ALIENS: DARK DESCENT
“NUKE THE SITE FROM ORBIT — IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO BE SURE”
★★★
PC / PS4 / PS5 / XBOX ONE / XBOX SERIES S/X / OUT NOW
ALIENS HAS A far from storied history when it comes to game adaptations. While Alien: Isolation did a stand-up job of recreating Ridley Scott’s original, only decidedly average co-op shooter Aliens: Fireteam Elite has even come close to capturing the feel of James Cameron’s sequel. It’s to the enormous credit of French developer Tindalos (Battlefleet Gothic: Armada), then, that this blend of survival horror, turnbased tactics and real-time strategy manages to do exactly that. From the mid-’80s aesthetic of its interface, to slow-pans through the steelpanelled corridors of the USS Otago — complete with lumbering power loaders — every detail of Dark Descent is lifted directly from the 1986 movie. As your squad of Marines disembark from their APC amidst howling wind and lashing rain, it feels like stepping directly into the Usmcissue boots of Vasquez, Hudson et al — even if events here take place nearly two decades later, during an alien outbreak on the planet Lethe.
While the game shares DNA with Firaxis’ XCOM titles, Dark Descent’s preference for real-time action proves a much more stressful affair, regularly demanding that you issue orders under extreme pressure as hordes of aliens close on your squad’s position, motion trackers wailing in alarm. The strain isn’t yours alone, either, with Marines accumulating wounds both physical and psychological over time, permanent deaths regularly thinning your roster. Ammo is also severely limited and save points set agonisingly far apart, making this a brutally difficult game even on the default setting. Throw in a persistent timer that gradually increases the hive’s awareness the longer missions go on — throwing out swarms and devastating boss aliens at key milestones — and it’s inevitable that you’ll eventually find yourself boxed in, sweating profusely and sobbing, “Game over, man,” as your troops flatline one by one.
This is, by definition, a bug hunt, but it is dispiriting how regularly those of the nonxenomorph variety rear their heads. Glitches range from the purely cosmetic to the gamebreaking (events failing to trigger, buttons becoming unresponsive) and somewhat mar what would have otherwise been an outstanding horror title. But despite its somewhat janky state, there’s no denying this remains an excellent use of the licence: a love-letter to Cameron’s film that perfectly captures its aesthetic, atmosphere and claustrophobic dread while allowing you to live out the dream of enlisting in Aliens’ colonial Marines. It’s by no means perfect, but every mission of Dark Descent does feel like another glorious day in the corps.
VERDICT
Stop your grinnin’ and drop your linen — despite being rough around the edges, this is an immersive, nerve-jangling tactical horror game, and the most faithful Aliens adaptation to date.