The survival horror game Alien: Isolation perfectly captures the vibe of the Alien film, putting players in the shoes of an unlucky crewmate desperately trying to escape a rampaging Xenomorph. The film’s sequel, Aliens, opts for a more action-forward approach, with human marines fighting back against the threat with extreme force. Because of that, it’s surprising that Aliens hasn’t gotten a definitively great video game adaptation the way that Alien has, but a new addition to Xbox Game Pass comes pretty darn close.
Released in 2023, Aliens: Dark Descent is a bit hard to place, genre-wise. Yes, it’s a squad-based real-time strategy game, but it puts a heavy emphasis on stealth, adds some squad stress management à la Darkest Dungeon, and even incorporates plenty of genuine survival horror. The result isn’t perfect, but it’s an extremely compelling, sometimes unbearably tense mashup that comes closer to nailing what makes Aliens great than any other game.
