Review: Aliens Dark Descent

Aliens Dark Descent takes a fresh approach to the Alien franchise in the realm of video games. While the series has seen both terrifying brilliance and action-packed gameplay in titles like Alien Isolation and Alien: Fireteam Elite, this game ventures into the strategy genre by bringing xenomorphs into the mix.

As the player, you assume the role of a leader commanding a team of Colonial Marines in unforgiving maps where death is permanent. This sets it apart from the typical first-person shooters or survival games, adding a touch of the strategic elements found in Firaxis Games’ XCOM series.

The events of Aliens Dark Descent unfold twenty years after Alien 3, on the moon of Lethe. To combat a relentless xenomorph invasion, the Cerberus Protocol has been activated on this dark and desolate planet.

You find yourself leading a team of Marines, forced to confront and halt the Alien advance after the Otago spaceship crashes just hours before the creatures’ attack. Your mission is to end the invasion and counter the xenomorphs, while also dealing with mercenaries, androids, and other dangerous elements from the Alien film saga.

What sets Aliens Dark Descent apart is its persistent game world, where every action, modification, or death within a level has permanent consequences. Destroyed hatches remain destroyed, fallen soldiers stay dead, and their bodies remain on the field without any chance of resurrection.

This permanence adds an intense layer of challenge and excitement to the experience, urging careful preparation before engaging in battle. You must carefully select a team of four Marines, equipping them with suitable weapons and gear based on their class.

Once your soldiers are ready, you land on the game map and strive to eliminate any enemy alien presence in the area, aiming to safely return to the extraction point.

The game’s graphics draw inspiration from the films, effectively displaying vital parameters, stress levels, team resources, and the enemy’s threat level. The higher the Marines’ stress, the greater the chance of missing targets during intense battles.

The ability to slow down time, albeit not completely stopping it, allows you to calmly manage the situation before xenomorphs launch full-scale attacks. The aliens are constantly on the move, transitioning from patrol to relentless hunt when they detect prey.

Battles in Aliens Dark Descent are intense shootouts against waves of xenomorphs in narrow corridors or rooms. You may need to strategically seal security doors and position turrets to defend critical points and prevent additional alien support.

Fiercely defending against swarms of aliens, the four soldiers leave no room for convenient hiding spots. While you can set up camps in safe areas between battles, this option is limited to specific strategic points. Understanding the game levels’ structure is vital for survival. It looks fantastic, although some technical problems caused random bouts of slowdown. Nothing that ever made me lose a run, but it was good one the less.

For the accessibility minded, this game was tougher to play than most, thankfully, screen indicators help when Aliens would attack, and the game lets you change the slow motion to a full pause. I’m not sure I would have been able to get through the game without it.

Overall, Aliens Dark Descent is a great game, and a fun, but harrowing experience that fits the Alien name.