Game Review

Aliens: Dark Descent

Not everyone loves strategy games. Many gamers prefer open-world or linear games that feel more realistic. However, from time to time, strategy games bring fresh ideas to the table, trying to attract a broader audience. Aliens: Dark Descent attempts just that.

As a fan of the genre, I was intrigued by this interactive strategy game set in space. Let’s find out if it lived up to the hype.

Story

Aliens: Dark Descent is a collaboration between 20th Century Studios and Tindalos Interactive, set in the legendary Alien movie universe.

The Alien movies, starting in the 1980s, portray a futuristic setting where humans colonize distant planets and encounter dangerous creatures called xenomorphs.

The game takes place 20 years after the events of the third Alien movie. Humans have made progress in defending themselves against the xenomorphs. A critical event occurs on the moon Lethe, where xenomorph eggs are accidentally released, leading to chaos.

Your journey involves leading survivors, repairing your ship, and finding a way off the dangerous moon. While the story feels similar to the movies, it adds its own twists and engaging character interactions.

Gameplay

Aliens: Dark Descent combines strategy with interactive gameplay, requiring careful planning and tactical decisions. You manage soldiers, send them on missions, and develop strategies to survive.

The core mechanics include managing soldiers’ health, skills, and morale. Decisions have consequences, such as choosing between risking injured soldiers or delaying a mission, which gives the xenomorphs more time to grow stronger.

While the gameplay has strong points, it lacks variety in mission environments and depth in combat interactions, which could have been improved to make it more engaging.

Graphics and Performance

The graphics feel outdated for a modern game, especially in cinematic sequences and character animations. However, the game’s performance is stable, with consistent frame rates and minimal glitches.

Final Rating

8/10