Aliens: Dark Descent Critic Reviews

Aliens: Dark Descent is a heart-pounding game that stays true to the franchise's roots, bringing action-packed sequences paired with horrifying atmosphere where dangers lurk around every moment. From the terrifying enemy AI to the Unique Quirks that define every soldier at your disposal, Aliens: Dark Descent is the perfect recipe for those who seek a definitive Aliens experience.

I'm shocked with just how good Aliens: Dark Descent ended up being, and I could hardly put it down from the moment I loaded it up. It clearly respects the Aliens franchise, but it uses the elements in a way that is in service to the gameplay rather than as mere fan service for the player. Its gameplay is not only incredibly fresh compared to the other games of the franchise, but it's also so well executed that it stands as a high point among real-time tactical games, let alone for an Aliens game. Out of the franchise's entire history of games, there are only three games notable for how uniquely good they are; Aliens: Dark Descent is one of them.

I believe the best way to describe this game would be a survival horror isometric tactical shooter in the Alien universe. Aliens Dark Descent perfectly establishes its own rules and stays true to the Alien franchise and what made it one of the greatest modern sci-fi works: the heart-wrenching fear of the unknown and the thrill of fighting against all odds.

Aliens: Dark Descent is one of the most immersive and exciting tactical shooters I've played, and a worthy successor to James Cameron's masterpiece.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a very good video game that takes the best elements of its franchise and finds great ways to build gameplay around them. Moving through dark corridors, paying constant attention to the motion tracker, and thinking about how to best use limited resources, is fun and immersive. The stress mechanic means that even winning battles can have steep costs, forcing players to think of alternate ways of achieving objectives. Aliens: Dark Descent doesn’t redefine its genre but its mechanics are strong, the narrative has interesting beats, and few other tactics-focused titles use their fictional as effectively.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a masterful blend of atmosphere, tension, and terror, coming together with dangerous combat and well-paced progression. The end result is a game that keeps you on your heels while making you feel like you’re “state of the badass art”.

Aliens: Dark Descent is, without a doubt, one of the best games in the franchise's history. It's campy and ridiculous, intimidating and unsettling, tactical and yet still casual. It attempts to pull off a number of different (and often even opposing) themes and mechanics, and impressively rarely fails outright at any of them. The story, dialogue, and cutscene animation all work in tangent to produce a compelling narrative that stays true to the typical narrative conventions of the Alien franchise, taking what would normally be a forgettable cast and setting, and making them stand out through their reactions to situations and their contrasting personalities and approaches to dealing with the threats that face them.

Aliens: Dark Descent adds a hefty amount of ''Alien flavour'' to the well-established XCOM formula, making it a novel, fun, exciting and challenging experience. Even if you aren't an Alien fan, it is worth checking out if you're into team-based strategy games.

What we have here is one of the best Alien games – ever. Aliens: Dark Descent not only offers a tremendous atmosphere evocative of James Cameron’s blockbuster, but also a very well-crafted gameplay that exceptionally combines multiple genres.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fun real-time strategy squad game that manages to feel tense and rewarding at the same time. It isn’t a perfect game, the loop can get a bit repetitive, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying every second of it.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a more than good real-time tactician, who manages to find the right balance between the proficiency in the marine weapons trade and the need to play smart and avoid confrontations when possible. In short, definitely a game that manages to respect the atmospheres that one would expect to encounter in the narrative universe popularized by Ridley Scott and James Cameron.

Aliens: Dark Descent is an excellent real-time tactics game mixed with survival horror and arguably the best Aliens game around. Excellent tactical action in a world ever-succumbing to the Xenomorph threat, you will find resources scarce, leading to difficult decisions, ones made all the more difficult when time is also a factor. Add on an engaging enough story and an excellent atmosphere, and you have a game that I can't help but recommend to anybody and everybody.

Alien: Dark Descent is an absolutely brilliant experience, incredibly well-balanced, and despite being very difficult in certain areas, it doesn't ever feel unfair. Definitely worth giving a try.

Aliens: Dark Descent successfully adapts a real-time combat system to a genre of games that are traditionally turn-based. Tindalos Interactive has clearly put in a lot of love and care, and it shows.

A powerful generator of gnawing tension and tough tactical decisions, Aliens: Dark Descent is a script pass away from being an all-timer.

Aliens: Dark Descent is, simply put, a wonderful addition to the franchise as a whole. It feels authentic to the movies in a way that surprised me given the type of game it is and it captures that trademark tension and fear.

Quotation forthcoming.

Aliens: Dark Descent doesn’t overly complicate itself with deep simulation strategy combat. Instead, it finds the perfect balance of action, horror, and strategy to be accessible to all fans of this series. The narrative is the biggest highlight, fueled by clashing personalities, double-crossing, and a high-stakes conclusion. The player is made to feel like they are commanding these tropes, and that is found throughout each mission and choice made during dialogue. If you’ve been eager to immerse yourself in the world of Aliens, look no further.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a great strategy game with a lot of replayability and is set in the perfect horror franchise, even if long-time fans of the genre may have some minor complaints.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fantastic Aliens game. It absolutely nails the feel of the films and brings exactly the kind of tense and thrilling strategy combat you would want. The iconic motion tracker and creature design fit perfectly with the genre and there is even an interesting narrative that introduces some new perspectives to the series. While game over can come far too swiftly at times, there is always something to draw you back in.