Aliens: Dark Descent

If all of its technical issues can be fixed, Aliens: Dark Descent will prove to be something special. It treats the franchise with respect and care — and when working properly — it nails the tension the series is famous for. Unfortunately, a full, completed release simply should not have this many technical issues, nor cause so much frustration that has nothing to do with the aliens themselves.

In Aliens: Dark Descent's best moments, it's a rich real-time tactics game that represents the Alien mythos from a refreshing gameplay perspective, revelling in stressing the player out with difficult choice and consequence gameplay. If the game managed to consistently ride this line, it would be in with a shout of dethroning Alien: Isolation as the best adaption in this medium yet. However, cracks begin to reveal themselves in a few key places that can drag down the gameplay, and sometimes outright contradict Dark Descent's goal of seemingly challenging the player to accept their actions and the results that come about from them. It's not enough to negate the best Aliens: Dark Descent has to offer, but it is enough to lament how it just missed the mark.

The latest entry in the Alien series tries a new formula by combining an isometric camera and strategy elements, and even though the gameplay part of the game is entertaining and engaging, the repetitive missions, flat story, and technical issues prevent it from reaching its full potential.

For the most part, Aliens: Dark Descent is a really pleasant surprise. It combines real-time tactics, solid mission design and a good amount of suspense with some interesting mechanics that fit really well with the movie. If you are a die-hard fan of James Camerons Aliens (1986), you will find a lot to love here. The story however is mostly uninspired, it has its share of bugs and some encounters can lead to some serious frustration, especially with the limited save system, which might be off-putting for newcomers. But even with all these drawbacks, there is no denying that Dark Descent is still one of the best Aliens games ever made. Just keep your expectations in check.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a great try at a tactical RPG in the movie franchise. If the game is really inspired by XCOM in its core DNA, it manages to be something different thanks to its real-time gameplay and its infiltration based action. You will have to be clever and patient to beat this game which is a love letter to Alien.

Aliens: Dark Descent does a decent job of creating an interesting mashup of tactical action and strategy that suitably translates the tension and aesthetics of the popular movie franchise. Needing to stealth around the xenomorphs is a nerve-wracking experience, and the firefights against the aliens can be intense when they work. However, the plot and dialogue are lackluster, the enemies aren't as terrifying as they could be, and the flow between stealth and boss fights is abrupt. There's just one too many ideas in Aliens: Dark Descent, but it's still nonetheless a worthwhile adventure.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fantastic addition to the iconic Alien franchise's vast and often disappointing collection of video games. The story is seamlessly integrated into the universe, and you'll come face-to-face with the iconic Xenomorphs that have instilled fear in fans for decades. While the game may have flaws, such as limited squad commands, a lack of grandiose music, and poor sound design, it is still one of the best Aliens video games that immerse fans in the beloved universe while providing thrilling action that they'll remember for a long time.

One of the best Aliens games ever made and a clever and innovative real-time strategy all of its own, that needs just a bit more polish and a lot less bugs.

If you’re looking for a different take on an Alien video game or even just a solid squad-based tactics game, then Dark Descent is worth playing. Taking your squad on missions and slowly exploring the environments is great fun, especially when the game leans into its strengths and gives you a hostile maze of Xenomorphs to navigate. However, most things surrounding that gameplay fall flat, and you’ll want to simply rush through them to get back on the field.

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.

Aliens: Dark Descent is first and foremost a good idea, and there's undoubtedly talent behind it, although this is a clear example of how a potential sequel that can optimise, raise production values and perhaps approach each mission more critically to ensure crucial variety would be ideal.

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.

If not for the technical issues, this would be easily one of the best Aliens games ever. And it still probably is. Borrowing from some of the greatest squad-based tactics games and adding its own twists, I don't think I've played anything that really gets what was so cool about Aliens, the film, since Monolith's Aliens Versus Predator 2 way back in 2001. And many have tried! It's the sort of game that makes me wish I could look the other way and praise it even higher, but on balance, I just can't. With a few weeks in the med bay for a bit of extra technical polish, it could shine up nicely into something amazing. As-is, it's still an intriguing, inspired, imaginative survival RTS that I can enthusiastically recommend, but only with some caveats.

Aliens: Dark Descent is an atmospheric RTS, but it irritates me because of raw gameplay elements, half-baked stealth mechanics and identical mazes.

Aliens: Dark Descent takes place in a setting that could have been a fantastic place to unveil some gripping sci-fi drama or lore, but instead it's basically just a point-and-click sequence. Even without tripping at the finish line, Aliens: Dark Descent has enough issues that prevent it from excelling. There's fun to be had here, with some great mechanical choices and tactical possibilities that keep the excitement high. It's not the weakest in the history of Alien games, but it's too close to the middle to be memorable.

It's disappointing that Aliens: Dark Descent gets so much right about its setting, only to falter in each of the more critical areas that are meant to hold your attention. Its detail-oriented focus in presenting a richly authentics and atmospheric setting will be welcomed by anyone familiar with the franchise. Smaller mechanics that put emphasis on the terror that Xenomorphs exude add a suitable layer of tension to both exploration and combat, making each more distinct than their initial make-up would suggest. But it's a squad that rarely feels like a personable unit of people that you desperately want to keep alive, fighting for a cause in a narrative that is so easy to tune out well before the halfway point. There's a lot of good in this attempt to make Aliens something fresh and interesting again, and that might be enough to encourage you to see it through. But there's also just enough to potentially derail you entirely.

In Alien: Dark Descent, unfair mechanics, overly difficult challenges and numerous bugs have ruined what could have been a decent game.

Savage tactical strategy and effective use of the license make this a must-play for fans of Xenomorphs or think-’em-ups. Some jagged edges and jank mar things a bit, but it’s the most terrifying strategy game you’ll ever play.

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

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