Aliens: Dark Descent [PC] | REVIEW

Whilst titles like Aliens: Colonial Marines left a sour taste for Alien fans a couple of generations ago, releases like Alien: Isolation and Aliens: Fireteam Elite made up for it by offering gripping experiences that span varied styles of gameplay befitting of the franchise. With Aliens: Dark Descent, we get another fresh experience that does something different, with an emphasis placed on strategic action as you look to fight off the Xenomorph threat.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Aliens: Dark Descent sees players commanding a team of Colonial Marines as they deal with ANOTHER unmitigated disaster involving the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. This time it has seen the planet of Lethe infested with a Xenomorph threat, and with all support units seemingly destroyed, you’ve got to find a way to get a transport vessel back up and running again to escape. With both the Xenomorphs and Weyland-Yutani thugs to deal with though, it won’t be an easy task.

I have a whole lotta love for the game’s narrative, with it exploring the lore of the Alien universe in a way that captures the tone of the franchise perfectly. However, whilst it deals with a lot of established factors when it comes to both the Xenomorphs and Weyland-Yutani, it also introduces plenty of its own little ideas and twists to keep the tale unpredictable. The world design is on point too, with it capturing the visceral yet haunting vibe of the sci-fi setting of the movies perfectly. It’s good stuff and will certainly keep long-time fans of the franchise happy, even IF it does utilise a few overly familiar tropes along the way.

When it comes to the gameplay, Aliens: Dark Descent plays like an RTS – albeit a condensed one that sees players focusing on controlling just one squad through the sci-fi setting across varied missions, with a home hub to return to in-between. You’re able to direct this squad with ease, with plenty of pointing and clicking as you move them around and assign tasks for them to deal with in order to complete objectives. You’ll have to keep on top of their health and sanity too, with panic kicking in during drastic situations and seeing your team morale and capabilities drop as a consequence. There’s a heavy emphasis on man-management, but ultimately, your priority is to complete your objective. This means scouring each locale, interacting with the environment in various ways, and, of course, dealing with the enemy threat. It’s better to be as stealthy as possible and kill an enemy before it becomes a problem, but more times than not, you can expect a firefight.

“It all comes together to make for a gripping experience, with a fine balance of tension and strategy on offer that helps make Aliens: Dark Descent a lot of fun to play.”

Similar to other RTS titles, your squad will autonomously attack enemies in range, meaning you won’t necessarily be in instant danger if you do suddenly find yourself in a showdown with foes. This can be effective enough for some enemies, but in more dangerous encounters, you’ll need to issue commands to your squad. However, these actions require Command Points, which are a limited commodity that slowly regenerate over time, meaning you have to plan your strategy carefully if you don’t want to leave yourself vulnerable. The same applies to using supplies to heal or interact with the environment in different ways – everything has a cost in Aliens: Dark Descent and you have to manage it all carefully in order to survive.

I’ve probably made it sound more drastic than it is, because for the most part it’s easy enough to manage if you assess each situation carefully. Find enemies surrounding you when trying to perform a task? Use some Command Points to have some of your squad provide covering fire or lay down some turrets in defence. Need a safe spot to quickly re-group? Use tools to weld up a door and keep enemies away. Need to heal or calm down your squad? Use up those Medikits, you’re sure to find more on the way. Want to blast an area with fire to keep yourself safe? Get that flame thrower skill going. The game is forgiving in that it lets you slow down the action to gives players breathing room when in a rough spot, so you’re always able to think things through even in the most intense of situations. It keeps things exciting, with tensions always kept high when lurking through your surroundings.

The Class of your squad members will affect their skillset, whilst they’ll also earn experience points along the way to upgrade their capabilities. It’s ensures that players can set up their squad to suit their playstyle, with some Classes better suited for certain mission types based upon what they offer. The Gunner is perfect for taking down enemies and providing cover for example, whilst the Medic can keep on top of healing and ensuring your squad stays calm. Meanwhile, Teckers will hack systems to give you the upper hand, Recon will scout ahead to ensure your path isn’t a treacherous one, whilst the Sergeant keeps your squad’s morale up. Each character Class has a role to play, and whilst some are more valuable than others in different circumstances, you’ll need to use them together effectively in order to progress through the game.

Check out some screenshots down below:

There is one risk that’s always in play though: if a squad member dies in a mission, they’re gone forever. Yep, there’s no coming back from the dead, and no, you can’t just re-load your save either, with the game’s auto-save making each death feel all the more drastic. I’ll admit, I’ve never been a big fan of this in games and it did cause some frustrating moments here and there, but at the same time it really adds to the tension and feels befitting of the Aliens franchise. Each death feels momentous, and believe me, you’ll feel the loss when one of your best guys gets killed.

It all comes together to make for a gripping experience, with a fine balance of tension and strategy on offer that helps make Aliens: Dark Descent a lot of fun to play. There’s a lot going on that players need to deal with, but it never feels overwhelming, with the tightly designed systems all complementing each other and kept streamlined thanks to the smaller squad you have to deal with. There’s a real element of risk-versus-reward too, especially with the optional objectives that see you step even further out of your comfort zone in a mission – do you complete that extra task to get some cool rewards, or do you play it safe to ensure the safety of your squad? It’s decisions like these that make the game so exciting to play, whilst it also plays into the Alien-vibe perfectly.

I haven’t even mentioned things like upgrading your base, the time limit you work to, or how much you can develop your squad between missions, with a ton for strategy buffs to get stuck into. There’s plenty of meat on the game’s bones too, and even at twenty hours played, I still haven’t beaten it. And if you’re not experienced with strategy titles? Play it on an easier difficulty, with plenty of options to customise to ensure the game suits your needs. Aliens: Dark Descent can be a challenging experience, but it also feels like its built in a streamlined way that makes it accessible for players of all skill levels to dive into.

Developer: Tindalos Interactive
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1150440/Aliens_Dark_Descent/