Aliens: Dark Descent

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 28

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Aliens: Dark Descent nails the tone and tension of the Alien franchise, and while it has limited squad commands and numerous bugs, it’s still an excellent addition to the Aliens canon.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 28

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 28

Aliens: Dark Descent nails the tone and tension of the Alien franchise, and while it has limited squad commands and numerous bugs, it's still an excellent addition to the Aliens canon.

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Critic Reviews for Aliens: Dark Descent

Critic Reviews

Score Distribution

28

Reviews

Average Score - 78/100

78%

Ranges

84/100

Rick Lane (PC Gamer)

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

June 21, 2023 |

Full Review

Soaked in dark sci-fi environments and human personalities, Dark Descent nails the hallmarks of an Alien title and executes much of its squad-based gameplay. Despite some downsides and squad control during precise moments, plenty of its elements kept me jacked in to see its conclusion. It was a thrilling ride with ups and downs, but I left fulfilled and appreciated its experimental twists.

June 21, 2023 |

Full Review

8/10

Anthony Jones (Game Informer)

4/5

Fran Soto (Hardcore Gamer)

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fantastic, robust extension of the Aliens franchise that puts players in the middle of hardcore xenomoroph action.

June 22, 203 |

Full Review

Rick Lane (PC Gamer)

84/100 - (Read Review)

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

Anthony Jones (Game Informer)

8/10 - (Read Review)

Fran Soto (Hardcore Gamer)

4/5 - (Read Review)

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fantastic, robust extension of the Aliens franchise that puts players in the middle of hardcore xenomoroph action.

**Read all 28 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (28 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
ACG	Jeremy Penter	Not Recommended	06-19-2023	Video Review	Read review
Attack of the Fanboy	Matthew Kevin Mitchell	3.5 / 5 stars	06-21-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent is a fantastic addition to the iconic Alien franchise’s vast and often disappointing collection of video games. The story is seamlessly integrated into the universe, and you’ll come face-to-face with the iconic Xenomorphs that have instilled fear in fans for decades. While the game may have flaws, such as limited squad commands, a lack of grandiose music, and poor sound design, it is still one of the best Aliens video games that immerse fans in the beloved universe while providing thrilling action that they’ll remember for a long time.	Read review
But Why Tho?	Kyle Foley	8.5 / 10	06-19-2023	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.	Read review
CGMagazine	Steven Green	8 / 10	06-19-2023	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.	Read review
Checkpoint Gaming	Tom Quirk	8 / 10	06-22-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent is an excellent addition to the Aliens canon. The Darkest Dungeon-style stress mechanics end up fitting the setting like a glove, and the RTS combat and disposable marines definitely suit the tone and style of Aliens perfectly. Although the reliance on infrequent autosaves can often prove frustrating, the game is overall easy to recommend for fans of strategy games, survival horror games, or Aliens fans hungry for something which strongly evokes James Cameron’s 1986 classic while adding its own new elements.	Read review
COGconnected	Mark Steighner	74 / 100	06-21-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent nails the tone and tension of the movie franchise. Its genre-fluid mechanics are clever, too, and provide some unexpected challenges and opportunities. A very slow, creaky start and some consistent technical issues hold it back from the top spot, but Aliens: Dark Descent is still appealing for fans of the films and tactical action games in general.	Read review
Eurogamer	Edwin Evans-Thirlwell	Not Recommended	06-19-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent is an occasionally wayward but on the whole, inspired movie adaptation, and a suspenseful real-time tactics game.	Read review
Explosion Network	Dylan Blight	7 / 10	06-21-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent is an excellent Aliens game, and I hope it’s patched quickly to address the issues some players like myself are running into so I can wholeheartedly recommend it to fans. Because what’s here is some of the tensest Aliens action I’ve played in a game, with a surprisingly exciting narrative to pull it all together.	Read review
Game Informer	Anthony Jones	8 / 10	06-21-2023	Soaked in dark sci-fi environments and human personalities, Dark Descent nails the hallmarks of an Alien title and executes much of its squad-based gameplay. Despite some downsides and squad control during precise moments, plenty of its elements kept me jacked in to see its conclusion. It was a thrilling ride with ups and downs, but I left fulfilled and appreciated its experimental twists.	Read review
Gamersky	Unknown	6 / 10	06-20-2023	In Alien: Dark Descent, unfair mechanics, overly difficult challenges and numerous bugs have ruined what could have been a decent game.	Read review
GamesRadar+	Hirun Cryer	3.5 / 5 stars	06-19-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent is a fresh and fun take on the series, with great tactical action supplemented with unique concepts like stress management. The writing and characters sadly don’t amount to anything memorable, and boss battles can feel incredibly jarring to the pacing and tension.	Read review
GamingTrend	Ron Burke	90 / 100	06-21-2023	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”.	Read review
Gert Lush Gaming	Jim Smale	8.4 / 10	06-19-2023	Aliens Dark Descent is one of the best, if not the best, Aliens games made.	Read review
God is a Geek	Mick Fraser	9 / 10	06-19-2023	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.	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Fran Soto	4 / 5 stars	06-22-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent is a fantastic, robust extension of the Aliens franchise that puts players in the middle of hardcore xenomoroph action.	Read review
Hobby Consolas	Ángel Morán Santiago	78 / 100	06-19-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent is a remarkable tactical action game like XCOM, respectful of the bases of the Alien universe, and that knows how to innovate in certain aspects. It is a love letter for fans, which can also convince lovers of the genre, although with somewhat unfair difficulty peaks and with graphics and mechanics that need to be improved.	Read review
IGN	Leana Hafer	7 / 10	06-19-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent is a fascinating, tense, inspired survival horror RTS with a few too many technical bugs to recommend it without caveats.	Read review
Impulsegamer	Ali Arkani	4.6 / 5 stars	06-21-2023	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.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	7 / 10	06-21-2023	One of the best Aliens games ever made and a clever and innovative real-time strategy all of its own, that needs just a bit more polish and a lot less bugs.	Read review
PC Gamer	Rick Lane	84 / 100	06-21-2023	A powerful generator of gnawing tension and tough tactical decisions, Aliens: Dark Descent is a script pass away from being an all-timer.	Read review
PowerUp!	Adam Mathew	8 / 10	06-20-2023	Despite its rough edges, Aliens: Dark Descent has my thumbs up as the sleeper hit of 2023. It’s an addictive, unabashed love letter to one of the greatest action films of all time.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Nic Reuben	Recommended	06-19-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent is an authentically atmospheric campaign borrowing from both turn-based tactics and survival horror, stymied by a seemingly deep paranoia you might mistake it for one of those strategy games for nerds. It’s not. It’s not for nerds. It’s for cool Aliens fans. You can use a controller. It’s not for nerds.	Read review
SpazioGames	Marcello Paolillo	7 / 10	06-19-2023	Aliens Dark Descent is a good real time strategy game set in the Alien universe and equipped with some winning ideas that are hard to overlook, such as the feature of permanent death. It’s not gonna become the next XCOM, but it’s a pretty enjoyable RTS nonetheless.	Read review
The Games Machine	Marco Bortoluzzi	8.5 / 10	06-19-2023	Aliens: Dark Descent does a great job at recreating the pseudo-horror atmosphere that has made the movies such a cult classic. Your marines are hardened and capable, but they are against a threat that is out of the ordinary; for this reason, avoiding unnecessary encounters is more often than not a good idea. Sometimes it would be nice to be able to control each individual soldier, however.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Steve C	8 / 10	06-19-2023	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.	Read review
Wccftech	Chris Wray	8.5 / 10	06-20-2023	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.	Read review
We Got This Covered	Ash Martinez	3 / 5 stars	06-19-2023	Despite being a solid real-time strategy game oozing with ambiance, ‘Aliens: Dark Descent’ joins the ranks of 2023’s buggy releases.	Read review
Worth Playing	Tony “OUberLord” Mitera	9.4 / 10	06-20-2023	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.	Read review

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Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

Drop into the gripping journey of Aliens: Dark Descent, a squad-based, single-player action game in the iconic Alien franchise. Lead your soldiers in real-time to stop a new and terrifying kind of Xenomorph outbreak on Planet Lethe.

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