Michael Leask

Game Review

I only heard about this game from a trailer and a review, which gave it four out of five stars. I logged it in the back of my brain and planned to gift it to myself at some point. I eventually did, and I’m glad because it was an addictive RTS (Real Time Strategy for non-gamers reading this) and a good story with impressive game mechanics. The in-game cut scenes push the narrative, and the graphics are well done. It’s both imaginative and engaging.

When I think of RTS, I think of Starcraft or Warcraft, the top-down build your army before an attacking enemy destroys you. For Consoles, Halo Wars 1 & 2 also fit this description. Alien: Dark Decent makes the player re-imagine what RTS-style games can be.

The game itself knows that it is complicated to start playing, which is why in the first level, on the station, the player is introduced to the button controls to walk, run, attack, select, etc., but it does so in an engaging manner with the story and only when it’s needed; it’s not an info dump right away. The game is still a top-down style, albeit the player can move the camera closer. Still, the style remains, with one team of four to five soldiers investigating the space station and planet and destroying the alien infestation.

How does this make it a real-time strategy game? Well, each of the soldiers on the team gets stressed out when they encounter (are attacked) a Xenomorph (and human enemies). This stress affects how well they aim, shoot, get injured, etc. If you can move throughout the level without encountering a Xeno, your team members will remain healthy and good. The levels are large, and the Xenos are fast when they see you. The more times the Xenos see you, the more that come to try and find you to the point where onslaughts happen and a massive wave attacks all at once. The player needs to strategize how they will go through the map with the least encounters as the game becomes progressively more challenging with more Xenos on the planet.

However, the automated turrets are a great part of the gameplay. The player can set up a killzone and let the turrets do the work. The player has to re-arm the turrets if they’re empty and fix them if they’re damaged.

The downside to the game, which is why I leave out a star, is the bugginess that occurred. Sometimes, before the mission started, I couldn’t select a weapon or swap out a character. The button didn’t work. I would have to restart the game and wait until it loaded (up to five minutes) to continue. That might not sound like a big deal, but when the flow and momentum of the game make one want to continue without stopping, it affects the overall player experience.

The story was fascinating. You start as Mako, a Weyland-Yutani executive trying to do her job right and by the book, and she gets shit on by everyone around interested in being lazy, or ‘it’s not my job’. That is until Mako notices something wrong in the cargo bay. When she investigates, she finds someone has let out a Xenomorph and face huggers. With an infestation consuming the station, she activates the Cerberus protocol, which doesn’t allow anyone to leave the system. The station has missiles and target ships in orbit, including a USCM ship.

When Mako tries to leave the station to reach the surface, she runs into the Marines, who take her down. Their ship crashes, and they must go to settlements all over the planet to find out what is happening. What are these alien creatures? They weren’t an experiment gone wrong and set loose. Mako and the Marines need to find out why.

It’s a solid story. The game was addictive. Once I completed a level, I needed to finish the next. Each level is large and takes time to play, but it’s up to a player’s strategy on how they enjoy beating the game.