Alien: Rogue Incursion is one of the most impressive VR games I’ve played. The tense atmosphere, intriguing story, and immersive gameplay more than make up for a somewhat unforgiving save system, making this one of the best games on PS VR2.
Alien: Rogue Incursion
Developer: Survios
Price: $40
Platform: PS5 via PS VR2 (reviewed) and PC via Meta Quest 3 and Steam VR.
MonsterVine was supplied with a PS5 code for review.
The Alien movies are some of the most iconic films around for a reason. That said, few games have managed to emulate the terrifying feeling of facing down a Xenomorph in the way that the movies so aptly do. Alien: Rogue Incursion has come to change that, and it joins the likes of Alien: Isolation in succeeding where so many others have failed.
The tone of Alien: Rogue Incursion is one of its strongest features, proving that Alien and VR are a match made in heaven. As you explore the game’s primary abandoned station setting, you can hear the Xenomorphs rummaging around vents and approaching you throughout each dark corridor. There’s no television screen between you and the titular aliens, making it quite frightening to take them on at the beginning. Though this fear is reduced a bit as time goes on, it, thankfully, never fully goes away.
The controls are extremely comprehensive and easy to get used to, as each weapon is stored on a different section of your body. Drawing your pistol, rifle, shotgun, or health pack is a breeze and gives off a badass feeling as you whip out a weapon to take on a Xenomorph. A nice detail is that being too close to a Xenomorph when you kill it can damage you thanks to their acidic blood.
“You never really feel at ease here, which is a great reflection of the source material.“
Movement in Alien: Rogue Incursion is similarly smooth, as you use the left controller’s analog stick to walk or run around, while the right controller’s stick is for quick and segmented turns. Simple actions like shooting and reloading further add to the immersion, as you have to do things like pop bullets in your revolver by hand – a challenging thing when a Xenomorph is right nearby.
Alien: Rogue Incursion features unique Xenomorph AI
The Xenomorph AI is interesting in this game, as the creatures seem to strategically attack you at different times and in different places, as though they’re hunting you. Occasionally, this leads to being swarmed by perhaps too many enemies, but for the most part, this adds to the tension in an exciting and freaky way. You never really feel at ease here, which is a great reflection of the source material. There’s really nothing like having a facehugger alien latch onto you in VR.
The story of Alien: Rogue Incursion, which is set between Alien and Aliens, is another highlight, as the characters – like main character Zula and her companion synth Davis 01 – are intriguing and fit nicely into the world. There are audio logs and text messages spread around the area, allowing you to indulge in further lore at your discretion – a handy feature for any Alien diehards.
My main issue with Alien: Rogue Incursion comes from its save system. You can save in panic rooms at computer terminals, but there’s not much of an autosave feature. The occasional story moment will serve as a checkpoint, but, more than once, I was sent back quite a while to my last save upon dying. Some sections swarm you with quite a few Xenomorphs, leading to some frustration in having to replay sections over and over again.
The Final Word
Alien: Rogue Incursion is a frighteningly impressive game that nails the tone of the series and is the title that could push the common perception of VR forward. The save system is a bit harsh, but the sheer immersion and fear that the game specializes in makes this a VR must-play.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
