Just gonna keep it real here - video games based on the Alien film franchise are kind of a mixed bag. When they hit, they hit moderately well. But when they fail, they fail on an LV-426 level - unparalleled catastrophe, everyone is dead, and not even the marines can save you.
I remember playing - and being satisfied by - the Commodore 64 Aliens game, but since then, very little has met my Aliens-based gaming needs. Alien Trilogy on PS1 was a moderately fun DOOM clone. And of course, Alien Isolation is the real outlier, delivering tense gameplay that seemed to really understand the franchise. But though the franchise would seem like an absolute no-brainer for developers, more often than not, Alien games crash and burn (like a remote-controlled dropship on the afore-mentioned LV-426).
So, it was with a hopeful raised eyebrow that I watched the new cinematic trailer for Aliens: Dark Descent. And though there is only the tiniest smidge of gameplay at the very end of the clip, I was given a glimmer of hope by the fact that the developers at Tindalos Interactive seem to at least understand what makes the franchise interesting and fun (that would be closed spaces, overwhelming odds, fun characters, and the terrifying ping of motion detectors).
Though the gameplay in Dark Descent will be squad-based, I am pleased to hear that it is actually single-player, with the player controlling the entire squad as a single unit. Space marines will automatically perform specialized actions in accordance to your loadout - though death will be permanent for any squad member that falls into an alien blood acid bath.
So yeah, this one actually looks kinda cool. We'll keep you posted as we move closer to Dark Descent's release (no date has been given yet, but we can probably expect this one sometime in 2023). Aliens: Dark Descent will release on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One and PC. For more information, visit the Focus Entertainment website.
