Aliens Dark Descent was revealed at Summer Game Fest 2022 with a gritty trailer showcasing a group of marines making their last stand against a horde of Xenomorphs. If your first thought was that this was an expansion or sequel to Aliens: Fireteam Elite, you’re not alone, but Dark Descent is an entirely different production.
Aliens Dark Descent release window and platforms revealed in Summer Game Fest trailer
Aliens Dark Descent will release sometime in 2023 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. In the game, you’ll be in charge of a squad of Colonial Marines that are trying to contain a Xenomorph outbreak on the moon of Lethe.
A new type of enemy is shown in the trailer that might be more of a threat than the Xenomorphs. It appears that some sort of cybernetic organism has also gotten loose on Lethe that are likely hostile to the Colonial presence.
It’s a squad-based action game where you’ll have to give orders to your troops through a persistent world where your actions impact levels for further playthroughs. You’ll have to balance your soldier’s health, resources, and sanity as death is permanent and mental breakdowns can cause your entire group to get killed.
While we didn’t see much gameplay, the description for Aliens Dark Descent is immediately reminiscent of XCOM. There are also RPG elements, and you can customize your soldiers with different classes and unlock new weapons, armor, and perks to help them survive the horrors they find.
The game comes from Tindalos Interactive, which previously developed Battlefleet Gothic Armada and Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2, and it’s being published by Focus Entertainment. A squad-based tactical RPG is a great fit for the Alien universe, and it’s surprising this is the first time one is being created. We can’t wait to ragequit when our soldiers go nuts and shoot each other sometime next year.
