Aliens Among Us does not present extraterrestrial life as an elegant scientific discovery. Hacksaw Gaming has filled a remote farm with hovering saucers, frightened livestock, suspicious government agents and one sci-fi enthusiast of a farmer in this title. Behind all of these shenanigans is a 6-reel, 5-row slot with 19 paylines, four multiplying Alien symbols and two Free Spins features. The game can award up to 15,000x the stake, although its most distinctive idea is the way Aliens can turn ordinary reels into full Wild Multiplier reels.
The game takes place in open countryside. Satellite dishes point towards a sky crowded with UFOs, while coloured lights spread across the fields. An FBI agent stands to the left of the grid, looking reasonably prepared for the situation. On the other side, a bearded farmer holds his own investigation on a small tractor with a tinfoil hat on his head. He looks considerably less prepared. The art has a polished cartoon style, with exaggerated characters and small visual jokes scattered around the screen. Standard symbols have also been redesigned to match the setting. Instead of ordinary playing-card graphics, the lower symbols use metallic shapes that resemble alien writing. Higher-value symbols include an FBI badge, a slime-covered cap, a ray gun, a spiked club and a large magnet. The four Alien symbols are given blue, red, yellow and green frames, matching the coloured central reels. During expansions, a beam covers the full reel and lifts people, animals and farm equipment into the air. These kinds of animations make the features easy to follow, even when several Alien multipliers become involved in the same result.
| Symbol | 3 Matching Symbols | 4 Matching Symbols | 5 Matching Symbols | 6 Matching Symbols |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnet | 2x | 5x | 15x | 50x |
| Ray Gun | 1x | 2.5x | 7.5x | 25x |
| Spiked Club | 1x | 2.5x | 7.5x | 25x |
| Slime Covered Cap | 0.5x | 1.5x | 5x | 15x |
| FBI Badge | 0.5x | 1.5x | 5x | 15x |
| A Symbol | 0.3x | 1x | 3x | 10x |
| K Symbol | 0.2x | 0.5x | 1.5x | 5x |
| Q Symbol | 0.2x | 0.5x | 1.5x | 5x |
| J Symbol | 0.2x | 0.5x | 1.5x | 5x |
| 10 Symbol | 0.1x | 0.3x | 1x | 3x |
There are four Alien symbols, and each one is connected to a specific reel. Blue Aliens are linked to reel 2, red Aliens to reel 3, yellow Aliens to reel 4 and green Aliens to reel 5. Every Alien acts as a Wild and may substitute for regular paytable symbols. It also carries a multiplier.
The blue Alien can show 2x, 3x or 4x, while the red version ranges from 5x to 9x. Yellow Alien values include 10x, 15x, 20x and 25x. The green Alien carries the largest possible values, beginning at 30x and reaching as high as 200x.
When an Alien contributes to a payline win, its multiplier is applied to that result. Multipliers are additive, so two qualifying Aliens do not multiply one another. Their values are first added together and the combined figure is then applied to the win. An Alien may also expand if it lands on its connected reel and the expansion would form at least one winning combination. The entire reel then becomes Wild and keeps the multiplier shown on the original symbol. More than one Alien Reel can take part in the same win, in which case those multipliers are added together as well.
Three FS symbols landing during the same base game spin trigger Beam Me Up with 10 free spins. The feature continues to use the normal expanding Alien Reel rules, but Alien symbols appear more frequently. The bonus can also be extended. Landing two FS symbols together awards 2 additional free spins, while three FS symbols award 4 more.
Four FS symbols activate Farmageddon, also with 10 free spins. It includes the increased Alien frequency found in Beam Me Up, but adds a persistent activation mechanic. Whenever an Alien lands on its own connected reel, that Alien colour becomes active. From that point onwards, it may expand on any of the four central reels, provided the expansion contributes to a win. Once activated, the colour remains active until the feature ends.
Farmageddon uses the same retrigger rules as Beam Me Up. Two FS symbols provide 2 extra spins and three award 4 extra spins.
This game is played on six reels and five rows with 19 fixed paylines. Wins form from left to right, beginning on the first reel and continuing across adjacent reels. Depending on the symbol, three, four, five or six matching symbols are required. The outer reels remain conventional, while most of the special activity takes place across reels 2 to 5. Both FS and Alien symbols can only appear on those four central reels, although the two symbol types cannot occupy the same reel during a single spin.
The game has high volatility, which fits the design. Many spins are relatively plain, but a useful Alien expansion can change the outcome quickly. The maximum win is 15,000x the stake and can be reached in any game mode.
Aliens Among Us has enough personality to avoid becoming another anonymous space-themed online casino slot. The countryside setting is a good choice, particularly because the developers have filled it with details that become funnier the longer the screen is observed. The farmer’s improvised headgear may not stop an abduction, but it does at least give him a memorable silhouette. More importantly, the Alien Reel system is clearly explained and visually easy to understand. The main limitation is that meaningful action depends heavily on Alien symbols appearing in suitable positions. Without them, the 19 line structure can feel fairly conventional. When several colours become involved, however, the slot becomes much more distinctive. It should suit those who prefer high volatility games with unusual Wild mechanics and a theme that treats an alien invasion as a rural administrative problem rather than the end of civilisation.