One of the first reveals at the Summer Game Fest was Aliens: Dark Descent, a new release based on H.R. Giger’s sinister creatures. It’s set to launch sometime in 2023. Aliens: Dark Descent is launching on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
According to developer Tindalos Interactive, Dark Descent is a single-player, squad-based action game. The cinematic trailer only showed a hint of gameplay, but it’s a top-down real-time strategy game, similar to XCOM — a departure from the previous Alien: Isolation.
According to the trailer, the game is set on Tantalus base on the moon Lethe, which is overrun with the xenomorphs. The player controls yet another squad of colonial marines who encounter the titular enemy. There also appeared to be some kind of humanoid enemy early in the trailer — the developers imply the base has some kind of sinister secret.
The description of the game on Steam reads: “Customize your squad with a selection of different classes. Level up and specialize your soldiers with unique abilities and an arsenal of weapons, armor, and perks, for high stakes missions in treacherous territory. Develop your base to research new tech and improve your squad even further. Manage your resources wisely and take calculated risks to outsmart the deadliest creature mankind has ever faced.”