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{{Short description|2013 video game}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Alien Spidy
| image = Alien Spidy Coverart.png
| caption =
| developer = Enigma Software Productions
| publisher = [[Kalypso Media]]
| engine =
| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Macintosh]], [[Xbox 360]] ([[Xbox Live Arcade|XBLA]]), [[PlayStation 3]] ([[PlayStation Network|PSN]])
| released = {{Unbulleted list|'''Mac''', '''Windows''', '''Xbox 360'''|20 March 2013|'''PlayStation 3'''|16 July 2013}}
| genre = [[Platform game|Platform]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
}}
'''''Alien Spidy''''' is a [[platform game]] for [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Macintosh]], [[Xbox 360]] (through [[Xbox Live Arcade]]), and [[PlayStation 3]] (through [[PlayStation Network]]). It was developed by Spanish studio Enigma Software Productions and published by [[Kalypso Media]]. Players control an extraterrestrial spider who has crash-landed on Earth, as he seeks to repair his spacecraft and rescue a fellow extraterrestrial spider.

Announced on 8 November 2011, ''Alien Spidy'' was published on 20 March 2013 for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and Macintosh, and on 8 May 2013 for the PlayStation 3. It received mixed reviews upon release; critics praised the game's aesthetics but found the gameplay frustrating due to imprecise controls and an unforgiving level of difficulty that hampered progression through the game.

==Gameplay==

''Alien Spidy'' is a physics-based [[platform game]]. Players control the [[eponymous]] Spidy, an extraterrestrial spider, and navigate him through a series of levels that are filled with deadly obstacles. Spidy can run and jump, and has the ability to shoot a web, allowing him to grapple and swing from object to object within the environment.<ref name=Polygon_Review>{{cite web|last=Riendeau|first=Danielle|title=Alien Spidy review: spider in sheep's clothing|url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/4/10/4207750/alien-spidy-review-spider-in-sheeps-clothing|work=Polygon|publisher=Vox Media|access-date=27 April 2014|date=10 April 2013|archive-date=29 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429050423/http://www.polygon.com/2013/4/10/4207750/alien-spidy-review-spider-in-sheeps-clothing|url-status=live}}</ref> Interspersed throughout each level are a large number of orbs, which Spidy can collect to score points. Finishing the level quickly, collecting a large number of orbs, collecting several orbs in quick succession, and finding score multipliers all increase the player's score for that level. Players can also lose points by dying, collecting certain orbs that decrease the player's score, or going for too long without collecting an orb.<ref name=GRevolution>{{cite web|last=Peterson|first=Blake|title=Alien Spidy Review|url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/alien-spidy|work=Game Revolution|publisher=CraveOnline Media, LLC|access-date=27 April 2014|date=20 March 2013|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428065300/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/alien-spidy|url-status=live}}</ref> Players earn between one and five stars on each level, based on their score. Levels are grouped into several stages, including a forest, a pond, a cave system, and outer-space. In order to progress from one stage to the next, players must collect a certain number of stars.<ref name=Polygon_Review /><ref name=OXM>{{cite magazine|last=Cocke|first=Taylor|title=Alien Spidy review|url=http://www.oxmonline.com/alien-spidy-review|magazine=Official Xbox Magazine|publisher=Future Plc.|access-date=27 April 2014|date=17 May 2013|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428054632/http://www.oxmonline.com/alien-spidy-review|url-status=live}}</ref> Players can collect special power-up orbs scattered throughout levels. These orbs allow Spidy to perform feats he is otherwise incapable of, including traveling underwater and jumping to extreme heights.<ref name=Polygon_Review />{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}} Most of the game's levels take between 90 seconds and three minutes.<ref name=Polygon_Review />

==Plot==

''Alien Spidy'' has a minimal plot.<ref name=GamesRadar>{{cite web|last=Veloria|first=Lorenzo|title=Alien Spidy review|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/alien-spidy-review/|work=GamesRadar|publisher=Future Plc.|access-date=27 April 2014|date=20 March 2013|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428215256/http://www.gamesradar.com/alien-spidy-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> The story follows the Spidy, a spider from the planet Aracnia, who has crash-landed on Earth during an attempt to rescue a lady spider, Virgi.<ref name=Polygon_Release_Date>{{cite web|last=Gera|first=Emily|title=Alien Spidy invading XBLA, PC and Mac on March 20|url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/3/7/4074758/alien-spidy-invading-xbla-pc-and-mac-on-march-20|work=Polygon|publisher=Vox Media|access-date=27 April 2014|date=7 March 2013}}</ref><ref name=Hooked>{{cite web|last=Porter|first=Matt|title=Alien Spidy|url=http://www.hookedgamers.com/pc/alien_spidy/review/article-1043.html|work=Hooked Gamers|publisher=Cutlass Isle|access-date=27 April 2014|date=3 April 2013|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428075053/http://www.hookedgamers.com/pc/alien_spidy/review/article-1043.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Spidy must locate Virgi and collect pieces of his spacecraft in order to return to Aracnia.<ref name=Canadian>{{cite web|last=Cullen|first=Matt|title=Alien Spidy (XBLA) Review|url=http://canadianonlinegamers.com/review/alien-spidy-xbla-review/|work=Canadian Online Gamers|date=20 March 2013|access-date=27 April 2014|archive-date=23 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323002438/http://canadianonlinegamers.com/review/alien-spidy-xbla-review/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Development==

On 8 November 2011, the game was announced in a press release, with Enigma Software Productions as the developer and [[Kalypso Media]] as the publisher. The press release indicated that the game would be released in the [[Quarter (calendar year)|second quarter]] of 2012.{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}}

''Alien Spidy'' was advertised as a [[PlayStation Vita]] game early in its development history, with Sony using gameplay footage of the game on the Vita at a presentation at [[Gamescom]] 2011. The game was never released on that platform, however. In an interview, Enigma Software CEO Daniel Parente claimed that the game was developed for all major platforms, and after bringing Kalypso Media on board as a publisher, the latter chose which platforms to release the game on, and when. The project manager at Kalypso Media for ''Alien Spidy'', Andrew McKerrow, noted that the developer attempted to secure a publisher by [[sales pitch|pitching]] the game on a large number of platforms.<ref name=McKerrow>{{cite web|last=McKerrow|first=Andrew|title=Designing Charismatic Characters For Alien Spidy, Coming To PSN In June|url=http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2012/05/03/designing-charismatic-characters-for-alien-spidy-coming-to-psn-in-june/#comment-221789|work=PlayStation.Blog|publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment Europe|access-date=27 April 2014|date=3 May 2012}}</ref> In a separate interview with Daniel Parente, conducted in October 2012, Enigma Software's CEO called the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 the game's lead platforms, stating that the game was "designed to be played with a gamepad".<ref name=Hardcore_Interview>{{cite web|last=Hannley|first=Steve|title=Interview: Alien Spidy's Enigma Software CEO Daniel Parente|url=http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2012/10/16/interview-alien-spidys-enigma-software-ceo-daniel-parente/|work=Hardcore Gamer|access-date=27 April 2014|date=16 October 2012}}</ref>

It took eight months for Enigma to build the physics behind the web-based grapple and swing game mechanic. During early builds of the game, the motion was slower, but the development team sped up the movement, feeling it was truer to the character.<ref name=VGBlogger>{{cite web|last=Litten|first=Matt|title=VGB Feature: Alien Spidy Interview with Enigma Software CEO Daniel Parente|url=http://www.vgblogger.com/vgb-feature-alien-spidy-interview-with-enigma-software-ceo-daniel-parente/19592/|work=VGBlogger|access-date=27 April 2014|date=18 January 2013|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428054857/http://www.vgblogger.com/vgb-feature-alien-spidy-interview-with-enigma-software-ceo-daniel-parente/19592/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series served as an inspiration for the game's pace.<ref name=Hardcore_Interview /> Significant effort was put into creating the game's visual style and making Spidy a relatable, charismatic character. Daniel Parente cited ''[[Limbo (video game)|Limbo]]'', ''[[Braid (video game)|Braid]]'', and ''Patapon'' as influences for the game's aesthetics.<ref name=VGBlogger /> Comics and cartoons served as influences for Spidy's design.<ref name=VGBlogger /><ref name=McKerrow /> The character was given a pair of large yellow eyes, which allowed the character to emote. Two of the legs were removed, bringing the total from eight to six, which Andrew McKerrow described as an effort to avoid triggering the fears of people with [[arachnophobia]] and "make the character a little more friendly looking and little less creepy".<ref name=McKerrow /> It was only after making these changes to Spidy that the developers decided to make Spidy an extraterrestrial, as that would justify the character design's deviations from regular spiders.<ref name=McKerrow /><ref name=Hardcore_Interview />

The game was delayed several times. In August 2012, the website XBLA Fans reported that the game would be delayed into the fall of that year.<ref>{{cite web|last=Santangelo|first=Nick|title=Alien Spidy pushed back to fall|url=http://www.xblafans.com/alien-spidy-pushed-back-to-fall-53091.html|work=XBLA Fans|access-date=27 April 2014|date=10 August 2012|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428054733/http://www.xblafans.com/alien-spidy-pushed-back-to-fall-53091.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By October, a preview on the gaming website Twinfinite listed the release date as 31 December 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Eaton|first=Mike|title=[Preview] Alien Spidy Does Whatever a Spidy Can|url=http://twinfinite.net/blog/2012/10/13/preview-alien-spidy/|work=Twinfinite|publisher=Twinfinite LLC|access-date=27 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018095436/http://twinfinite.net/blog/2012/10/13/preview-alien-spidy/|archive-date=18 October 2012|date=13 October 2012}}</ref> The game was released on the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and Macintosh on 20 March 2013, and was released on the PlayStation 3 on 8 May 2013.<ref name=Polygon_Release_Date /><ref>{{cite web|title=Alien Spidy - PlayStation Network, PSN game|url=http://uk.playstation.com/psn/games/detail/item475506/Alien-Spidy/|work=uk.playstation.com|publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment Europe|access-date=27 April 2014|archive-date=18 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118154633/http://uk.playstation.com/psn/games/detail/item475506/Alien-Spidy/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews

| GR = (360) 54.31% (13 reviews)<ref name=GR_360>{{cite web|title=Alien Spidy for Xbox 360 - GameRankings|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/649257-alien-spidy/index.html|work=[[GameRankings]]|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc.|access-date=26 April 2014|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428032025/http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/649257-alien-spidy/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> {{ref label|B|B}}
| MC = (360) 55 (19 reviews)<ref name=MC_360 /> {{ref label|A|A}}

| GameRev = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=GRevolution />
| GRadar = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name=GamesRadar />
| OXM = 4.5/10<ref name=OXM />
| Poly = 6/10<ref name=Polygon_Review />
}}

''Alien Spidy'' received mixed reviews upon release. At [[Metacritic]], a video game [[review aggregator]], the Xbox 360 version of the game received an average score of 55 out of 100, based on 19 reviews.<ref name=MC_360>{{cite web|title=Alien Spidy Critic Reviews for Xbox 360 - Metacritic|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/alien-spidy/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360|work=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc.|access-date=26 April 2014}}</ref>{{ref label|A|A}}

The game's visuals were praised by reviewers. [[GamesRadar]]'s Lorenzo Veloria opined that "Adorable characters, beautiful visuals, and upbeat music stand out as the high points of Alien Spidy". A large number of reviewers called the game and its characters "cute".<ref name=Polygon_Review />{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}}<ref name=GRevolution /><ref name=OXM /><ref name=GamesRadar /><ref name=Hooked /><ref name=Canadian /> While a few of the reviewers praised the game's music,<ref name=GRevolution /><ref name=GamesRadar /> Jeremy Peeples of Hardcore Gamer found that it lacked staying power. He noted, however, that the music could be muted without also muting the sound effects, allowing people to play their own music.<ref name=Hardcore_Review>{{cite web|last=Peeples|first=Jeremy|title=Review: Alien Spidy|url=http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2013/03/19/review-alien-spidy-xbox-360/|work=Hardcore Gamer|publisher=Hardcore Gamer, LLC.|access-date=27 April 2014|date=19 March 2013|archive-date=30 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930214433/http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2013/03/19/review-alien-spidy-xbox-360/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Critics near universally took issue with the game's controls.<ref name=Polygon_Review />{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}}<ref name=GRevolution /><ref name=OXM /><ref name=GamesRadar /><ref name=Hooked /><ref name=Canadian /><ref name=Hardcore_Review /> Critics found that the webs that they shot did not go where they wanted them to go,<ref name=Polygon_Review />{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}}<ref name=Hooked /><ref name=Hardcore_Review /> and multiple reviewers described navigation as "trial and error".<ref name=Polygon_Review />{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}}<ref name=GamesRadar /> Reviewers also found that they could not always jump when they wanted to,<ref name=GRevolution /><ref name=Canadian /> and one reviewer found that power-ups failed to activate when she wanted them to.<ref name=Polygon_Review /> Reviewers also complained that it was extremely difficult to get enough stars to progress from one stage to the next, forcing players to replay the same levels over and over again.<ref name=Polygon_Review /><ref name=GRevolution /><ref name=GamesRadar /> Because points are subtracted each time Spidy dies, the problems with the control scheme exacerbate how difficult it is to get enough stars to progress.<ref name=OXM />

Opinions on the game's mid-level checkpoint system were mixed. Matt Cullen of Canadian Online Gaming noted that the checkpoints meant that players were not sent too far back into the level after each death, saving time.<ref name=Canadian /> Official Xbox Magazine's Taylor Cocke, however, noted that the checkpoints save players' point progress, meaning that players would have to start the level over if their performance wasn't good enough before they reached the checkpoint.<ref name=OXM />

==Notes==

:{{note|A|A}} Metacritic tracks ratings for each platform separately, and does not assign aggregate scores for a platform until it receives at least four reviews specific to that platform. As Metacritic only lists two reviews for the PlayStation 3 version and one review for the personal computer version, it has not issued aggregate scores for those platforms.
:{{note|B|B}} GameRankings, like Metacritic, tracks scores for each platform separately, and had only two reviews for the PlayStation 3 version and one review for the personal computer version. Unlike Metacritic, GameRankings does provide a score for platforms with too few reviews to be a true aggregate. For both the PlayStation 3 and personal computer versions, that score was 50.00%.<ref name=GR_PS3>{{cite web|title=Alien Spidy for PlayStation 3 - GameRankings|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/649258-alien-spidy/index.html|work=[[GameRankings]]|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc.|access-date=26 April 2014|archive-date=27 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127141950/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/649258-alien-spidy/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=GR_PC>{{cite web|title=Alien Spidy for PC - GameRankings|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/649259-alien-spidy/index.html|work=[[GameRankings]]|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc.|access-date=26 April 2014|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428021601/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/649259-alien-spidy/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.alienspidy-game.com/ Official website]
{{Portal bar|Video games}}

[[Category:2013 video games]]
[[Category:MacOS games]]
[[Category:Platformers]]
[[Category:PlayStation Network games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Video games about extraterrestrial life]]
[[Category:Video games about spiders]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Spain]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Xbox 360 Live Arcade games]]

Alien Spidy - Revision history

imported>GreenC bot: Reformat 1 archive link. Wayback Medic 2.5 per WP:USURPURL and JUDI batch #29ac