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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
On this project, I worked as both a 2D Artist and a Game Developer, primarily focusing on core player mechanics and enemy AI behaviour. I implemented mouse-controlled directional aiming, allowing the player to rotate and shoot independently while moving. In addition, I created the pixel art for our main protagonist, Esmerelda, using Aseprite, drawing inspiration from Jenette Vasquez from Aliens.
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.
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.
Bringing a Game to Market
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.