Timothy vs the Aliens Review

Timothy vs the Aliens is set in the 1950s in a little town called Little Fish City. Our protagonist, Timothy, was given an Aces of Heart card as a kid by alien as he was “chosen” to the savior of Earth. While the Activists alien form warned him about an impending invasion in the future, Timothy stopped listening after hearing the card gave him powers. Fast forward to years later, Little Fish City is being invaded by aliens and Timothy will need to use his gangster savoir-faire to save the city and subsequently Earth.

Timothy vs the Aliens is a third person open world shooter where players will be called upon to explore various areas of the map and solve puzzle in order to save the city. You’ll be called upon to find keys to unlock doors which will lead to additional areas of the city, save a few friends and get to the bottom of this alien threat.

As you walk around the city, you’ll find money scattered everywhere; pick up every dollar you find as it’ll be really beneficial once you (finally) find the shop about an hour in. The shop contains traditional items such as weapons and health items. You’ll also be able to purchase keys to unlock new areas and also the opportunity to drive cars.

While you can simply go from objective to objective to reach the end as soon as you can, as with any other open world games, those you explore will be rewarded with additional perks. You’ll find hidden Activist aliens (those who blessed you with your unique powers) will provide additional support by giving you perks such as increased health. Speaking of powers, Timothy can slow down time à la Max Payne in order to easily dispatch waves of enemies.

Dead aliens will drop green pellets that will serve to refill your power meter; because it’s obviously not unlimited. Some spots in the game, you’ll be caught in a bubble where you’ll to dispatch waves of enemies so you can be freed and keeping moving forward on your rescue adventure.

The game has a fun, unique 1950s-ish black and grey visual styles while the alien threats are colored offering a nice little contrast. It’s pretty simple, but sometimes, simple works and it’s feel different than highly colored games and more realistic stuff. The soundtrack, akin to the visuals, is also 1950s themed; but it’s same the loop that plays throughout the game. Oddly enough, once the sound loop is over, you’ll have a few minutes of silence.

The game’s main nuisance is the spawning of enemies. They will spawn anywhere and literally out of nowhere meaning more often than not you’ll be busy trying to kill enemies in front of you and then BAM you’ll get slammed from behind. It’s incredibly annoying; especially in small and enclosed areas. Also to use cars, you need to find a master key that unlocks all cars. And, given the premise, the city is dead. Literally. Alien threats aside, this makes Saints Row (2022)’s Santo Illeso feels like Grand Theft Auto V’s Los Santos.

Timothy vs the Aliens is a fun and enjoyable addition to the open world genre. The premise, setting and them make it feel fresh in an overall bloated genre. While it’s far from being perfect, it’s one of those games that feels refreshing in its genre and could even be enjoyed by those who are tired of the open world genre thanks to its small, more restrained settings. If you’re looking a nice little diversion, you can do worst than Timothy vs the Aliens.