History VideoGame / AttackOfTheEarthlings

''Attack of the Earthlings'' is a TurnBasedStrategy game developed by Team Junkfish. It received a UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} release on February 8, 2018.

* CampingACrapper: The Matriarch's entrance into level 3

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
* HiveQueen: The Matriarch, natch.
* HordeOfAlienLocusts: The Swarmers, as opposed to the humans, who are "mere" PlanetLooters. Downplayed in that they haven't moved off-world, and it's implied the Matriarch's attack started in order to avenge her multi-jointed kin.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Regional Manager Dennis Dickinham, voiced by Creator/ProZD.

-->'''Pecker''': ''Well, boys, looks like your [[KillThemAll disciplinary exercise]] has just become a bog standard alien elimination.''

--->'''Pecker''': ''Well, boys, looks like your [[KillThemAll disciplinary exercise]] has just become a bog standard alien elimination.''

* [[ItCanThink It Can Think: The Game.]] You are literally outgunned and outnumbered at the start of each level, and have to use stealth and guile to get enough Swarmers to win.

** StealthBasedMission: Level 4, where attacking your foes is not even an option until the lab's power goes out.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The two prominent human antagonists, Dickinham and Pecker, are both references to male anatomy. [[StealthPun And they're both huge dickheads to boot.]]

** Heavies, who have [[HeavilyArmouredMook armour]] and carry [[GatlingGood a minigun]] that can cut through even brutes. Countered by [[StealthExpert Sulkers,]] who have an ArmourPiercingAttack and enough damage to one-hit them.
** Scanners, who have 360 vision and 2 (weak) attacks a turn, allowing them to forstore all ambushes. Countered by [[HeavilyArmouredMook Brutes,]] who can armour up enough to tank all their shots, leaving them open to retaliation.

** Banshees, CloseRangeCombatants who penetrate all armour and [[TakingYouWithMe explode upon death.]] Countered by [[Long-Range Fighter Disruptors,]] who can kill them from a distance without being counterattacked.
** Heavies, who have [[HeavilyArmouredMook armour]] and carry [[GatlingGood a minigun]] that can cut through brutes. Countered by [[StealthExpert Sulkers,]] who have an ArmourPiercingAttack and enough damage to one-hit them.

* BadBoss: Both Pecker and Dennis, but bonus points go to Pecker for initiating a purge on the lowest level for sheer incompetence...before realizing your aliens are at fault.

* EatTheEvidence: Devouring the humans corpses prevent them from raising the alarm, in addition to providing delicious biomass for your enjoyment.

* HordeOfAlienLocusts: The Swarmers, as opposed to the humans, who are "mere" PlanetLooters. Downplayed in that they haven't moved off-world, and it's implied the Matriarch's attack started in order to protect her multi-jointed kin.

** StealthBasedMission: Level 4, where attacking your foes is not an option until the lab's power goes out.

* WeHaveReserves: While it's impractical to do so as a main tactic, you can afford to lose the occasional Swarmer in the line of duty as they can be replaced by the matriarch.

The Swarmers are a highly aggressive alien species, that devour other lifeforms and convert their biomass into more drones...and in this case, our protagonists. The human-led Galactoil energy corporation is hell-bent on harvesting the universe's energy for profit, and one of their colony-sized drills has chosen the Swarmers' world as a target. As [[PerspectiveFlip the aliens,]] the player is tasked with eliminating all of the staff aboard the drill, starting each level with a single Matriarch and increasing their unit numbers through human consumption.

* AlienInvasion: Inverted; you're an aggressive native species protecting your homeworld against humanity.
* BadBoss: both Pecker and Dennis, but bonus points go to Pecker for initiating a purge on the lowest level for sheer incompetence...before realising your aliens are at fault.

* FedToTheBeast: Occurs to a hapless henchman in level four, allowing the matriarch to escape containment. Parodied in that Dickinham set up a "Cellsharing" policy to build camaraderie between man and beast, without realising the [[EatenAlive logical result]] of leaving the former with the latter.

* HordeOfAlienLocusts: The Swarmers, as opposed to the humans, who are "mere" PlanetLooters. Downplayed in that they havn't moved off-world, and it's implied the Matriarch's attack started in order to protect her multi-jointed kin.
* [[ItCanThink It Can Think: The Game.]] You are literally outgunned and outnumbered at the start of each level, and have to use stealth and guile to get enough swarmers to win.

* OnlySaneMan: Pecker, a Galactoil employee that immediately realizes the imminent danger, but is considered a coward by his boss.

* SpiritualAntithesis: To [[VideoGame/XComEnemyUnknown X-com, specifically Enemy Unknown]]. In X-Com you play as the humans, in Attack of The Earthlings you play as aliens. The former focuses on conver, the latter focuses on stealth. The former has a large number of randomly generated missions, the other has a small number of longer, set-pieces based missions. Finally, with [[HiveQueen one exception]] all the swarmers are expendable and identical, while X-com's soldiers are each unique assets you want to keep alive for as long as possible.
* StealthBasedGame: Placing your swarmers in line of sight is a sure recipe to getting them shot at and killed: instead, you must focus on outmaneuvering and outwitting your foes.

* WeHaveReserves: While it's impractical to do so as a main tactic, you can afford to lose the occasional swarmer in the line of duty as they can be replaced by the matriarch.
* ZergRush: Not encouraged, despite the obvious inspiration for the swarmers. You lose Mutation points for every swarmer killed, which could cost you upgrades, and on most levels you may not have enough Biomass to ensure you outnumber your enemies.

* SpiritualAntithesis: To {{VideoGame/XComEnemyUnknown}}. In X-Com you play as the humans, in Attack of the earthlings you play as the Aliens. The former focuses on conver, the latter focuses on stealth. The former has a large number of Randomly generated missions, the other has a small number of longer, set-pieces based missions. Finally, with one exception all the swarmers are expendable and near-identical, while X-com's soldiers are each unique assets you want to keep alive for as long as possible.

The Swarmers are a highly aggressive alien species, that devour other lifeforms and convert their biomass into more drones...and in this case, our protagonists. The human-led Galactoil energy corporation is hell-bent on harvesting the universe's energy for profit, and one of their colony-sized drills has chosen the Swarmers' world as a target. As the aliens, the player is tasked with eliminating all of the staff aboard the drill, starting each level with a single Matriarch and increasing their unit numbers through human consumption.

* BadBoss: both Pecker and Dennis, buy bonus points go to pecker for initiating a purge on the lowest level for sheer incompetence...before realising your aliens are at fault and asking for a "standard hostile alien clearing."

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The two prominent human antagonists, Dickinham and Pecker, are both references to male anatomy. [[StealthPun And they're both kind of jerks to boot.]]

* HordeOfAlienLocusts: You play as them, as opposed to the humans, who are "mere" PlanetLooters.

* PerspectiveFlip: Think Aliens, but from the perspective of said aliens.

** StealthBasedMission: Level 4, where even attacking your foes is not an option until the lab's power goes out.

* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler:Following Pecker's death, Dickinham offers the Swarmer Matriarch a job at Galactoil...[[TooDumbToLive while lighting a cigar, and standing in oil spilled from his crashed mech]].]]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The two prominent human antagonists, Dickinham and Pecker, are both references to male anatomy.

* PerspectiveFlip: In particular, it can be considered a [[SpiritualSuccessor perspective flip in spirit]] of [[VideoGame/XCom X-COM]], being a turn-based strategy game involving aliens.

* VillainProtagonist: The Swarmers.

* PerspectiveFlip: In particular, it can be considered a [[SpiritualSuccessor perspective flip in spirit]] of XCom, being a turn-based strategy game involving aliens.

* PointyHairedBoss: Dickinham
* PuzzleBoss: The final challenge. [[spoiler:Pecker is holed up in Dickinham's office, while the boss himself is trapped in a large mech. The Swarmers need to activate three power switches before the defense systems are overloaded, which turns Pecker into a GetBackHereBoss.]]
* VillainProtagonist: The Swarmers.

* PuzzleBoss: The final challenge. [[spoiler:Pecker is holed up in Dickinham's office, while the boss himself is trapped in a large mech. The Swarmers need to deactivate three power switches before the defense systems turn off.]]

* PuzzleBoss: The final challenge. [[spoiler:Pecker is holed up in Dickinham's office, while the boss himself is trapped in a large mech.
The Swarmers need to deactivate three power switches before the defense systems turn off.]]

''Attack of the Earthlings'' is a TurnBasedStrategy game developed by Team Junkfish. It received a Steam release on February 8, 2018.

The Swarmers are a highly aggressive alien species, that consume other lifeforms and convert their biomass into more drones...and in this case, our protagonists. The human-led Galactoil energy corporation is hell-bent on harvesting the universe's energy for profit, and one of their colony-sized drills has chosen the Swarmer's world as a target. As the aliens, the player is tasked with eliminating all of the staff aboard the drill, starting each level with a single Matriarch and increasing their unit numbers through human consumption.

* OnlySaneMan: Pecker, a Galactoil employee that immediately realizes the imminent danger, but is considered a coward by his boss.