Aliens: Infestation Cheats & Cheat Codes for Nintendo DS

Releasing on the Nintendo DS in September 2011, Aliens: Infestation is a hidden gem in the DS library. The title comes to players from the team at WayForward and follows in the footsteps of the studio’s excellent Contra 4 on the Nintendo DS. However, while Contra 4 is a traditional run n’ gun game in the style of the franchise’s origins, Aliens: Infestation is decidedly a Metroidvania. That said, Infestation is one of the few Metroidvania titles to incorporate FPS mechanics such as reloading weapons and shooting from behind cover.

Gearbox, in partnership with Sega, would outsource the development of Aliens: Infestation as it was working on Aliens: Colonial Marines. Given WayForward’s success with Contra 4 and understanding of 2D, side-scrolling games, Gearbox felt that the studio would be perfect for a retro-inspired take on the Alien franchise. Taking inspiration from the Metroidvania genre’s two foundations (Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night), Gearbox and Sega would approve WayForward’s pitch for the game to be a full-blown Metroidvania with survival horror elements.

Critical and commercial reception for Aliens: Infestation are both positive, with many fans believing the title to be a criminally underappreciated game in the Nintendo DS library. The title continues to live on as somewhat of a cult classic and is the spiritual predecessor to WayForward’s The Mummy Remastered, another run n’ gun/Metroidvnia hybrid.

Aliens: Infestation Premise

The storyline of Aliens: Infestation picks up where James Cameron’s Aliens leaves off. In the wake of the Xenomorph infestation of mining colony LV-426, the Sulaco vessel floats adrift in the planet’s airspace. Responding to a distress beacon, a group of Colonial Marines aboard the USS Sephora board the ship to investigate and track down any remaining survivors. Of course, in typical Alien fashion, the Xenomorphs on board begin to pick apart the unit one by one, forcing the remaining soldiers into a frantic bid for survival and escape.

Similar to other Metroidvania titles, the map of the Sulaco in Aliens: Infestation is a massive interlocking environment. Players must explore and backtrack to discover keys and equipment that grant them access to other sections of the ship. One of the more interesting mechanics that WayForward implements in Aliens: Infestation is the permadeath mechanic for the crew of the USS Sephora. Players begin with a total of 20 Colonial Marines. When one dies, they die forever and players take control of the next member of the platoon.

Combat primarily focuses on 2D run n’ gun and FPS mechanics, with nearly all encounters coming down to exchanges of firepower between the player and the titular aliens, the Xenomorphs. Players also have access to several useful tools such as grenades, mines, and other explosives that can help put distance between the player character and the deadly Xenomorphs.

Aliens: Infestation Main Characters

To help provide a sense of loss when players lose one of their squadmates in Aliens: Isolation, WayForward gives each member a distinct personality and character portrait. Notably, these character designs and portraits come from comic artist Chris Bachalo. There are 20 unique characters in the game, but there are certain “favorites” that take center stage in the game’s plot. Main characters in Aliens: Infestation include:

• John “Duke” Cameron: One of three Colonial Marines on the cover of Aliens: Infestation. An obvious reference to Aliens director James Cameron, Corporal John Cameron is a traditional “soldier”-type character who takes his role and duty as a Colonial Marine seriously.
• Amber Fischer: PFC Amber Fischer is one of the newest and youngest members of the Colonial Marines and the crew of the USS Sephora. However, her youth and inexperience belie an inherent toughness and self-assurance.
• Sean Davis: Davis is a high-ranking executive of the Weiland-Yutani corporation and Aliens: Infestation‘s main antagonist. Like Burke from Aliens, he is willing to sacrifice the lives of Colonial Marines for Weiland-Yutani to get its hands on the Xenomorph specimens.

Other Games in the Aliens Franchise

Ridley Scott’s Alien is both one of the most important science fiction and horror films as well as the starting point for one of the most successful entertainment franchises. As early as 1980, the Alien lore and characters were being expanded upon in other media formats, with comics, novelizations, and games arriving very shortly after the release of the first film in 1979. As the Alien franchise continues to evolve and grow, so too does the number of games using its license. Interestingly, the Aliens franchise and the medium of video games have come up side-by-side. This has resulted in prominent games using the Alien license in nearly every generation of home consoles.

• Alien (Atari 2600, 1982)
• Alien (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, 1984)
• Aliens: The Computer Game (Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, 1986)
• Aliens: Alien 2 (MSX, 1987)
• Aliens (Arcade, 1990)
• Alien 3 (NES, Genesis, 1993)
• Alien Trilogy (PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PC, 1996)
• Alien versus Predator (PC, 1999)
• Alien Resurrection (PlayStation, 2000)
• Aliens: Thanatos Encounter (Game Boy Color, 2001)
• Aliens: Infestation (Nintendo DS, 2011)
• Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, 2013)
• Alien: Isolation (PC, PS4, Xbox One, 2014)
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, 2021)
• Aliens: Dark Descent (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, 2023)

Aliens: Infestation Cheats & Cheat Codes

There aren’t any officially supported cheats for Aliens: Infestation. However, there are a small handful of unlockables as well as some Action Replay cheats players can take advantage of.

Aliens: Infestation Unlockables

Complete the following to unlock some hidden bonuses in Aliens: Infestation:

“No Man Left Behind” Playthrough

While it doesn’t provide any gameplay rewards, one of the more challenging ways to play Aliens: Infestation is a “No Man Left Behind” playthrough. Thanks to the game’s incorporation of permadeath, this means surviving without losing any of the Colonial Marines. Obviously this is much easier said than done, but there are some tips players can use to improve their chances.

• Use grenades as often as possible to stun enemies and deal damage
• Run and dodge roll past or through enemy attacks to avoid taking damage
• Use the Flamethrower to put distance between enemies/bosses and the player character
• Shoot environmental hazards like flaming/exploding barrels for free bonus damage
• After exhausting the grenade/explosive supply, use the Pulse Rifle for quick damage against bosses

Aliens: Infestation Action Replay Cheat Codes

Players that have a Nintendo DS and an Action Replay device for the console can use any of the following codes with Aliens: Infestation. Alternatively, these codes will also work when playing on an emulator. Simply enter the emulator’s “Cheat” menu and input the codes below:

Aliens: Infestation Cheat FAQs

Is Aliens: Infestation good?
While the term “good” is subjective, it’s worth noting that Aliens: Infestation is a bit of a cult classic. The title is a lesser-known Metroidvania featuring some strong gameplay and a great license. Further, Aliens: Infestation is a great follow-up to one of the best sci-fi films of the 1980s, James Cameron’s Aliens. The game has a respectable 78% positive review aggregate score on Metacritic and is an underdog favorite of many Metroidvania fans.

How long to beat Aliens: Infestation?
Aliens: Infestation is a great game, but it’s certainly not a long one. Most playthroughs will take, on average, roughly 6 hours. This goes for completionist playthroughs as well. Most players will uncover everything the game has to offer on their first time through.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Aliens: Infestation key art.