Blake Stone: Aliens Of Gold (GOG)

A colourful sci-fi fortress crawl gives this early first-person shooter a personality beyond its Wolfenstein-era technology. You play secret agent Blake Stone, sent to dismantle Dr. Pyrus Goldfire’s gold-fuelled operation before the mad scientist’s army of mutants, aliens, and engineered monsters can threaten Earth. Its corridors are blocky and fast-moving by modern standards, but the tone stays enjoyably pulpy: equal parts Saturday-morning science fiction, spy adventure, and old-school maze shooter. Goldfire’s six high-security installations provide a lengthy campaign packed with hidden routes, locked doors, and enemies waiting behind every corner.

Progress comes from locating keycards, hunting exits, collecting supplies, and clearing floors with a compact but satisfying arsenal. Blake begins with basic firearms before finding stronger futuristic tools, including a quiet shotgun and splash-damage grenade launcher, while destructible containers often hide ammunition, health, cash, or weapons. Enemy types react differently to your presence, so encounters are not always simple target practice; guards patrol, mutants charge, pods produce threats, and hostile aliens keep pressure on cramped rooms. Friendly informants add a small investigative twist by offering hints about secrets, enemy positions, and the larger mission, while selectable difficulty settings make the campaign approachable without removing its old-school bite.

Its biggest strength is how much it expands on the familiar run-and-gun formula with interactive characters, breakable objects, brighter visual variety, and a surprisingly enormous level count. The 66 stages include secret maps, giving completionists plenty to search for, although navigation can become demanding because the labyrinthine layouts expect players to pay attention. Anyone who enjoys Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad, or DOS shooters built around speed, secrets, and key hunting finds a worthwhile companion here. Newcomers should expect dated controls and design conventions, but genre veterans get a charming, substantial slice of 1990s PC action.