Alien: Rogue Incursion

Over the decades, the Alien mythology has inspired a myriad of games with mixed results, yet they always pique my interest. This Christmas, Survios' long-anticipated Alien: Rogue Incursions is especially thrilling, as not only does it look stunning, but it's also the first fully VR Alien game - a brilliant concept, as proven by the VR mode for Alien: Isolation.

Former soldier Zula Hendricks is fed up with the machinations of evil corporations and is doing everything she can to bring them down. Her investigations take her and her android assistant, Davis 01, to a secret research centre on the uncharted planet Purdan. The reason behind the facility's destruction soon becomes clear, making Zula's mission even more challenging.

The love for the Alien saga is evident from the story of Alien: Rogue Incursion. Players navigate through the research centre, with references to movie events and classic Alien moments and surprises sprinkled throughout. The strength of the story comes from not relying on movie moments but instead enhancing its narrative with believable, original adventures within the Alien universe, akin to the excellent Alien: Isolation (Creative Assembly, 2014). The only slight issue is that Zula is already familiar with xenomorphs, so the initial encounter lacks surprise. While players might expect the monsters, this diminishes the story's mystique and shock value.

The core gameplay idea revolves around surviving while exploring the space station, with threats lurking around every corner. Players must activate devices, power up machines, and clear obstacles to progress. More information about events can be gathered by listening to abandoned voice messages and reading employee emails on computers.

The game is experienced from a first-person perspective, with virtual hands controlled by Sense controllers firmly gripping the world. Besides weapons, players use various tools, press machine buttons, climb ladders, and repair electrical connections. Alien: Rogue Incursion adds realism to the gameplay by incorporating physics into item interactions. Items feel heavy, get caught on fixed objects, or knock over debris when hit. Magazines are added to weapons, which can't be fired without the necessary loading motions, and even firing causes recoil, genuinely kicking the weapon upwards if not properly held. The varied and realistic functionalities are broad enough to not make gameplay cumbersome. The virtual hands follow controller movements accurately thanks to precise game mechanics, making interactions smooth and natural once item locations are learned. A few issues with the hands mainly arose while collecting items. Sometimes the hands grabbed unnecessary debris instead of the desired item, causing important objects to fly across the room from the impact. Occasionally, our hands also got stuck to tables or cabinets while picking up items.

Puzzles remain simple throughout, mainly involving activating machines and reconfiguring electrical flows. Random alien encounters add challenge, with players having to fend them off with ever-dwindling ammo. Navigating to the next objective is eased by the map and android companion, but occasionally requires thinking to access certain areas. The answer was always reasonably close by with careful observation. The game's straightforward progression aims to emphasize the atmosphere and take full advantage of well-designed levels, allowing you to revisit the same locations with new objectives.

Visually, Alien: Rogue Incursion is a perfect ten. Survios has meticulously crafted not only the world's details but especially the creation of the Alien universe. The game feels like stepping into scenes from the Alien movies, from stormy wastelands to dark station corridors. Retro sci-fi computer rooms and smoke-filled facehugger hatcheries. The game enhances the virtual world with unprecedentedly stylish effects like smoke, sparks, and snowstorms, heightening the theme and thrilling atmosphere.

The sound in the game is also spot on. The authentic motion detector's clicks and pulse rifle's buzz bring an smile to my face every time. Xenomorph growls not only give goosebumps but also warn of approaching danger. Gruesome deaths and character fates are accentuated with appropriate crunches and squishes. The broken research centre feels like an independent organism with hissing gas pipes and clicking computers. Voice acting successfully differentiates between an emotional human character and a cold, emotionless android with quality performances. Conversations are sharp and interesting, creating believable chemistry between characters. The cinematic music excellently enhances the game's tension and highlights the unsettling environment's deception and fears with subtle hits.

Alien: Rogue Incursion masterfully combines the horror vibes of the first Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979) movie, creeping through dead corridors, and the action-packed tensions of Aliens (James Cameron, 1986) in battles against xenomorphs. The shift in atmospheres is significant and initially challenging to adapt to. After being scared by a lurking but beautifully terrifying xenomorph, the actual shooting lacks the panicked survival instinct seen in the Aliens movie and leans more towards arcade-like shooting, reminiscent of Alien 3: The Gun (Sega, 1993). The game runs smoothly on PlayStation 5, with loading times barely noticeable. Despite constant movement and even occasional running, I didn't experience motion sickness during extended play sessions while using comfort settings.

Alien: Rogue Incursion isn't just a great VR game; it's one of the best Alien gaming experiences. The world is clearly built with love for Alien mythology, and the story is intriguing and believable with its surprises. The gameplay is diverse and technically well-executed, and the atmosphere is thrillingly exciting, thanks to the stunning visual style and detailed environment, as well as the multi-dimensional and authentic soundscape. While minor bugs with the virtual hands and somewhat one-dimensional combat were present, the overall experience, even against high expectations, is one of the year's best.