indie development might actually look like. If anything, I would have liked more time to polish the final build, as student projects often end up rushing toward the deadline. I also would have liked to push myself further in areas I am less confident in, such as 2D art for top-down games.
Even so, Alien Infiltration IV was a valuable experience in taking a project all the way to the stage where it could realistically be pitched for funding, and the lessons learned from that process are something I know will stay with me.
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