Sometimes a game can sell itself on its aesthetic alone, and developer Loomiarts’ Squad 51 Vs The Flying Saucers serves as the perfect example. By all accounts, Squad 51 looks like a fairly standard sidescrolling shoot ’em up game. But it stands out quite a bit thanks to its style, which evokes that of classic black and white sci-fi movies from the 1950s. Loomiarts went as far as to team up with Brazilian film studio Fehorama Filmes to authentically capture this aesthetic, and based on what’s been have revealed so far, the effort clearly shows. If this seems interesting to you, then you can pick up Squad 51 whenever it comes out this fall.
According to a press release, Squad 51 sees an alien group known as the Vega Corporation threatening Earth after it previously stopped by for benevolent purposes. A squadron led by Lieutenant Kaya steps up to protect Earth and foil the evil plans of Director Zarog, the leader of Vega Corporation. In between levels, players can watch this story unfold through a series of live-action FMV cutscenes that make the game’s 1950s inspirations all the more evident.
What about the game itself?
Speaking of levels, Squad 51 contains 11 of them to go through, so it will presumably not take long for skilled players to reach the end. Having said that, runs will not play out the same between all players, as the game boasts a dynamic difficulty system designed to accommodate all skill levels. If you want some extra help against the alien invaders, however, you always have the option of joining up with a friend for cooperative play.
As appealing as Squad 51 looks, there is obviously no guarantee that you will enjoy the game, so you can check out the free demo on Steam if you want to get a feel for it first. Hopefully, the gameplay will at least turn out polished enough to not distract from the charming visuals.
