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[Draugoth]

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Game Information​

Game Title: Aliens: Dark Descent​

Platforms:

• PC (Jun 20, 2023)
• PlayStation 5 (Jun 20, 2023)
• PlayStation 4 (Jun 20, 2023)

Trailers:

• Aliens Dark Descent - Story Trailer
• Aliens: Dark Descent - Gameplay Overview Trailer

Developer: Tindalos Interactive
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 73 average - 67% recommended - 13 reviews

Critic Reviews​

But Why Tho? - Kyle Foley - 8.5 / 10

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fun real-time strategy squad game that manages to feel tense and rewarding at the same time. It isn’t a perfect game, the loop can get a bit repetitive, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying every second of it.

CGMagazine - Steven Green - 8 / 10

Aliens: Dark Descent is a great strategy game with a lot of replayability and is set in the perfect horror franchise, even if long-time fans of the genre may have some minor complaints.

Eurogamer - Edwin Evans-Thirlwell - 3 / 5

Aliens: Dark Descent is an occasionally wayward but on the whole, inspired movie adaptation, and a suspenseful real-time tactics game.

GamesRadar+ - Hirun Cryer - 3.5 / 5

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fresh and fun take on the series, with great tactical action supplemented with unique concepts like stress management. The writing and characters sadly don't amount to anything memorable, and boss battles can feel incredibly jarring to the pacing and tension.

Gert Lush Gaming - Jim Smale - 8.4 / 10

Aliens Dark Descent is one of the best, if not the best, Aliens games made.

God is a Geek - Mick Fraser - 9 / 10

Aliens: Dark Descent is one of the most immersive and exciting tactical shooters I've played, and a worthy successor to James Cameron's masterpiece.

IGN - Leana Hafer - 7 / 10

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fascinating, tense, inspired survival horror RTS with a few too many technical bugs to recommend it without caveats.

PowerUp! - Adam Mathew - 8 / 10

Despite its rough edges, Aliens: Dark Descent has my thumbs up as the sleeper hit of 2023. It’s an addictive, unabashed love letter to one of the greatest action films of all time.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Nic Reuben - Unscored

Aliens: Dark Descent is an authentically atmospheric campaign borrowing from both turn-based tactics and survival horror, stymied by a seemingly deep paranoia you might mistake it for one of those strategy games for nerds. It's not. It's not for nerds. It's for cool Aliens fans. You can use a controller. It's not for nerds.

Spaziogames - Marcello Paolillo - Italian - 7 / 10

Aliens Dark Descent is a good real time strategy game set in the Alien universe and equipped with some winning ideas that are hard to overlook, such as the feature of permanent death. It's not gonna become the next XCOM, but it's a pretty enjoyable RTS nonetheless.

TheSixthAxis - Steve C - 8 / 10

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fantastic Aliens game. It absolutely nails the feel of the films and brings exactly the kind of tense and thrilling strategy combat you would want. The iconic motion tracker and creature design fit perfectly with the genre and there is even an interesting narrative that introduces some new perspectives to the series. While game over can come far too swiftly at times, there is always something to draw you back in.

Try Hard Guides - Erik Hodges - 10 / 10

Aliens: Dark Descent successfully pays homage to the Aliens franchise by deftly incorporating fear and suspense into story and gameplay alike. It embraces the established aesthetics and lore of the series, delivering an immersive experience that’s sure to resonate with fans. With a story that clearly loves its originator and gameplay that’s fun for RTS and Horror fans alike, Aliens: Dark Descent solidifies its place as a faithful and masterful entry in the Aliens universe.

We Got This Covered - Ash Martinez - 3 / 5

Despite being a solid real-time strategy game oozing with ambiance, 'Aliens: Dark Descent' joins the ranks of 2023's buggy releases.

 

[diffusionx]

 

[nowhat]

It seems like... ehh?

 

[adamsapple]

Seems like a decent rental.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Sucks because as a Xeno fan I want it IMMEDIATELY, but I think it'll be best to just wait and grab it a bit later when it drops in price, gets some patch love, etc.

 

[Spukc]

Sucks because as a Xeno fan I want it IMMEDIATELY, but I think it'll be best to just wait and grab it a bit later when it drops in price, gets some patch love, etc.

Get it

 

[ultrazilla]

Get it

ALIEN(S) fans don't seem to realize that Disney is basically giving the I.P. it's "trial run" with it being a new property they own. If there are decent games/movies/merchandise and fans don't support it,
Disney will just vault the property and you can just "kiss all this goodbye!"(if you know, you know). Looking forward to the now in production Fede Alvarez "ALIEN" movie that is hitting theaters in August 2024!

 

[Draugoth]

ALIEN(S) fans don't seem to realize that Disney is basically giving the I.P. it's "trial run" with it being a new property they own. If there are decent games/movies/merchandise and fans don't support it,
Disney will just vault the property and you can just "kiss all this goodbye!"(if you know, you know). Looking forward to the now in production Fede Alvarez "ALIEN" movie that is hitting theaters in August 2024!

I was also interested, but i dont want to waste money on bad games

 

[ultrazilla]

I was also interested, but i dont want to waste money on bad games

So far the reviews seem pretty good. But your mileage may vary.

 

[MiguelItUp]

So far the reviews seem pretty good. But your mileage may vary.

To be fair I've always been day 1 on every Xeno related game. But this one's genre is the least up my alley as well. But who knows, maybe I'll just bite anyway to continue to support, lol.

 

[Teh Chosen Juan]

ALIEN(S) fans don't seem to realize that Disney is basically giving the I.P. it's "trial run" with it being a new property they own. If there are decent games/movies/merchandise and fans don't support it,
Disney will just vault the property and you can just "kiss all this goodbye!"(if you know, you know). Looking forward to the now in production Fede Alvarez "ALIEN" movie that is hitting theaters in August 2024!

if disney has it, it's already dead. all the aliens will be white men, and the space marines will be "reflective of the diversity around us. DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH!" lolz i.e. story and quality take a back seat.

 

[Krappadizzle]

if disney has it, it's already dead. all the aliens will be white men, and the space marines will be "reflective of the diversity around us. DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH!" lolz i.e. story and quality take a back seat.

In space, no one can hear you screech.

 

[Rhazkul]

ALIEN(S) fans don't seem to realize that Disney is basically giving the I.P. it's "trial run" with it being a new property they own. If there are decent games/movies/merchandise and fans don't support it,
Disney will just vault the property and you can just "kiss all this goodbye!"(if you know, you know). Looking forward to the now in production Fede Alvarez "ALIEN" movie that is hitting theaters in August 2024!

I had no idea that Disney now owns the Alien IP...RIP to the IP i guess...damn...

 

[RAIDEN1]

From what I've seen from 2 reviews this game is probably the best Aliens game since Alien: Isolation..it's not on that level of an absolute classic, but they have treated the franchise right with this iteration, remains to be seen whether or not they iron out the "bugs" which were mentioned for the PC version.....even ACG has said while it it is worth a look, you should wait before you buy it...

 

[Fools idol]

The excessive use of poorly delivered one liners from the movies in this are cringeworthy.

Feels like every other action you take causes a badly voice acted movie quote from Aliens lmao.

 

[Toots]

Seems like a descent rental.

fixed

 

[Shut0wen]

ALIEN(S) fans don't seem to realize that Disney is basically giving the I.P. it's "trial run" with it being a new property they own. If there are decent games/movies/merchandise and fans don't support it,
Disney will just vault the property and you can just "kiss all this goodbye!"(if you know, you know). Looking forward to the now in production Fede Alvarez "ALIEN" movie that is hitting theaters in August 2024!

This game was in development just before the disney buyout, disney had no influence on this game

 

[T4keD0wN]

I am thinking about getting it, can anyone comment if it does run on windows? aka does it have unreal engine 4 PSO cache stutter?

 

[Krappadizzle]

I am thinking about getting it, can anyone comment if it does run on windows? aka does it have unreal engine 4 PSO cache stutter?

Played over an hour or so and it runs well on my PC. Performance has not been a concern one bit at everything on max and I just realized I hadn't even installed the most recent drivers that give official support. It doesn't come across as a taxing game, but it's dripping with atmosphere. I'm very impressed.

 

[adamsapple]

so .. uh .. how's the game guys? y'all got any more opinions other than Krappadizzle 's posts above ?

seems like it's an extremely low-key release, no one's talking about it.

 

[Low Moral Fibre]

I cleared the first level and had a really good time but don't expect some glossy AAA production as you won't find that here.

The levels seem pretty big and you can do it in stages with multiple drops like a Persona 5 dungeon. I think you can probably do everything the first time if you are good enough but your marines pick up injuries and stress or run out of supplies so you'll have to consider when to withdraw and come back the next day. I've hardly unlocked anything but there are the familiar toys to play with like turrets, flamers, smart guns etc.

Some stuff like med packs are a fixed resource that you either buy pre mission or loot in the mission but special moves like grenades or laying down suppressing fire are based on command points which regenerate over time. It obviously feels very gamey but does prevent the problem of people hoarding up grenades erc then never using them. If the situation calls for a shotgun blast to the face then do it as your command points will come back

It's clearly a budget release as there are lots that you could complain about in terms of production values but I have to say I was sat on the edge of my seat once that famous motion scanner noise kicked in and it all felt very 'Aliens'.

The environments look pretty good but the characters look a bit crap especially in close ups but it's an overhead game so that's like 5% of the playtime so far.

Voice acting is fine but they need to mute the control barks when you direct the squad to move as they are poorly done and incessant. One of the Devs did say on Reddit that this is planned.

The gameplay itself is fairly simple real time with pause so don't expect to be able to pull off some of the stuff you can in a game like Xcom, I guess as it has to work on console, but actually all very well done. A mix of stealth, resource management and combat with consideration needed in terms of when and where are the best times and places to engage Aliens and when you need to hunker down and rest.

The levels are persistent so if you blow up all the barriers and use all the ammo first time around the second drop will be much harder.

Framerate was locked at 130fps bar two shader stutters but I do have a 7800x3d so slower CPUs may see more stutter.

All in all I'm really looking forward to playing more later. Definitely the kind of 7/10 game that fans of the genre will have a blast with.

 

[Freeman76]

Xcom set in aliens universe? How am i just hearing of thi

 

[Hudo]

Xcom set in aliens universe? How am i just hearing of thi

It's not quite XCOM because it's real-time (you can slow it down/pause it, though) and your squad tends to stick more together. But so far, I am pleasantly surprised by the game.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

I've recently been doing an Alien series rewatch after I watched a documentary on the making of the original movie. (It's on an AUS free streaming service but you may be able to watch with a VPN).

Anyway, it's got me really into Alien / Aliens, etc at the moment so, keen to pick this one up and looks pretty good. Thanks for the first impression!.

 

[adamsapple]

My Gamefly arrived today, will start playing after work.

 

[adamsapple]

Playing on Series X, apparently there is a Quality and Performance mode toggle. Quality is either running unlocked or 40hz, it seems consistent.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

if disney has it, it's already dead. all the aliens will be white men, and the space marines will be "reflective of the diversity around us. DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH!" lolz i.e. story and quality take a back seat.

Back in the '80s when I was a little kid, I loved Aliens so much that I drew a xenomorph playing a saxophone for some school project. I then wrote Aliens in the kind of lettering that they use at the top of the picture.

The teacher at the time told me I can't do that because it might offend immigrants. I told her it's based off the movie and she didn't care and said I had to get rid of it.

This was the mid fucking '80s too before the woke virus.

The tacher is probably not even alive today or if she is he's very old. I can only imagine how insufferable she would be today.

 

[Fools idol]

Gave it a few hours but ultimately refunded. As I posted in a previous thread the voice acting is so atrocious that you will want to guillotine yourself within 10 minutes of that dialogue.

And back I go to the long and depressing pit of waiting for a true successor to Xcom.

 

[midasmulligan]

Gave it a few hours but ultimately refunded. As I posted in a previous thread the voice acting is so atrocious that you will want to guillotine yourself within 10 minutes of that dialogue.

And back I go to the long and depressing pit of waiting for a true successor to Xcom.

Phoenix point?

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Does this game require a constant connection to the internet? Is it always online?

 

[Punished Miku]

20% off on Xbox by the way for the next week. $32.

 

[clarky]

20% off on Xbox by the way for the next week. $32.

Worth it. I'm about half way through but dropped it for Remnant, but will return to it at some point. Nothing earth shattering but if you like the IP and the genre you'll definitely like this .

 

[Punished Miku]

Worth it. I'm about half way through but dropped it for Remnant, but will return to it at some point. Nothing earth shattering but if you like the IP and the genre you'll definitely like this .

Yeah I'm going to get it. Its commendable they launched at $40. First decent sale, so I'm in. Heard mostly very positive impressions.

 

[skit_data]

20% off on Xbox by the way for the next week. $32.

Seems to be 20% off on PS as well, first time it's been on discounta afaik.
Might pick this up, I like the look of it and been thirsting for some Xenomorph action because Fireteam Elite didn't really appeal to me.

 

[Duchess]

Playing on Series X

How well does the game play on console? It seems like the sort of thing that would lend itself better to keyboard and mouse controls.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

The story in this game is awesome. This is my favorite Aliens game as far as the story goes.