Aliens: Dark Descent Review
Even with all the wild genre mashups I've seen over the last several years, I don't think I could have ever predicted a survival horror RTS. And that's basically what Aliens: Dark Descent boils down to, adding stealth elements and tense resource management to its isometric, squad-based tactical action. When it's fully locked and loaded, it captures the essence of the 1986 film Aliens better than any game in ages. But slimy, fun-bursting technical issues show their creepy heads too often for Dark Descent to be a smooth ride.
Blending up a bit of XCOM, a bit of Darkest Dungeon, and a bit of Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, I can't deny that Dark Descent is a very unique game with lots of interesting ideas. While plenty of games with the Aliens license have mistakenly focused on just letting you go to town with a pulse rifle, this one hones in on the paranoia and danger of the franchise perfectly, making even run-of-the-mill drones and runners scary again.
It is entirely possible to go in guns blazing and probably rack up a bunch of easy kills. But every time a xenomorph spots you, it alerts the hive and starts a clock ticking that will cause them to become more numerous and aggressive, which makes the whole rest of the mission harder. The optimal way to play is usually not to get spotted at all. But the consequences for waking up our shiny-headed friends are much more dire if you're already at a high level of hive awareness, with more powerful boss aliens and greater numbers of drones being summoned. This led to some really heart-pounding fighting retreats through cramped corridors, or hiding in supply rooms just hoping the patrolling xeno wouldn't decide to check in here.
Even a firefight with no lacerations or acid
Read more on ign.com
