Aliens: Dark Descent

Aliens: Dark Descent comes almost out of nowhere to present the first game that truly captures the essence of James Cameron’s Aliens movie. Tindalos Interactive expertly creates a tactical game built from the ground up for the gamepad, that provides the tension and fear that should be expected when a small team of marines must fight for their life against ferocious aliens.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a tense real-time strategy shooter that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you prefer not to be stressed out playing video games, it is certainly not for you. On the other hand, if you have the patience and mental fortitude to withstand relentless Xenomorphs, it is a clever take on the RTS genre that can be tough to put down.

When it gets going, there’s nothing quite like Aliens: Dark Descent in the market.

If you’re after a passable RTS, there are worse options to plump for than Dark Descent. Ably evoking the claustrophobic and unsettling mood of the Alien franchise, Dark Descent may please fans of the franchise with its desperate firefights and tense stealth sections. However, it doesn’t push the envelope in regards to anything it does, failing to wholly immerse you in its story thanks to mediocre dialogue and vapid characters, compromised by finnicky management systems, leaving you confined to a temporarily terrifying but otherwise banal and toothless RTS. It may be tempting for Alien devotees, but don’t be surprised if Dark Descent devours your patience quicker than an alien pouncing on its military prey.

Aliens: Dark Descent is certainly not the best Alien-themed video game ever made but, thanks to several very intriguing ideas regarding the gameplay, it has proven to be a decent RTS that manages to perfectly recreate the mood of the famous film saga.

But the big problem on consoles are the controls, and across platforms, the bugs that straddle the line between minor glitches and collapsing game mechanics. Graphically, then, it's not exactly a glamorous experience either. Dark Descent should be approached with caution, and it's entirely possible that the game won't suit you for a myriad of reasons. [Issue#329]

Aliens: Dark Descent is a great surprise, one of the greatest of the year, and absolutely essential for the long time fans. Mixing elements of other fabulous games line XCOM and Darkest Dungeon, the result it's a fantastic action/strategy game.

The in-depth gameplay of Aliens: Dark Descent surprises and also has good effects, making it a pleasure to play through the game. Add beautiful graphics and a fun story, and the game has everything to make it highly recommended. You do have to take into account that the controls don't always feel convenient and that building your squad could have been a bit more extensive. In the context of the bigger picture, however, these are issues that should not stop you from giving the game a chance.

Aliens: Dark Descent does a great job of combining the feel, suspense and horror of the films with some solid RTS mechanics and we've enjoyed playing it more than any other game inspired by the film franchise. It's just a shame that a few legacy bugs from the PC version have made their way over to the PS5 version. That spoils things for early adopters but in a few patches time, this could end up being the best Alien game yet.

Another fine addition to the Alien franchise's video game legacy. Technical troubles and a stiff learning curve can act as a deterrent, but the more time you spend in Aliens Dark Descent's company, the more impressive it becomes.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a challenging and immersive game with impressive cutscenes and a cinematic atmosphere. Although the lack of subtitles in Portuguese in subsequent dialogues is disappointing, the captivating story and strategic gameplay make up for it. Although these are very positive points for some, however, they can make the long and dense title tiring for others.

Aliens: Dark Descent is easily one of the best video game adaptations of the legendary franchise to which it belongs, somehow managing to be an excellent tactical strategy game and genuinely terrifying at the same time. Tense, engaging, and extremely faithful, it stumbles only in technical execution, and even then, not enough to spoil the experience.

Aliens: Dark Descent is well designed and badly built. At once a brilliant collection of wonderfully presented ideas and a defective debacle, it could have genuinely been a Game of the Year contender were it not such a shambles. I love this game to the point of being enthralled. I’m angry at this game for costing me hours of progress. I adore what it so often is. I despise what it so often does...Eh, I guess these days that’s enough to qualify for a seven, right?

If you’re a fan of the Aliens universe and want a closer approximation of what being boots on the ground during an outbreak would be, this is probably your best option on the market. There’s something for everyone, whether you are doing this for the strategy aspect or just to enjoy an Aliens story from a fresh perspective.