Alien 3 is a side-scrolling run and gun game in which the player controls Ellen Ripley, the film's main character, who progresses through the Fiorina 161 prison colony that was featured in the film. The player can jump, shoot, climb ladders, crawl through tunnels, open doors, and use elevators. Unlike the film, Ripley has a large arsenal of weapons that can be used against the game's enemies, consisting of Aliens and Facehuggers. Weapons include pulse rifles, flamethrowers, and grenades. A motion tracker warns the player of nearby enemies.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Level objectives are chosen from computer terminals, which are located throughout the game and also offer blueprints of the prison layout. Objectives include sealing off doors to prevent Aliens from entering, and rescuing prisoners. A time limit is present on each level, and the player loses a life if the level is not completed before the time expires. The game concludes with a battle between Ripley and the Alien Queen.[2][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
The SNES version includes six stages, and a password feature,[4] which is absent from the Game Boy version.[11] The Sega Genesis version includes 15 stages.[12] The Genesis and SNES versions differ in design and graphics, and the Genesis version includes larger Alien character models.[13] The Amiga version, which has 14 levels, features gameplay that moves slightly slower than the Genesis version, but is otherwise nearly identical.[9] The Commodore 64 version has 15 levels,[14][15] and is a nearly identical port of the Amiga version, but with slightly different level layouts.[16] The Game Gear version is identical to the other versions of the game.[17] The Master System version uses the same level layouts as the Genesis version, but includes a two-player option.[18] The Game Boy version, unlike other versions of the game, is played from an overhead perspective.[3]
