Aliens: Dark Descent Trailer Dives Into Gameplay

Aliens: Dark Descent was first announced nearly a year ago at Summer Game Fest 2022. Some snippets of gameplay have been shown for the squad-based tactical title, especially when preview videos from content creators went up over the last month. A proper breakdown from the development team answering some of the more specific questions people have has been absent up to this point though. With a little less than a month until it launches, a brand-new trailer was released that dives deep into what it has to offer.

Although Aliens: Dark Descent is played in real-time, you wouldn’t be in the wrong to draw comparisons to the XCOM series. Players take control of a squad as they explore Planet Lethe, which has been overtaken by the titular Xenomorph aliens. They’ll need to explore and fight their way through various threats as they try to stop the outbreak. Keeping your squad alive is especially vital due to permadeath and sanity mechanics.

They won’t all die out easily though. Time can be slowed down at any moment in case things get too hectic for those new to the genre. The Squad Behavior System that’s been created for the game will also allow each marine to adapt to situations and react to your orders. Players will be able to get creative with their orders as well, such as by using a flamethrower ability to damage enemies or simply to route them into a more advantageous path.

Every choice made in an area will remain as it is, meaning that every unlocked door or landing area found can have a big effect the next time you revisit locations. Of course, extracting the squad is always a viable option if things get too out of hand. When not on the field, players will return to their base where they can repair the ship as well as heal or hire new marines.

Aliens: Dark Descent launches next month on June 20th. Fans will be able to play them on the following platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. From the gameplay we’ve seen, it certainly looks like a fun strategy game set in the Alien universe.