Aliens: Dark Descent - real-time squad-based tactical action

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

The hands off control scheme is the biggest reason i like this game tbh.

Its not for everyone but i have always wanted to larp as a liutenant gorman style dude giving commands from the safety of the apc whilst watching my hapless squad having to try and figure out my orders.
The only other game i’ve played that had sort of gameplay style was Deadnauts, otherwise it’s slim pickings.

It’s also one of the reasons why even though i said stealth is the most meta way to play, i went loud constantly and never avoided aliens because i liked to hear my marines gradually panic and lose their shit, leads to very tense escapes and the choice of ost couldnt be better:

It works because of the source material it's based on. The whole game feels inspired by the Scene from Aliens where the marines first encounter the xenomorphs. The game does a brilliant job of capturing the feel of that iconic scene. That's why the game works and I don't think you can apply this formula to just any rts. It works specifically because of the movie it's borrowing from.

 

[0sacred]

story trailer showcases a nigger adjacent uggo, is it woke?

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Not really, plus it is a p. gud gaem too.

 

[Hydro]

Does this game allow for different tactics, squad builds, or is it rather a one gimmick game?

Also to which extent does that tactic of silently sniping enemies trivialize the game?

 

[Gregz]

Does this game allow for different tactics, squad builds, or is it rather a one gimmick game?

Also to which extent does that tactic of silently sniping enemies trivialize the game?

There are no real tactics. You can't select individual squad members to do anything meaningful. It's a mess.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

I dropped it on that stupid space ship level.
Too long, too many enemies, can't actually use tactics because you control everyone at once so you can't position your troops in a clever way to scout ahead, set up kill boxes, snipe targets, etc.
Imagine Dawn of War 2 except you only have 1 squad and it's filled with idiots who can't work out that maybe the recon should go first so you can actually snipe the enemy up ahead.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Also to which extent does that tactic of silently sniping enemies trivialize the game?

You only get so many sniper shots and good luck getting a good angle before getting detected because of how the squad mechanic works.

 

[Blutwurstritter]

I have to agree that it doesn't offer too much on gameplay alone. This is not a deeply tactical game. The core gameplay is solid and works well for the largest part, but it lacks depth and content. It doesn't change much, or offers notable progression as you work your way through the game. There are only 12 missions, and I think it was a good decision to keep it short, otherwise it would have overstayed its welcome. The game does lack meat on its bone when it comes to pure gameplay, but what is there is palatable, it is by no means bad, despite some small inconveniences, like positioning for sniping. This is a valid point of criticism, and I was also annoyed by it a bit, but in the end I managed to snipe everything I wanted by moving back and forth for a bit.

Overall, I'd rate it a 7/10 game where you can add a point if you like the Aliens setting, which is one of the strongest parts of the game. They captured the look and feel of Aliens really well, and its quite an immersive game during the missions. The atmosphere carries a lot of the game, and I'd say its one of the major selling points. Guiding your team through those Alien tunnels while being on your toes to avoid contact, or watching your sentry guns and marines plowing through Alien hordes when shit happens, is exciting fun.

Overall I'd say the positives outweigh the negatives and would recommend it. Just don't expect too much from it.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Yes. This is the closest we‘ll ever get to "Aliens: The Game", and the gameplay works in the context of the setting.

Personally I found the gameplay loop to be a lot of fun, but it’s its own thing. Don‘t expect a typical squad based tactical game. It doesn‘t work like that. The challenge lies in utilizing your squad‘s special abilities optimally under time pressure (you *need* to play with slowed-down realtime, not pause).

 

[Silva]

Does this game allow for different tactics, squad builds, or is it rather a one gimmick game?

Also to which extent does that tactic of silently sniping enemies trivialize the game?

It allows for varied playstyles to some degree. Eg:

- I see a lot of people suggesting proximity mines and ditching flamers but I never used mines myself and loved my flamers.
- Same for the Tech and Medic classes which are ditched online but I found them pretty useful in some circumstances.
- I see people saying sniping is worthless but it carried me in the final stages (the scout class is key here, as it gets a perk that delays team detection by xenos by 20% or so, making the time needed for sniping feasible).
- What classes you prioritize to advance will impact your endgame, as their final perks are pretty powerful, and you won't be able to advance them all together (at least I couldn't).

Etc, etc. So yeah, game allows for some variance in style. Just don't go in expecting Xcom or JA2 levels of variance here, that's not the point.

What detracts a bit from the experience IMO is the popamole parts where you must control a single character in linear, interactive cutscenes. Those are terrible and probably something the producers demanded to please the casuals. "Game is too niche, we need some story parts to make it more "attractive"". There are a few of them including - sadly - the very ending, which leaves a sour taste once you finish it. Overall though, a solid 8/10 for me. This is my dream Aliens game and I can forgive the warts for that.

 

[Blutwurstritter]

The ending felt rushed. I wonder if this was what they wanted to do or if they had to wrap up things. The mission in the mine was good, but the last part with the forced team was pretty bad.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

It should have ended in the mine really. The last part was a glorified interactive cutscene. Thankfully due to a bug the characters weren‘t taking any damage during that chase in the end, so it was less tiresome.

 

[GamerCat_]

Pretty solid movie-game all about evoking the feel of the movie. I think it succeeded more strongly than the AVP games because of the premise allowing for multiple marines always on screen doing stuff at once. The movie had no one-man armies. The Dawn of War 2 comparison is interesting, that's a better on-paper mechanical game, but kind of unfun as a space marine game because it makes the experience so fussy and busy. Dawn of War 1 had no tactics and space marines dying by the hundred but it felt better and endured longer by just being a fun game. Dawn of War 2 is a better puzzle.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a shit game-puzzle. The loose, inaccurate inputs make precision impossible. Because of course you aren't meant to be precise. Things are meant to fall apart. Optimal play is meant to be impossible. They want the game to be vaguely easy enough to beat while having constant (very obviously staged) high-points of felt stress and a constant potential for one of your fiddly and fumbly inputs to create more trouble. Sorry if this feels like a pointless bump but I enjoyed this game and think it raises interesting questions about how you make a strategy/tactics game about impressions rather than trying to create a more perfect game-puzzle.

The dust has settled on this one. And I'll say this is a game I'll recommend to people who like the premise of Aliens, not tactics fans. Premise specifically. You like the mood and feeling. That's all that's on offer. The specifics, narrative, characters, ideas, all might as well be absent. Plot is an adequate frame for progress and urgency.