Official Review Virtual Reality Updated

Alien Rogue Incursion Part One GBAtemp review
Virtual Reality

Name: Alien Rogue Incursion Part One
Item: Alien Rogue Incursion Part One
Rating: 7
Author: KiiWii

Product Information:

Release Date (NA): December 19, 2024
Release Date (EU): December 19, 2024
Publisher: Survios
Developer: Survios
Genres: First-Person Shooter
ESRB Rating: Mature
PEGI Rating: Eighteen years and older
Also For: Computer
Official Store: https://alienrogueincursion.com/

Game Features:

Single player

Local Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Co-operative

I've been an Aliens fan since I was a child, and now with the first proper Alien game in VR; I'm right at home living out the action!

attachFull476619

Colonel Zula M Hendricks, serial number 0408598, is an ex-colonial marine who is hellbent on exposing Gemini Exoplanet Solution's (GES) black-site experiments. She travels to LV-354, also known as Purdan, to infiltrate the research facility and exterminate any Xenomorphs she encounters along the way.

Alien Rogue Incursion (ARC) is set between 1979's Alien and 1986's Aliens and leans into the technological styling of both films by fitting you out with the M314S motion tracker (as seen in Alien Isolation), and the beautifully iconic M41A Pulse Rifle for maximum firepower. You also get a sidearm for close encounters, a powerful 357 heavy-bore revolver, and later on, you'll obtain the pump action 12 gauge, which was Lieutenant Dwayne Hicks's weapon of choice.

With your synthetic Davis 01, Zula has a nicely narrative-driven story pulling you through the game, and with plenty of back and forth and a lot of interesting messages and communications to discover, the game pays a lot into the fan service bank, but does it really pay off?

attachFull476795

Virtual Viscosity

Being a PSVR2 title, you don a Sense VR controller in each hand and you get to fulfil the fantasy of stepping into the shoes of a colonial marine. The controls are quite intuitive for the most part, but then the customised interactions that Survios have added become apparent early on and the intuitiveness becomes a learning curve.

For example, you have to hold the Square or Cross button to bring up a holographic menu of items you're holding, then hover over the one you want, and then select it with L2 or R2. You can access your Datapad from here as well as any tools or useful items, and it's quite easy to use each object as and when you spawn them for use. It sounds great until you're within the menu when an infestation erupts and instead of auto-magically backing out into a fight scenario, the items either won't go away fast enough, or you accidentally fling them across the environments.

Items don't always auto-magically return to your inventory either, sometimes they lay on the floor waiting for you to pick them up, but any items you have attached to pouches on your belt, like ammo or your revolver, seem to take precedence in which item you're reaching out and grabbing at. At one point I was reaching down to pick up the sonic screwdriver thing from the downed synthetic, only to repeatedly grab an M41 clip and drop it on the floor until Hendricks exclaimed "I'm running low on ammo". Great.

Your headlamp is controlled by raising your left hand to your left temple and hitting L2, which brings up a Doom 3-like torch effect, which looks incredible tracing across the environments and dipping into the darkest recesses.

Pulling up your trusty rifle is as easy as putting your hand over your shoulder and pressing the grip button (LB or RB) to grab the handle and swing it back down over your head. Again, to re-holster it you cannot just drop it as you would expect, instead you have to place it back over your shoulder, or else the gun falls to the ground and you won't be ready for your next battle.

I found it quite amusing to place my gun down on a surface while I worked on a puzzle or searched for items. Putting the gun on a table or on top of a junction box is extremely intuitive, just don't forget where you perched it when the enemies come knocking. And they will, like clockwork.

These controls are the biggest barrier to entry in this game, and once you have the first hour or so of gameplay in the bag they become a lot more natural and you can compensate for what it's going to do, rather than what you expect it to do.

Guns feel powerful and weighty in-game. Reloading is manual, but feels snappy and robust, even if it can be frantic in the heat of battle. It's a true love letter to the fans that each weapon feels right, though looking down the iron sights takes on a strange static point of view, rather than a typical VR way of looking down a gun. It's like it lines it up for you, which feels kind of arcade-like, I don't mind it at all, it's just not the norm for VR gun-play.

attachFull476796

Atmospheric Extremes

ARC shows off at every turn. Tunnels are thick with acrid smoke and steam that hangs in the air, sparks and strobe lighting bring another layer of detail to every environment, and particles bounce around the geometry lending even more credibility to the world as a believable biome. The lighting choices are sublimely observed from the films, with red lighting in water-flooded segments, yellow beacons pulsing across cargo docks interiors and a slightly green tinge to the "safe" zones. There are also instantly recognisable Weyland Yutani furnishings and objects littering the scenery. After all, they were "Building Better Worlds", and Survios has done a superb job in recreating that, much to any Aliens fan's adoration.

The sound design throughout the game is stellar too. It takes queues from the movies with its subtle underlying scores, but for the most part it's the silence that gets punctuated and freaks you out. You hear clunking in the vents, claws scratch walls, tails thwip and thrust, and the weapons also sound beefy and dangerous when fired. The peel of the motion tracker ramps up the tension, and the garbled communications envelop you in a world that's been torn to shreds. Environmental sounds like doors opening, the plasma cutter, alarms and devices bleeping, and the eery footsteps, creaking of stairwells, and the hum of the planet are well presented.

The Xenomorphs themselves move amazingly. At first, you hear a scurrying in the vents above you, then all of a sudden a growl or a hiss and the iconic silhouette emerges from the shadows. They leap, prowl, and climb across every surface in an animalistic way that is beautiful to see, but deadly to witness for too long. Their tails thrash about and sway, and the general AI for them is pretty good as they clamber across and around every inch of the environment, looking for a way to suss you out and over-power you.

When you blast them, the corridors fill with ricocheting bullet sparks and muzzle flash, acid is dashed on the ground, and your blood sprays across your face. It's captivatingly tense and ultimately thrilling to be behind the eyes of a marine and pummelling the titular Aliens with rounds. You stare at your bullet counter, and think, should I reload, or should I run dry and switch to my sidearm?

When a Xenomorph corpse hits the ground it shrivels up a little and melts away into a puddle of its own vibrant yellow molecular acid blood. It's a shame the bodies don't pile up, that would have been more satisfying to see, but ultimately you can see why they opted for this, because the way the Xeno's attack is wave-based, and it feels like it's on an odd clockwork interval. The longer you take exploring the scenery the more you'll see, and this can become an ammunition conservation nightmare.

attachFull476797

Zula Hendricks Will Return

Aliens Rogue Incursion is a superb addition to the PSVR2 lineup, with stunning visuals, eery sound design and excellent attention to detail throughout but it comes with several caveats.

Firstly, there are simply not enough weapons. Where is the flame thrower, or the smart gun? The weapons we have at our disposal, while limited, are all excellent in their execution, and the pulse rifle has that iconic-sounding gunfire as you unload into a swarm of Xenomorphs, but I would have liked a melee option too. When I've spent my rifle ammo and blasted away with my revolver, I'm mercilessly unprotected should any further bugs crawl out of the woodwork. It feels wrong to not have that option, as futile as it might be, a last-stand type weapon would have been an ace close combat addition.

Secondly, there are very few enemy types. You have the Xenomorph, the parasitic face-huggers, and the oddly enticing Ovomorph eggs. That's about it (without giving anything away). Aliens Fire Team Elite capitalised on building enemy types that gave varied attack patterns and forced you to kill them a certain way, ARC doesn't, but it does stay extremely truthful to the Aliens movie, in that there were predominantly drones as cannon fodder throughout. It's a bit of a missed opportunity in my opinion, they could have sprinkled in a little bit more imagination and challenge by adding alternative established enemy types from the vast cannon lore.

Thirdly, no auto saves. What the actual hell?! You have to manually save progress in safe rooms, if you don’t, no matter how far you got; if you die you’re put back to the last time you saved. Also, safe rooms, aren't actually safe unless you lock the door behind you. It’s not good!

Finally, and as the banner above indicates, this game is a two-parter. This information was only shared on the day of release, so for the most part it's a huge surprise, but it is also a double-edged sword. Knowing that Survios has stated that part 2 will have "deadlier enemies" it begs the question of whether this game is just half of the original product, cut down to save time and expenses, or perhaps it is as intended and they have far more ideas they couldn't fit in; enough to make a sequel. Either way, it's a bit of a kick in the teeth for those who now need to wait for the second part to surface to enjoy the saga in full, but also; it's encouraging that more is on the way and perhaps they will learn from part one what the fans want from this game.

For what it's worth I think Alien Rogue Incursion is a fantastic game that has a lot of potential, especially if Survios is willing to patch in a few much-needed fan-requested alterations to their existing mechanics. I cannot quite figure out why they only made this a 5-8 hour game, which opens up so well I might add; only to become a clockwork wave shooter, with repetitive puzzle elements, that has barely any variety in weapon or enemy types.

It's good, but it could have easily been so much better!

Verdict

What We Liked ...

Incredible atmosphere
Stunning environments
Excellent sound design
Thrilling and genuinely suspenseful
Cliff-hanger ending is interesting

What We Didn't Like ...

Awkward VR controls
Time release enemies
Not enough direction
Not many weapons
Crap save system

Gameplay

Rogue Incursion puts you behind the gun and leaves you panicking to reload while you're under infestation. The feeling of exploration within movie quality environments is quite amazing. The gameplay unravels a little towards the end as it becomes more of a wave shooter than a strategic tactical operation, but regardless, it's pretty fun throughout.

Presentation

This has to be one of the best visual depictions of James Cameron's Aliens in a VR video game. Everything looks the part, and the overall atmosphere is truly incredible throughout each smoke-filled tunnel, each light-strobing hallway, and each acid-drenched encounter. Vocal dialogue and the musical score are top-notch, as well as the SFX in general.

Lasting Appeal

The game is replayable for its blastability and running around admiring the view and decimating Xenos at the very least. Sadly there isn't a lot to unlock past the credits. There are 35 trophies to pop, but most will be hit in your first playthrough.

out of 10

Overall

This is, annoyingly part one of the Rogue Incursion saga, and we didn't know that until release. According to Survios, it's a two-parter, so surprise: you'll need to pay more to enjoy the complete story in full. Part one is a great game overall, marred only by a few weird choices.

Reactions: console, BigOnYa and ZeroFX

this game made me sell my quest 3

Reactions: KiiWii

Alien in VR? too much for me poor nerves

DAZA
Jan 23, 2025

Great review!! you really detailed a lot of aspects within this VR version.. i can imagine this is the second closest thing to being immersed within the Alien world environment (the first being alien war).

Exnor
Jan 23, 2025

Sadly VR is still to expensive for the average user, like me.

wurstpistole said:
this game made me sell my quest 3

Why? I was planning to play this using a Quest 3 (PCVR/cabled).
Does this misbehave or not work with a Quest 3?

Reviews

Hardware
Anbernic RG Rotate Retro Handheld review

A pocketable handheld with a twist, we check out the latest Anbernic has to offer.
Hardware
Wicked Cushions FreeZe PS5 Earpads review

Headsets are unsung heroes of gaming, keeping you immersed for long periods of time. But what if I told you your favorite set of cans could get a sweet upgrade?
Hardware
Gaomon Pro 19 Pen Display review

A 19 inch pen display boasting a 4K resolution and professional colour accuracy, we take a look at the best of what Gaomon has to offer.
PlayStation 5
Yerba Buena review

A 70s mystery FPS with puzzles, this game definitely has my attention, but will it hold it?
Hardware
CZUR K5S TouchBoard Pro review

CZUR, maker of document scanners and projectors, comes to us today with their K5S Pro bluetooth keyboard.

More reviews

Product Information:

Game Features:

Virtual Viscosity

Atmospheric Extremes

Zula Hendricks Will Return

Verdict

Overall

Anbernic RG Rotate Retro Handheld review

Wicked Cushions FreeZe PS5 Earpads review

Gaomon Pro 19 Pen Display review

Yerba Buena review

CZUR K5S TouchBoard Pro review