ALIENS: DARK DESCENT (XSX)
Since 1982, Alien games have been coming fast and furious, much like the monstrous xenomorphs. Some have been brilliant adaptations, such as 2014’s Isolation, while others, such as Colonial Marines, have burned fans worse than acid blood. Dark Descent represents something of an interesting proposal, swapping out slow-burn horror and all-out action for something in-between. Utilising strategic gameplay and building this foundation with the iconic license, Tindalos’s effort comes very close to standing out amongst a packed crowd of competitors. Unfortunately, some noticeable bugs and mechanical issues dampen the enjoyment, though aficionados of the movie series can still unearth plenty of enjoyment with this one.
Set nearly two decades after Alien 3, Dark Descent follows Maeko Hayes, a deputy administrator aboard a cargo shuttle. Noticing a weight discrepancy in their cargo, Hayes soon finds that xenomorphs and facehuggers have infested the ship and begin massacring the crew. Only saved by a squad of marines, led by Jonas Harper, the damaged Otego ship must be repaired for their escape from Lethe. But with both aliens and an unnerving cult to deal with, the job is easier said than done, and thanks to a quarantine procedure enacted by Hayes, time is also short. Despite lacking iconic characters from the films, the story here proves pretty decent, with likeable characters who evolve beyond the archetypes you’d expect from Aliens games. Maeko is technically Weyland-Yutani – hence why she activates the Cerberus protocol to purge the xenomorphs – and seeing her grow is rather interesting as she interacts with marines and other survivors. The plot becomes a bit boilerplate towards the end, but it respects the license without feeling like a carbon copy.
Dark Descent isn't perfect, but it's unusual gameplay approach still manages to capture the spirit of the films
This adaptation of Aliens offers an interesting approach, with a top-down tactical shooter that takes place in real-time. Through 12 missions, the player guides a squad of marines across expansive levels with multiple floors, both mandatory and optional objectives, and plenty of hidden areas to uncover through your automap. The scope of each feels very expansive, with some missions taking close to an hour to polish off fully and close to forty altogether depending on your skill. From refineries to desolate human outposts, each captures an uneasy vibe with dark lighting and unexplored areas shrouded in fog of war. As with many games in this franchise, Dark Descent is a tough game that gladly throws lots of xenomorphs at you as well as lunatic cultists. Your squad can be healed, but they can suffer wounds that affect their actions, such as arm damage limiting their gun commands. And should they succumb to death, it is permanent. There is a bit of chance with autosaves occurring at key moments and after resting allowing you to return, but keeping your squad alive is genuinely tough. It feels like a perfect fit for the license.
Weighty decisions also occur between deployment, as you return to the Otego. Here, you can utilise resources to acquire new weaponry, upgrade your squad with chosen classes and perks and use samples from xenos to research perks such as facehugger extraction. This can be easier said than done though, with resources scarce without exploration and your cast of ever-growing marines all starting from a lower rank. There are some genuinely brilliant moments of choice, as basic resources such as medkits and tools require supplies to build if you fail to bring any from a prior mission. But if you choose to sparingly use medical healing, soldiers can become wounded for longer and leave them unable to partake in deployment without waiting days – but days are limited with the impending infestation. They even gain traumas that can put you at a disadvantage and under extra stress. As marines encounter waves of enemies, their stress increases and can dampen their stats such as reduced accuracy. It makes every choice and action incredibly important.
Weighty decisions also occur between deployment, as you return to the Otego. Here, you can utilise resources to acquire new weaponry, upgrade your squad with chosen classes and perks and use samples from xenos to research perks such as facehugger extraction. This can be easier said than done though, with resources scarce without exploration and your cast of ever-growing marines all starting from a lower rank. There are some genuinely brilliant moments of choice, as basic resources such as medkits and tools require supplies to build if you fail to bring any from a prior mission. But if you choose to sparingly use medical healing, soldiers can become wounded for longer and leave them unable to partake in deployment without waiting days – but days are limited with the impending infestation. They even gain traumas that can put you at a disadvantage and under extra stress. As marines encounter waves of enemies, their stress increases and can dampen their stats such as reduced accuracy. It makes every choice and action incredibly important.
When everything comes together, Dark Descent feels brilliant. Intense defence sequences see you placing turrets and squad members carefully to minimise damage, and a growing metre caused by detection sees xenos becoming more aggressive with each stage, forcing an onslaught of foes. This encourages a careful, stealthy approach with certain abilities enabling this. Unfortunately, issues with mechanics can dampen the tactility offered. You always control all four members of a squad and it can feel frustratingly limited when you eye up an approach of attack but must manage a quartet (and eventually, a quintet) of marines at once. Pathfinding can see members of your squad also getting stuck on objects, which makes careful movement harder at times. But worse is a number of bugs which affect gameplay. Levels sometimes load without geometry, forcing a restart. One mission was made significantly harder as resting didn’t log an autosave. Enemies can become stuck in place and bug out until detection, while hard locks can result in a loss of progress. It’s a real shame these issues seem to fight against the game’s qualities.
For a ninth-gen effort, the presentation is decent and it benefits from a smooth, locked 60fps. Characters show a unique style, angular and slightly cartoonish, but it fits well with the horrors of Aliens. Animations are solid enough, if a bit basic, and some pop-in can detract from cut-scenes, but environments make up for these woes. Gorgeously lit and brimming with little details, such as hissing pipes and blood-stained paths, the levels look great. The audio side isn’t quite as strong, sadly. The ambience is spot-on though, with excellent music and use of environmental sounds building fantastic tension as you explore. This explodes with cacophonous rage once you enter combat, with pitch-perfect gun sounds and screeches. The voicework is where things slide somewhat. Main cast and cut-scenes are well acted and strongly written, but dialogue from your grunts after performing an action is repetitive and grows stale long before the end. It doesn’t help that marines boast a measly four voices – two for each gender – and some side characters are voiced by the same cast such as opposing cultists, creating a real dissonance. A few extra voice actors could have helped massively.
For a ninth-gen effort, the presentation is decent and it benefits from a smooth, locked 60fps. Characters show a unique style, angular and slightly cartoonish, but it fits well with the horrors of Aliens. Animations are solid enough, if a bit basic, and some pop-in can detract from cut-scenes, but environments make up for these woes. Gorgeously lit and brimming with little details, such as hissing pipes and blood-stained paths, the levels look great. The audio side isn’t quite as strong, sadly. The ambience is spot-on though, with excellent music and use of environmental sounds building fantastic tension as you explore. This explodes with cacophonous rage once you enter combat, with pitch-perfect gun sounds and screeches. The voicework is where things slide somewhat. Main cast and cut-scenes are well acted and strongly written, but dialogue from your grunts after performing an action is repetitive and grows stale long before the end. It doesn’t help that marines boast a measly four voices – two for each gender – and some side characters are voiced by the same cast such as opposing cultists, creating a real dissonance. A few extra voice actors could have helped massively.
Aliens: Dark Descent offers an interesting adaptation of this long-standing license, and it mostly comes together well. The moments of genuine terror, as you see your squad either survive or get massacred by xeno hordes, feels like a perfect adaptation. It’s just a shame these moments are let down by limiting gameplay and a noticeable lack of polish. Perhaps with more time and money, Tindalos’ spirited take could have been remembered as one of the best. As it stands however, fans of the license could still find plenty to like here. But for the uninitiated, this very tough action-strategy game will likely leave you cold unless you are hardened to a stiff, punishing learning curve.
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VERDICT
"Aliens: Dark Descent’s brand of tough strategy is let down by limiting gameplay and lack of polish. However, it captures the atmosphere of the films faithfully, and along with some moments of genuine terror, will please fans." OVERALL: 6/10 |
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