Aliens: Dark Descent

 PlayStation 5
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 52
  3. Negative: 10 out of 52
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  1. Traxillion
    Aug 30, 2023
    7
    It's very close to actually being a masterpiece but it is still an enjoyable game that is well worth the price.
    It comes short due to a variety of minor gripes- bad AI, questionable design choices in missions essentially increasing the difficulty in an artificial and unfair way, some bugs that detract from the experience but nothing too major, and the last two missions are kind of against    It's very close to actually being a masterpiece but it is still an enjoyable game that is well worth the price.
    It comes short due to a variety of minor gripes- bad AI, questionable design choices in missions essentially increasing the difficulty in an artificial and unfair way, some bugs that detract from the experience but nothing too major, and the last two missions are kind of against the whole spirit of the game.

    I honestly think that with a couple of months more the team behind this could have pulled off an absolute 10/10 and it's a shame that they didn't get those extra few months.    … Expand
  2. GABRIEL1030
    Aug 26, 2023
    8
    The best Alien game ever made, nice story and gameplay, especially with a lot of tense moments. Nice fan service, mechanics, and animations. However, the game is unnecessarily too long and the final mission is a waste of time, Also Long loading screens and saves await you. The characters cannot be manipulated one by one.
  3. TianLong1
    Aug 22, 2023
    6
    The game is very original, i love the atmosphere and the mechanics to manage stress and ammo from your squad, always having to mind your position against waves of alien or use stealth to your advantage. Problem is, it is bugged and laggy as hell on PS4. Shame.
  4. Goldmembah
    Aug 16, 2023
    6
    La historia es interesante pero es exageradamente difícil el juego incluso en nivel normal, el apartado gráfico podría estar más pulido, si no te gustan los juegos con vista desde arriba ni de estrategia aunque sea un poco no te le acerques.
  5. czmuchowski
    Jul 27, 2023
    10
    One of the best Alien games I have ever played and I've played them all to date. Looks great, plays great and has the atmosphere you want and expect from the Alien franchise.
  6. Webbysan
    Jul 20, 2023
    8
    One of the best Alien games I have ever played and I've played them all to date. Looks great, plays great and has the atmosphere you want and expect from the Alien franchise.
  7. PMG-Writer
    Jul 16, 2023
    8
    "Aliens: Dark Descent" has become a really great game for the console for strategy connoisseurs and fans of the franchise. The story and the controls work and are really fun to play. In the campaign, the wheel is not reinvented, but can provide joy and scary moments through the mood and the flow. The gameplay features are also good and fit well into the overall picture. Those who would"Aliens: Dark Descent" has become a really great game for the console for strategy connoisseurs and fans of the franchise. The story and the controls work and are really fun to play. In the campaign, the wheel is not reinvented, but can provide joy and scary moments through the mood and the flow. The gameplay features are also good and fit well into the overall picture. Those who would like to experience aliens and a good strategy game should take a look at "Aliens: Dark Descent".… Expand
  8. Mondifik
    Jul 7, 2023
    10
    I have stopped playing RTS games a long time ago, but when I stumbled upon this game I was surprised how well it plays. Yes there are a lot of bugs including(until last patch) game breaking bugs but overall it's great. You truly feel yourself as part of a squad. Hands down one of the best RTS games I have played. Eagerly waiting for the next iteration
  9. permafrost
    Jul 3, 2023
    10
    I've played almost every Aliens game since Alien on the commodore 64 back in the mid 80's. This Aliens game has taken everything good from some of the best Alien games (Alien, Aliens 3 Sega, AVP, AVP2, AVP Extinction PS2, Aliens Isolation and Fireteam) and combined them to make a SUPER Aliens game. Highly recommended! Especially for RTS/Aliens fans.
  10. BigWif
    Jul 1, 2023
    10
    Perfect fan service. Some UI complications and there’s a lot to pick up right away but minor flaws in what is an excellent real time strategy and a faithful use of the licence
  11. Bakayaro
    Jun 30, 2023
    10
    A squad-based tactics game with a dark, tense atmosphere and challenging tactical gameplay that constantly keeps you on your toes. Like XCOM, but with real-time combat, greater focus on squad tactics, and large hand-crafted maps with over 10 objectives per map.

    I've played dozens of different games in the strategy/tactics genre, and this is the first game that took me 3 evenings to    A squad-based tactics game with a dark, tense atmosphere and challenging tactical gameplay that constantly keeps you on your toes. Like XCOM, but with real-time combat, greater focus on squad tactics, and large hand-crafted maps with over 10 objectives per map.

    I've played dozens of different games in the strategy/tactics genre, and this is the first game that took me 3 evenings to complete the first mission on Hard difficulty. Your marines have many tools at their disposable, but they are physically frail and prone to injury, dismemberment, abduction, and permanent death. On top of this, you have to manage their stress levels. Injuries and drawn-out conflicts can rapidly increase their stress levels, which left unchecked will develop into long-lasting traumas that negatively impact performance in various ways.

    The horror movie-like lighting and sound effects combine to recreate the atmosphere of tension that the Aliens movies are known for. There are four difficulty settings ranging from reasonably relaxed to deeply taxing, and their individual parameters can be tweaked as desired to create your own custom difficulty.

    A large update was released yesterday which fixes a slew of bugs, and adds a few features. The developers frequently engage with the players on platforms such as Steam and Reddit in a wholesome way.    … Expand
  12. WellEvil
    Jun 30, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game with a huge focus on story, characters, and world-building. I don't remember the last time when the story absorbed me so much. Yes, there are a few bugs here are there, but nothing game-breaking. Usually minor visual glitches.… Expand
  13. radixlecti84
    Jun 28, 2023
    5
    Aliens Dark Descent is a war of atrophy, for me this war was both against my squad and my interest. I got to the second to last mission before I decided I'd had enough.

    The balance between suspense and fun just isn't right here, it's a laborious task to have to replay the same section (Particularly in the late game) where the AI just doesn't seem to stop "Stumbling" into your hiding    Aliens Dark Descent is a war of atrophy, for me this war was both against my squad and my interest. I got to the second to last mission before I decided I'd had enough.

    The balance between suspense and fun just isn't right here, it's a laborious task to have to replay the same section (Particularly in the late game) where the AI just doesn't seem to stop "Stumbling" into your hiding spot.

    The game does a good job of capturing the look and feel of the Alien franchise (Outside of that one pretty ridiculous class of Humans with Aliens in their chest). The sound design is good, the levels are detailed.

    But unfortunately, I can't shake my frustration and boredom with this title so I will not be completing it. I'm sure this will do well with a good number of players who don't mind a grueling experience in their RTS.

    Would be nice if there was a pause function while looking at the map. There really should be a limit to enemies too, killing hundreds of Aliens with that having seemingly no effect to the infinitely spawning bad guys is pretty annoying.    … Expand
  14. JupiterInArea
    Jun 26, 2023
    8
    A good xcom like horror strategy game; there are a lot of likable stuff about the game like the controlling (very smooth to play with a controller, didn't expect that), good performance, great visual, etc. while there are also a couple of annoying things:
    1. there seems to be a bug with the X button on some UIs, pressing X just doesn't work
    2. there is no BGM before & after a mission,    A good xcom like horror strategy game; there are a lot of likable stuff about the game like the controlling (very smooth to play with a controller, didn't expect that), good performance, great visual, etc. while there are also a couple of annoying things:
    1. there seems to be a bug with the X button on some UIs, pressing X just doesn't work
    2. there is no BGM before & after a mission, just silence; feels really weird (xcom did a great job in this case)
    Overall enjoyed this game and it's worth the money.    … Expand
  15. xenomorf
    Jun 23, 2023
    6
    Finally after Alien Isolation another fantastic Alien game. Though the gameplay completely differs, the atmosphere is similar and you'll find yourself playing similar cat & mouse games with the aliens. The mechanics are so simple, yet they work remarkably well. You do not control the marines directly, but you choose where they go and what actions they need to take, similar as in RTS games.Finally after Alien Isolation another fantastic Alien game. Though the gameplay completely differs, the atmosphere is similar and you'll find yourself playing similar cat & mouse games with the aliens. The mechanics are so simple, yet they work remarkably well. You do not control the marines directly, but you choose where they go and what actions they need to take, similar as in RTS games. You cannot control each marine separately either, but the AI is great and actions are performed without issues. I have encountered some issues, e.g. marines stuck in the scenery or a side mission that didn't work well, but overall it's without issues, which is kinda unique.
    nowadays. I can highly recommend this tense, thrilling game...a breath of fresh air compared to all other crap that came out past months.
    Edit: reduced my rating due to several bad glitches...the worst being not able to save in one particularly hard mission (Berkleys docks 2). Games with such bad glitches are unacceptable    … Expand
  16. Paulystan
    Jun 26, 2023
    0
    You HAVE to be kidding!!! Why are all these awesome reviews being written. The game is tedious, cliched and the worst crime of all, it's boring. When you have to spend 45 minutes to make a move which should be 45 seconds simply because you have to stop and back track every 10 seconds because Oh, another alien just pops up and seems to 'mysteriously' walk in your direction or you getYou HAVE to be kidding!!! Why are all these awesome reviews being written. The game is tedious, cliched and the worst crime of all, it's boring. When you have to spend 45 minutes to make a move which should be 45 seconds simply because you have to stop and back track every 10 seconds because Oh, another alien just pops up and seems to 'mysteriously' walk in your direction or you get spotted and almost instantly ripped apart (ON EASY!). It's an absolute joke of a game and I am seriously annoyed I read any of these reviews. Another total failure of a game. Poorly optimised, poorly executed, average graphics and extremely tedious.… Expand
  17. Sacriel
    Jun 25, 2023
    10
    There were few bugs, but man, this game is just awesome. Atmosphere of Aliens(movie) 1000000/10. Difficult as hell, thank you, I hope you will extend this with dlc or next installment! I need to go outside, I forgot how it looks like
  18. BigWif
    Jul 1, 2023
    10
    Perfect fan service. Some UI complications and there’s a lot to pick up right away but minor flaws in what is an excellent real time strategy and a faithful use of the licence

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 22, 2024
    60
    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]
  2. GameOver.gr
    Jul 23, 2023
    80
    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.
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  3. Meristation
    Jul 21, 2023
    78
    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.
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