They Came From the Sky 2

Once in a while, there comes a small indie game that simply irradiates the love its developer has for the project. They Came From the Sky 2 is one such title. With its fun retro visuals and insanely addictive bite-sized gameplay, this is one title that can't be missing from your collection.

Following in the footsteps of some veritable classics from the 8-bit era, They Came From the Sky 2 combines its simple retro gameplay with some of the best pixel art I've ever seen to create a truly commendable indie gem.

End of the World

Much like the first game in the series, your task in They Came From the Sky 2 will be to noticeably diminish Earth's human population. Yes, in essence, this is the answer to what would it have been like had Destroy All Humans come out during the Amiga era, and it's every bit as great as we could've imagined.

The game takes inspiration primarily from classic Amiga titles Walker and Defender. This side-scrolling title will put you in control of a massive alien killing machine with a single mission: to make the most scrumptious human smoothie the galaxy has ever seen.

Wreak Havoc

Have you ever played any of the Rampage games? If so, then They Came From the Sky 2 will feel rather familiar to you, at least in its core concepts. Your character can only move left and right, and each direction ends with a dead end.

The only way to make progress is to destroy enough people to force the giant boss blimp to appear. After you defeat said blimp, the path opens and you're free to leave the level. As amusing as the gameplay loop sounds, this also reveals what might be They Came From the Sky 2's only weakness: it can get fairly repetitive after a while.

Retro Visuals

As much as I'd love to wax lyrical about how much I loved They Came From the Sky 2's insanely addictive gameplay, there's another area that also deserves as much – if not more – attention: the game's gorgeous retro visuals.

Sure, indie games with pixel-based art styles are dime a dozen, but They Came From the Sky 2 does it with its own unique style that's a joy to see in movement. The overall visual style looks fairly similar to what we'd find on a Game Boy exclusive, with its predominantly black-and-white color palette and minimalistic designs.

A bit more variety in its levels would have made They Came From the Sky 2 feel like a more complete package, but, as it is, the game remains one of the most enjoyable of its kind.

Pros

• Impressive 2D visuals
• Addictive gameplay loop
• Great to play in short bursts

Cons

• Can get a bit repetitive
• Could use some more level variety