Aliens: Dark Descent

I am a big Aliens fan and I also have played and enjoyed Alien Isolation. When the game first released it did come with a few bugs but the dev's were quick on the fix.

I enjoyed the story and game play but wished there was more content for this game. it's a different style of play compared to Xcom but also similar.

I also saw reviews about DEI son't listen to them. They do not know what actual DEI mess up is and are just using the term to whine and top hide their shameful mindset. This game is great especially for those who enjoy the Alien Franchise. I highly reccommend it but I also wished they had story expansions as they did a great job with this game.

8/10

Played it at Hard and completed the game in 40 hours. This game really captured the Aliens atmosphere perfectly. Although it is a top view tactical game the fact that you can't pause the game during combat, but only slow down time really adds to the tension. This makes busy fights feel super tense and rewarding when you come out victorious.
I enjoyed the combat system, all the upgrades and soldier abilities and at Hard I was constantly trying to balance my material spending which felt exciting not knowing if I was getting ahead or behind on the growing Alien threat.

My main complaint is that the game sometime takes away control from the player during critical mission moments. The game rewards stealth, setting up ambushes and taking it slow. It felt very disconnected when the game suddenly takes control of your squad and has them sprinting into a room guns blazing while I was trying to set up an ambush at the entrance. Oh, and constant yapping and cliche soldier-talk of the squad got really old really fast.

But overall I had a great experience with the game. I had no game breaking bugs and really enjoyed the challenge and learning curve. If you're into X-Com and the Aliens franchise this game could be right in your alley.

Finished game in 36 hours and it was so amazing. I am so impressed by this title. It is like xcom but real time and more fun in my opinion due to some unique mechanics. I highly recommend this game. Worth every penny. I love idea of APC(car-tank), it works great. As everything else.

This game is a love letter to the second movie in in the Aliens franchise, Aliens. If you can get it at a discount it is a solid 10/10. Still good for asking price, but I'd personally get it at a discount. My only real gripe is the your Marines' voice acting can get repetitive during missions.

Just completed it. Really intense in parts. 53 hours in total... I haven't completed a game in years but this was addictive as hell. It's like Cannon Fodder (Amiga) and UFO Enemy Unknown (Amiga) had a murderous, acid spitting, offspring.

I love Aliens and this was was a fantastic homage to this film. James Horners score is also used, one of my all time favourites. It really ratchets up the tension in parts and you can't help but feel nostalgia.

The graphics and lighting look great, as well as all the sound effects. I loved the earlier missions in the colony bases. Be warned, this game is bloody hard and some parts caused me to develop ptsd and a nervous tick. It's merciless with enemies constantly looping around and spawning. You will die..over and over. I was determined to complete it. I enjoyed the story and the cutscenes are great. The voice acting was on point.

Very minor grumble, when you're sneaking around and your soldiers are shouting nonsense... I found myself using a few expletives at them. Lost 2 soldiers overall... they should have kept their f**king traps shut.

I've seen people complaining of bugs (computer type)... I didn't have any issues with it at all. Ran smoothly and my rig is 4 years old.

I recommend this game highly, it's different, fun, intense, grim, sad....pew pew

it's xcom 2 but a lil worse in every way.

if you're starving for an aliens game that recycles almost every cliche line from the movies as its idea of charming, maybe this is your speed. but is not for me.

I really enjoyed the game, but I had an uphill battle figuring out how to enjoy it.

Once I figured out that the stress mechanic is a more potent killer than the enemies, I began welding rooms more often than I thought I needed to. Then my squad became a force of destruction rather than ignoring my orders.

[Potential tip to other players: I felt that I just wasn't good enough to play the game, but then I decided to try try the easiest mode. This lets you level up some marines, and when you play new game+ you can use the previous save to "import" your last marines at the level you left them at. This makes it feel a little more fair on a tougher difficulty.]

Super fun unique gameplay, true to the Alien material. Highly recommend if you like RTS and the Aliens universe.

Very immersive, lots of fun. I don't have a lot of time in so far, but it feels a lot like Phoenix Point done right. The real-time slow-mo adds even more intensity to the battles vs a TBS. The cut scenes are good so far and the story's been solid. Very enjoyable up to this point (2nd city on planet).

I love X-com and similar games and this game scratches that itch but in a different new way. It's real time but with pausing for strategizing. Its atmospheric and moody in the best sort of way. If you like Aliens, X-com like games or similar. Give this game a shot!

I had a blast playing this game. Quick break down:
CONS
>After a few missions, the game takes up the entire memory of my computer and I have to restart. This happens with several games.
>Loading takes a while
PROS
>Sound design. From motion trackers, to pulse rifles, to the welding torches, everything sounds like the movies.
>Music. While not from the movie, it is heavily inspired by it and it sounds like it could be James Horner's lost tracks.
>Level design. Most of the level are really well done and fun and exciting to explore.
>Character development. Gear and abilities really make an impact during the missions.

Difficult but fun. I like the tactical depth. Definitely need more games like this.

Who the hell tagged this game as an "RTS"?!

Just because you are playing a "tactical' asymmetric game in real-time instead of it being turn based (like Xcom) doesn't make it a Real Time Strategy game in the slightest.

My biggest grudge with this game is the lack of micromanagement regarding your unit's positions, formations and movement. You are basically controlling 1 object instead of 4 individual units.
Your squad is clumped up all the time, they can not spread-out, you can not change formations where your more tankier marines would be in-front and squishier at the back of the pack. I just can't fathom that a game-play mechanic like this isn't introduced where you are almost always being swarmed by melee units that often times even have AOE damage.

For Aliens fans who aren't familiar with strategy games - i guess it's an OK game.
But for any true RTS lovers this should be a hard pass.

A solid tactical experience with high visual fidelity and intensive gameplay. Recommended

Nice game of the Alien Franchise, i would be nicer if it could be more hardcore mechanics but it's good game anyway

My squad members constantly got stuck in terrain or in the middle of actions forcing me to reload the game every few minutes. Game seems fun but a release that's been out this long shouldn't have bugs with its basic pathfinding.

Great atmosphere that fits the original films. Interesting new mechanics.

Superb game. Long time fan of the franchise. Aliens is the best movie by far. This game really took me over. Atmosphere is top noch.

very good game! 10/10. story, check. game play, check. audio/visuals. check.

great game, very difficult

Absolutely recommended for everyone who like squad tactic games. It scratches the XCOM itch while at the same time being it's completely own thing. Tense fights and progression through the whole game and I didn't find that many bugs, and none game-breaking.

I swear to god, this game is very unique and it should have a sequel that finishes ironing up all the awesome but not that polished mechanics. The citizen Kane of squad based game i'm telling you.

Nice game! Capable of keeping me gripped through the entire journey.
I am not a great fan of action strategy - but more like a turn-based kind of player - but this game stands out!

An absolute stunner of a game. Tactics, strategies, replayability. It's all in there. I mean a strategy action packed video game in the ALIEN universe? That already is a thing of beauty.

Definitely fun to kill a few hours on. Word of caution, the day counter is your "how many days left until you lose" countdown. It was never clear what that fully meant, and there's no helping you or reversing your decisions once that's down to single digits. Upgrade your squad, but be careful not to fast-forward too many days trying to get them to recoup and out of PTSD treatments. Definitely a well-done game, and would recommend.

Classic old school squad tactics game. Faithfully recreates Alien universe. Good atmosphere and stress mechanics. No playing nice. No frills. Lots of reloads. More than the usual number of software bugs for a game this old.

This game was an incredible addition to the RTS genre. Aliens could overwhelm you if you were not properly prepared at any time. Every dark corner held dangers, rewards or both, and it really felt like a real gamble going after everything. The game conveyed the anxiety and stress of the squad to the player very successfully, you had to make decisions and keep working towards your objectives on the fly, trying to keep everyone alive and overcoming all obstacles the game set for you. I absolutely loved it. It was extremely refreshing to see a game deliver something new on period where every game feels the same. Aliens dark descent truly deserves praise for its mechanics and gameplay.

A must-play for any Alien fan, this game nails the atmosphere and concept but falls a bit short in execution. The blend of XCOM-style strategy with the Alien universe is intriguing, but it lacks depth in some areas. The characters could have been developed better, with stronger chemistry and more engaging interactions. I also found myself missing a bit of that eerie, otherworldly fantasy that makes the franchise so iconic. While many elements are clearly inspired by Aliens and Alien 3, they don’t always feel fresh. The ending is a decent attempt but doesn’t quite hit the mark. Overall, it’s worth playing—just wait for a sale

It's OK. As far as RTS - and Aliens - games go, it's definitely one of the better ones. But I found it gets a bit slow to play. There isn't a great choice of soldier upgrades, weapons or promotions. It works really well in terms of gameplay, I really like the stop/slow motion mechanic to use your abilities, but personally, after the first 10 hours, it started to feel like a chore to play. The kills aren't satisfying and looting is super slow. If you're a diehard fan of the franchise, I recommend this game on sale, but in general, I don't.

If you came into this game looking for Aliens: XCOM, you will probably be disappointed. First and foremost, this game isn't turn-based. But this is not to say that it's bad in any sense. As an Aliens product, it shows a lot of love for the franchise. The tactical command aspects are much less about managing your shooting as an XCOM game, and more about mission command; moving, avoiding contact, managing resources.

Aliens is a horror franchise and the game does not forget. Your troops are living an Aliens movie and they'll get messed up by it just like anyone would. Avoiding contact where you can is an important part of the game, because you're not going to run out of targets but you can run out of things to fight with. There are a few important anti-frustration features there. Abilities can dig you out of holes, you have an armored vehicle to shuttle you to fixed points around the map (remember you can and should use it to run away to a far corner of the map if you're being hunted!) and provide a base of fire. The game hits the atmosphere of an Aliens experience in that it's definitely got a good bit of survival horror in its bones.

I'm not sure I can call this game great, but it's definitely good. There's no wow moments, but they wouldn't have fit in; no magnificent visuals, but also nowhere to put them. What the game does have is a coherent vision of what it wants to be that it executes well, love for its source material, and a solid telling of its story. You will not feel your time is wasted as either a general tactical game or an Aliens experience.

unique and fun gameplay, nice break from traditional games - would get it on sale, and it's perfect.

If Alien: Isolation was the best Alien game, Aliens: Dark Descent is the best Aliens game. Combining elements of squad control, stealth, resource management, it provides interesting take on semi-survival horror experience.

So it feels like realtime xcom might be, it looks like bethesda never bought Fallout and someone made an aliens mod which terrified the studio and so they D+C'd them.

If you like Aliens, you'll like it. It's harder than you expect tho - in a good way

I love this game. It reminds me of X-Com series but it also has a very unique style. I'd like to play more games of that kind and quality. I gladly recommend.

Main objectives would bug and have to restart all over losing hours of progress. Then at mission 6 atmospheric processor terminal bug were it completely stopped me from advancing, reload or otherwise. I'm not starting a entire new game in the hopes it doesn't get this same bug. Reloading save 30mins prior didn't work. Restarted game, reloaded. All attempts failed and still get bug. Dev's not updated game in years. Shame. Fun game but abandoned by the devs.

Great game. Very reminescent of the Aliens movie. It has its flaws, but in general, it delivers a solid alien experience.

It's a really great game for anyone that like the Alien IP, and tactical games.

Good game whether or not you're an Alien fan or not, with a small caveat.
The issue is bug. If you're running old platform, sound might not work right. The gameplay itself is great for an Alien game. As of writing this, I've only been through the first map at normal difficulties. I'd say playing at normal is challenging enough.

In this game you play as a group of survivors. Game started off with female administrator, as tradition of Alien after Ripley, but that's only in tutorial. The actual game you will control several marines. Each with their flaws, but not gifts, so expect to lead a squad of undisciplined cowards with bad mouth and bad luck into the den of Xenomorpth. See why normal difficulty is hard enough? Not yet? Well, these gitz can get injured, tired, and got mental trauma too. Each debuff reduce their effectiveness, maybe individually or team or both. This is something I find frustrating, but it's an Alien game so I just accept that they gonna quite lose their minds a bit. They can still fight.

And with that you will lead them. Swap marines to keep missions going, all the while racing against time of planet infestation. Each deployment allows you to explore the haunting setting with Xenos crawling all over. You can avoid them, avoid the hive altogether by stealthing around. Not always possible but it is somewhat doable. This open between stealth and fighting create tense gameplay, the kind that Alien game should have.

If I'd criticize, I'd say I don't know any of the marines. They all have names, faces, traits, but I don't have situation that get to know them individually. I wish the first batch should be handcrafted with permanent name and trait and banter. If that's the thing, this will be a throwback to the memorable casts of Aliens. As it is, even as I don't know them, I do remember some of them by their ability and flaws. It doesn't remove anything from the game, but it is a clear void where it can shine even brighter.

I'm bad with horror game, and this one is just horror enough, action enough, tactical enough, and overall fun enough for me to give a thumb up. I'd say this is 4/5 stars. It is fun. It is a great game, but you have to admit that it's not comparable to some massive massive game that stand on their own IP. This one is as good as an Alien game supposed to be.

Captures the vibe of the Aliens film which is exactly what I hoped for and though the story is a bit weird, obvious and cheesy at times, I still found myself thoroughly entertained throughout and routinely found my heart pounding and my anus puckered while trying to extract my squad from yet another sticky situation.

The XCOM meets RTS was interesting and though simplified/shallow it plays well EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT CONTROLLING A SINGLE MARINE IS MADE EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL!!!! (There is no drag an select or clicking on an individual marine.) Though you can work around it: tab for selecting Marines to interact or perform actions the only way (I found) to get an individual into position is to move the whole squad and the clicking the stop order for each of the other members of the squad. As many as 5 clicks to move one Marine. As the battlefields are fluid the difficulty in positioning will routinely lead to silly tactical blunders that break immersion.

There is also a mechanic where the performance of your team degrades as they are exposed to combat. This "stress" adds a neat bit of management and adds to the tension and stakes, but the way you alleviate this (by resting in a room in the middle of a mission) is kinda silly...there are Xenomorphs in the vents and my dudes are somehow taking a nap? Also your mission controller will...as your team is being swarmed by acid spewing aliens and comrades are dropping like flies...constantly tell you "stress can be as deadly as a bullet"...lolwut

Game has a lot of bugs, but fortunately you can kill most of them.

Somebody has to start, nice game but forcing cutscenes onto you is not tolerable for me.So downvote for really bad and comepletely unneccasry decisions.

The Aliens formula works best in a 2-hour format, but still a good bit of fun if you've got a hankering for the atmosphere. Squad orders being given for the entire unit may feel strange at first, but I think it works well here and rarely ran into issues with the AI doing a poor job. That being said, with limited enemy types, a formulaic mission structure, and ultimately limited progression, people looking for a vibrant tactical-ish action game may want to look elsewhere.

Really well made AA Alien game with some rough edges. Very much like a live-action XCOM. I would recommend this if you enjoy a good challenge which should take about 25 hours to complete.

Pros:
Rewarding difficulty curve
Captures the Alien atmosphere really well
Great combat
Fun levelling up / squad management features
(Mostly) Unique and difficult mission designs

Cons
Some UI jank
Story is a bit lacking / ending has issues...
Voice acting and facial animations are a bit odd at times
Limited replayability (would be fun playing on a higher difficulty)

Absolutely awesome game - a few missions can be tedious, but other than that, a lot of fun to play.

Hoping for an expansion that will continue the story.

I played on medium, which is still way too hard for me. I just don't have the patience for this game. It is extremely well done, and I think it would be cool to have a modern Aliens RTS, but more Command and Conquer and less strategic and thoughtful. So many times I had to go back into the hell I just escaped to get something else for the story,

The tension and pressure never give up. I wish there was a "return to the vehicle" button because so often I would get tripped up on these massive maps when what I really needed to do was get the shazam out of there as fast as possible. I felt it would be similar to StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops, and it is, but no base building and so much less forgiving.

I could never really position my team right so that I could use the sniper silently and effectively. I kept having to expose the whole band of merry men to get people into position, and by then the enemies see me so a stealth shot didn't really matter much.

Every real time strategy game has one or two missions where you're given a finite amount of troops and resources to complete a mission in a building/ship/small space, and its down to a bit of sneaking and a bit of careful exploration. This game is like that for 46 hours so far.

Great game in the Aliens world..Not easy but challenging and fun. You get to the point you do everything to keep your people alive and growing along with the very human traits each soldier has that can be a negative or not with the other troops. Good game and keeps you on your toes!

Its pretty brutal, if you like top down strat games buckle up, this is pretty intense. I was impressed. I replayed it twice. I'm on my 3rd new game +. Its never easy!

This game is great - It exactly captures the mood of "Aliens". Excellent mechanics keep the intensity on throughout. Must play for fans of Aliens and/or XCom.

tl;dr: Still recommendable, but boy are there gigantic issues. This is a 9/10 game stuck in a 5/10 body. Get it, but get it on a sale.

The squad control idea is amazing and I truly hope another game picks up on it. And improves upon it, because not being able to at least select who goes first will get you caught and alert the swarm so many times, leading to so many reloads it is extremely frustrating.

The final mission is a joke. Bugs galore, male voice lines despite no males alive anymore (it's all scripted who goes on the mission, you have no control), zero pressure as nothing can hurt you - only something specific can, but that bugged out for me and just twitched around on top of me, stuck in an animation. Just... ugh.

Then there are the other bugs like marines just downright yeeting themselves off the physics grid so suddenly your 4 or 5 man team is one soldier short for the rest of the mission (or, again, you need to reload). Soldiers get stuck on the level so you need to fiddle around (or, again, reload).
Sometimes, lifts just don't work and you need to not only reload, but restart (!!!) the level.
Sometimes, the UI bugs out and shows full HP for enemies despite them being almost dead.

The management interface is severely lacking. There is a timer, but you have no clue how many days you roughly have per mission or how many missions there are (hint: 2-3 days per mission and a few "misses" from events are perfectly fine, I had that and had 8 days left on Hard).
The only interface where you can choose who goes on a mission will NOT let you upgrade those soldiers, so you have to memorize the name, slowly navigate back through menus, upgrade those soldiers and go back to mission selection - what an insanely weird decision!

You can pause time. But not while looking at the map for some messed up reason, despite being able to scroll the camera just fine otherwise while paused.

Why the hell can you not aim abilities (except for sniping) directly snapped onto enemies? You'll miss so many eg shotgun shots because for some reason the marine still aims where nothing has been for many seconds.
Sometimes your marines will also simply not do the ability you told them do and instead do nothing.

There are more issues, but I think this wall of text is long enough...

All of these flaws wittle down what could have been an excellent game to a still enjoyable, but overall mediocre one.

Incredibly cinematic and engaging story backed up with solid mix of stealth and tactical gameplay

game is not perfect unlike the organism that is in this game, but i had a blast playing it, i want dlcs and a sequel, cheers
PS archivist achievement is broken, it does not trigger