Aliens: Dark Descent

[Daehawk]

[Lordnine]

Seems interesting but I was hoping for a new horror game from the Amnesia devs with that name.

[Max Peck]

This is the first time I've been referred to as a fan of a license.

[malchior]

This is the first time I've been referred to as a fan of a license.

Yeah it is corporate IP lingo gone amok. The whole thing feels a little bit like ChatGPT wrote that copy.

The game concept sounds interesting though so going to keep watch on it.

[Max Peck]

Ad copy written by an AI would explain it. But aside from that, it looks interesting.

[Daehawk]

It looks really good. A single player squad game.

Steam

[Brian]

[Kurth]

I love the Aliens movies. I love squad-based strategy games. Sounds like a winner to me!

[GreenGoo]

Aliens meets X-com? Or something else? Because if it's the former, I'm in.

[El Guapo]

I think this game has real potential to be the next one that I buy, start to play, don't really have enough time to figure out how to play, and then mostly ignore in favor of games that I already know how to play.

[coopasonic]

Aliens meets X-com? Or something else? Because if it's the former, I'm in.

Real Time so not as XCOM as I would like but still has potential with the slow time to give orders.

[GreenGoo]

Real time squad tactics? Why would anyone do that? Assuming pause and give orders, 75% of the time the game will be paused.

If no pause and give orders, then it becomes clicks per minute?

Do people really play squad based tactical games because of how fast they like to click?

The whole thing seems like a strange decision.

That said, I like WEGO systems, and I don't mind real time as long as I can pause and give orders. Watching all your units move/fire/whatever at the same time can be fun.

[Kurth]

Real time squad tactics? Why would anyone do that? Assuming pause and give orders, 75% of the time the game will be paused.

If no pause and give orders, then it becomes clicks per minute?

Do people really play squad based tactical games because of how fast they like to click?

The whole thing seems like a strange decision.

That said, I like WEGO systems, and I don't mind real time as long as I can pause and give orders. Watching all your units move/fire/whatever at the same time can be fun.

I gave them a pass on the RTS nonsense, because I refuse to believe there’s not a pause and give orders option. That would be crazy and make the game DOA most likely.

[El Guapo]

Real time squad tactics? Why would anyone do that? Assuming pause and give orders, 75% of the time the game will be paused.

If no pause and give orders, then it becomes clicks per minute?

Do people really play squad based tactical games because of how fast they like to click?

The whole thing seems like a strange decision.

That said, I like WEGO systems, and I don't mind real time as long as I can pause and give orders. Watching all your units move/fire/whatever at the same time can be fun.

I gave them a pass on the RTS nonsense, because I refuse to believe there’s not a pause and give orders option. That would be crazy and make the game DOA most likely.

I wonder if they're going with a "slowtime and give orders" in place of a "pause and give orders" option because it fits better with Aliens tension. Like they don't want to give you fully unlimited time to pause and think forever because it would lessen the "alien around every corner" tension that they want to encourage.

[Blackhawk]

Just based on the very limited info so far, there is no pause. The only option, from what I've seen, is to slow down time. I think it's less XCOM and more of a more tactical Diablo with an AI squad.

Maybe enough feedback will change that, but it feels like another designed-by-marketing game.

[coopasonic]

Pin your dreams on an accessibility option that gives you full pause.

[Kurth]

Real time squad tactics? Why would anyone do that? Assuming pause and give orders, 75% of the time the game will be paused.

If no pause and give orders, then it becomes clicks per minute?

Do people really play squad based tactical games because of how fast they like to click?

The whole thing seems like a strange decision.

That said, I like WEGO systems, and I don't mind real time as long as I can pause and give orders. Watching all your units move/fire/whatever at the same time can be fun.

I gave them a pass on the RTS nonsense, because I refuse to believe there’s not a pause and give orders option. That would be crazy and make the game DOA most likely.

I wonder if they're going with a "slowtime and give orders" in place of a "pause and give orders" option because it fits better with Aliens tension. Like they don't want to give you fully unlimited time to pause and think forever because it would lessen the "alien around every corner" tension that they want to encourage.

Well, that would suck. Also, it's stupid! Anyone who has played XCOM knows you can still get the "enemy behind the corner" tension from a TBS game done right. I can't count the number of times I've been surprised by an alien in XCOM emerging from the shadows to off one of my poor unsuspecting squaddies.

[Just in case it wasn't clear, not saying your comments were stupid at all. Just that the game design would be if they're not including a full pause.]

[hepcat]

I think this game has real potential to be the next one that I buy, start to play, don't really have enough time to figure out how to play, and then mostly ignore in favor of games that I already know how to play.

I'm the same way with pets.

[malchior]

I'm taking a wait and see attitude. I'm willing to give it a try without pause. I can see it working if implemented right.

[Daehawk]

[Blackhawk]

Oh, goody - character permadeath and/or negative psychological traits. My least favorite feature from XCom, punishing you for not being perfect.

[hepcat]

That’s what save games are for.

I don’t think I’ve ever played a tactical, squad based game without save scumming. I hate losing characters…well, the developed ones….so I would just back up and try something different. Sometimes too many times.

[Blackhawk]

That’s what save games are for.

Yep.

If they allow saves.

[Kurth]

Oh, goody - character permadeath and/or negative psychological traits. My least favorite feature from XCom, punishing you for not being perfect.

Hmmm. Sounds like you probably would not have liked Darkest Dungeon!

[Brian]

Seems to be getting mostly favorable reviews. Seen a few that recommended waiting but they tend to be some of the more curmudgeonly reviewers. Others call it a worthy game with the usual smattering of issues that will eventually get patched out and that it is a mix of fun/tense/frustrating.

You have the option to do a full pause or a slow-mo pause to issue orders. I will definitely be going the full pause route.

Here's the Mighty Jingles take on the opening tutorial:

[hepcat]

I grabbed it off Greenmangaming at 32.99. At that price, I won't feel bad if it still needs a bit of polishing. Gonna give it a try over the weekend.

Update: Okay, the intro is spot on Aliens. The distant drumbeat underlying the ominous swelling of the bass brass, the retro terminals, the lighting...it's captured the mood extremely well. I've only played up to about halfway through the tutorial, but it's already making me think it's going to be a good Aliens experience. Hopefully a good game as well.

I've set my first game to normal difficulty after hearing about how punishing the game can be (and let's face it, an Aliens game SHOULD be difficult). But you can't change that setting after the game starts, so I'm hoping it gives me an idea of how difficult it can be within the first few missions so I can decide on whether or not to restart at hard.

[GreenGoo]

Let us know as your opinion develops.

[Holman]

One complaint I've seen is that, since you give an order to the whole squad and the squad decides how to execute it, you lose a lot of the fine tactical control you have in something like XCom.

For (made-up) example, apparently there's no way to order a couple of machinegunners to cover a technician while they cut open a door. You just give the door order and hope the AI puts the other soldiers in good positions.

[Blackhawk]

One complaint I've seen is that, since you give an order to the whole squad and the squad decides how to execute it, you lose a lot of the fine tactical control you have in something like XCom.

For (made-up) example, apparently there's no way to order a couple of machinegunners to cover a technician while they cut open a door. You just give the door order and hope the AI puts the other soldiers in good positions.

Ugh. Figuring out the good positions is half of the fun.

[Holman]

One complaint I've seen is that, since you give an order to the whole squad and the squad decides how to execute it, you lose a lot of the fine tactical control you have in something like XCom.

For (made-up) example, apparently there's no way to order a couple of machinegunners to cover a technician while they cut open a door. You just give the door order and hope the AI puts the other soldiers in good positions.

Ugh. Figuring out the good positions is half of the fun.

Maybe someone who owns the game can clarify if this is a real problem. (I don't have it--I'm just going from reviews I've read.)

[Blackhawk]

I'm not actually saying that it's a problem - just that it removes the kind of gameplay element I usually go into games like this for.

Sort of like the way I enjoy base building, and a game that auto-built your bases for you might still be a great game - it would just take away a mechanic that I enjoy.

[hepcat]

That complaint is legit. Positioning isn’t nearly as important in A:DD as it is in an XCom game. You move as a squad, except when you interact with something/someone, at which point a random squad member will oftentimes run off to do so. Leaving themselves exposed if there’s an enemy waiting (although that’s not really happened to me so far). You can take cover behind stuff, but only when that stuff is wide enough to accommodate all your marines. That part sometimes annoys me, I must admit.

You can pause the game to use your tools or special abilities (you can set it to slo mo instead, but I prefer pause); but really that’s about all you can do while the game is paused.

The game is more about maneuvering around the enemy, finding ways to distract and detect them, and fighting only when you have no choice. Xenomorphs will tear you up. And if they don’t, the acid blood will whittle you down.

The game is also more RPG than I expected. You have to deal with stress and its affects. And those affects are not minor. You get too much stress while trying to avoid xenomorphs and you’ll max your stress, which then resets; but only after dropping one of dozens of different psychological traumas on a marine. And at some point in a deployment, you’re gonna wanna weld a couple doors shut in a room you just found and rest so your marines don’t go crazy. It’s basically camping from a CRPG.

You also level up each marine individually. Giving them new attributes that can swing the game in your direction.

The base portion of the game reminds me of the Battletech tactical game from a few years ago. You can buy and research stuff, heal your marines, etc.. They don’t give you a lot of stuff at first, so you’re going to want to take advantage of your team back at base to build up your arsenal of weapons and tools.

But at the end of the day, the real draw for me is that this really captures the fear and tension of an Alien movie. I put down motion sensors then slowly walk around with one eye on the map and one ear listening for pings. If the game tells me an onslaught is about to happen because I’ve been too noisy, I love calling in my ARC and watching it chew through baddies…although you don’t get that option when inside a facility (which are huge and sprawling).

You can extract your marines mid mission and return later with a different group (which is your best option a lot of times) to finish it, so it’s not a complete loss if you find yourself surrounded and exhausted. But you will waste precious time on your campaign map.

The game can be tough, so I highly recommend playing at normal difficulty.

p.s. You can’t save anywhere. The game uses save points.

[hepcat]

Okay, I think I’m going to have to restart. You can’t just run your marines non stop without resting. I’m on the final boss of the first colony and my soldiers are running on fumes. Worse yet, I’ve got a helluva long way through a helluva lot of xenomorphs if I want to extract and come back again. Plus, I’ve already spent way too much time fiddling around and the infection level of the planet is just about maxed out.

Moral of the story: camp when you can, look for choke points wherever you go, and don’t stay in one place for too long when the aliens are on the hunt thanks to noisy marines.

[Blackhawk]

So, you're saying it's game over?

Man. Game over?

[hepcat]

I could make a desperate run to the ARC and gamble on having one more day to try again, but I wouldn’t mind starting over with all the stuff I’ve learned.

One thing I find demonic of the developer is that the body of the one marine I lost in my first attempt at this colony is STILL laying in the same damn spot. And I’ve deployed 3 times already. I basically have to step over his body every time I play.

Oh, and I chuckle each time one of my marines welds a door shut so my squad can rest. There’s a random line they sometimes utter….”You shall not pass…fucker”.

[Max Peck]

Does seeing their dead buddy have any psychological effect on the troops on subsequent missions?

[hepcat]

No, that one just pisses me off.

Stress is generated by seeing aliens, getting in firefights, etc.. The negative effects that are placed on your characters from too much stress can be rough. I’ve got a hypochondriac in one squad right now who suffers stress every second if his squad runs out of med pacs. They’re pretty imaginative with trauma.

You kind of have to approach this game like survival horror.

[Brian]

This game committed the cardinal sin of putting a cut scene AFTER the save point during the tutorial where they are teaching the run/hide mechanic.

Which I failed four times before getting the hang of it and yes, you can skip the cut scene BUT there is also an unskippable, in-game scene that you cannot skip and it takes a frustratingly long time before it gives you back control.

UGH, just let me try again without having to jump through hoops!!

Beyond that, I'm have a pretty good time with it so far.
The "Don't Start This Next Sequence Unless You Really Really Really Mean It! Your Squad Will Be In MORTAL DANGER" sections are kind of a double edged sword. I mean, thanks for the heads up but there are multiple entry points to this area and while I can make a somewhat educated guess where this MORTAL DANGER will come from, I still ended up getting it mostly wrong at least twice.
They also, like the tutorial above, like to really hold back giving you control for a frustratingly long time.

My only other nitpick is the facial animations. Good lord they are terrible. Everybody looks like they are holding back an enormous shit. I mean, yeah, it's a $40 game so not expecting RDR2 levels of animation but there are games from fifteen-twenty years ago that do facial animation better than these pinch-faced, ghouls.

[hepcat]

The thing that annoys me the most now is that the camera resets orientation after every in game cut scene. I try to keep the camera oriented the same as the map so I can easily tell where to go, but every time there's a damn cut scene, it reorients the camera and I have to spend a few seconds getting it back into place the way I like it.

Oh, and I did restart. I was able to get through the tutorial in like 10 minutes. Now I'm a little more confident on my first deployment.

[hepcat]

Okay, second game went much better. Just finished Dead Hills mining town. The final mission saw my squad limping back to their ARC for extraction, but I didn’t lose anyone.

The flamethrower is the goddamn king of crowd control. Use it to cut off paths to your squad during an onslaught, and create choke points on the fly.

I’m also finally getting my laboratory to do some research. That gets unlocked after the final mission of Dead Hills. It’s a simplified version of what XCom does, but it’s still fun to find new things.

I read the comments of a reviewer on Steam today calling it a surprising dungeon crawler. I think that’s an apt description. I love exploring all the nooks and crannies of a colony while looking for tools and other resources. It really does feel like a dungeon crawler with the added responsibility of managing your group’s sanity.