Faisal Ghaffar 
While there have been numerous genre mashups that have occurred in the last few years, no one could have predicted a survival horror RTS. However, this is precisely what Aliens: Dark Descent turns out to be, as its squad-based, isometric tactical action is combined with resource management and stealth elements. In fact, the game manages to embody the essence of the Aliens movie released in 1986 better than any other game. But, this does not mean that it is a completely smooth ride.
The uniqueness
You will find that thanks to the interesting ideas, Dark Descent actually proves to be rather unique because it blends a little bit of Darkest Dungeon, XCOM and Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. A lot of games that focus on Aliens usually allow players to use a pulse rifle and go to town, but this one stands out because it is able to capture the danger and paranoia of the franchise. Therefore, even the run-of-the-mill runners and drones seem to be scary.
Sure, you can rack up some easily kills when you go in with guns blazing, but every time you are spotted by a xenomorph, they alert the hive. This causes them to become more aggressive and numerous, thereby adding more difficulty to your mission. The best way for you to play is to avoid getting spotted altogether. Otherwise, you have to face the dire consequences of waking up powerful alien bosses and endless drones, forcing you to hide and retreat.
The interesting elements
Whether you just encounter aliens, are hunted during a phase of hive activation, or even just watching a lot of blips on the motion tracker could stress you out. In fact, your marines eventually start missing some important shots, go on edge, or simply become downright disobedient. This means that the more horror they go through, they less effective they become in a fight.
When combined with the hive awareness system, you come to realize that just one wrong move could result in your entire squad being wiped out and this is a very interesting element of Aliens: Dark Descent. Your soldiers become humanized and it also pushes you into figuring out how you should manage your psychological and physical resources.
Sometimes, even when the objectives of a mission are incomplete, it is better to leave. Sure, it costs you time because you have to return later, but it can help in saving your fighters. The story is undoubtedly compelling, as the characters are morally-conflicted and interesting. The environments also look great.
The issues
While the design ideas are quite incredible, the same cannot be said for Dark Descent’s technical shape. You can ignore the poorly synced dialogues in some scenes, but sometimes the core mechanics do not work properly so you have to play an entire mission from scratch.
For instance, the stress meter gets stuck at its highest setting, even though there were no aliens and this prompted the entire squad to lose their minds. These issues happen too frequently and it is not easy to look the other way. The progression is also on the slow side and this can become frustrating.
The Verdict
If there had not been any technical problems, Aliens: Dark Descent would have been the best Aliens game to be launched and it still remains so for the most part.
