ALIEN: HEMERA

An immersive alternative-controller experience.

About the Game

Alien: Hemera is a unique two-player game that challenges perception and strategy. One player takes on the role of an alien, navigating a spaceship using only vibrations in a custom-built helmet resembling the iconic Xenomorph skull from the Alien saga. The other player becomes an astronaut with access to a real-time map of the spaceship, built as a physical cardboard model with LED strips representing navigable pathways.

The gameplay unfolds on a grid-like spaceship map, where LED lights show corridors and rooms. The astronaut can see objectives and player positions on this map, while the alien is guided solely by tactile feedback. For example, vibrations near the temples simulate walls or open paths, giving the alien an echolocation-like sense of direction.

How It Works

• The Alien's Perspective: Blind to visuals, the alien player navigates using the helmet's vibrations. Walls trigger vibrations, while open corridors reduce feedback.

• The Astronaut's Perspective: Equipped with a top-down view of the spaceship, the astronaut must complete tasks to activate escape pods. However, their knowledge is limited—alien proximity is shown only within a certain radius as blinking LEDs. The closer the alien, the faster the blinking.

Objective

The astronaut must complete a series of tasks to enable their escape, while the alien hunts them down in the dark, relying on the "sonar-like" vibration system. Can the astronaut evade the alien and escape the doomed ship, or will the alien reign supreme?

Credits

João Frazão - LinkedIn / itch.io

Matilde Ereio - Nowhere and everywhere...

Sara Camilo -  LinkedIn / Itch.io

Vasco Oliveira - LinkedIn / Itch.io

Notes

This game is just an early prototype for testing an idea, the fate of the project is unknown