With release coming up fast, Aliens: Dark Descent is looking sharp

One of the more interesting looking games to to bear the Aliens name, Aliens: Dark Descent looks packed with strategy, action, and scares.

They mostly come out at night

What was the last game you played that had the Aliens license? Whatever it was, it was likely some kind of action title (unless it was Isolation) in first-person, and maybe had a loose squad-based mechanic.

While the overall history of the IP has been somewhat hit or miss, the means of delivering its action has been pretty steady. That’s to say, till now, and something all together different from Focus Entertainment and Tindalos Interactive.

Announced about a year back, Aliens: Dark Descent presents players with a more strategic take on the horror (and sometimes action) series. That plays out in real-time format, which should give players more than a bit of a challenge, considering the enemies they’ll face.

Check those corners

Focus Entertainment released a pretty deep look at the title’s play, which runs a little over 5 minutes. It covers basic gameplay, but also squad AI, a semi-pause feature to slow time, and even gets into what sounds like it might be a deep story set on the forsaken world of Lethe.

Aliens: Dark Descent features a fully fledged tactical campaign filled with tense moments, deep strategy, and terrifying revelations. As you explore further, you’ll progress in a complex story and attempt to solve the mysteries of Planet Lethe. Players will manage their squad as a single unit, thanks to innovative and intuitive controls on both keyboard/mouse and controller. Marines react intelligently to orders thanks to a unique Squad Behavior System that dispatches them automatically on the field. When the Xenomorph threat gets overwhelming, they can slow down time at any moment to focus on tactical decisions in the heat of battle.

Focus Entertainment press release

In addition to what you saw above, the game’s xenos will actually adapt to players tactics. So you’ll heave to vary your play, if you want your team to survive. Speaking of, perma-death is very much in play here, and you’ll have to manage stress levels as well as health to keep your fighting men and women ready for action.

Aliens: Dark Descent definitely looks like a game to watch, for both Aliens fans and those who enjoy a unique strategy play. It hits Xbox and PlayStation platforms, and the PC on June 20th.