Alien Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition [REVIEW] – Flat-screen Xenomorph Scares

Alien: Rogue Incursion has now left the confines of virtual reality, opening its doors to console and PC players in the form of the Evolved Edition. By swapping motion controls for a controller, Survios has made the experience more accessible, but the trade-off is a drop in the sense of tension and immersion that the game was originally built around. What remains is a solid but uneven Alien title that’s engaging for fans of the series, but lacking the bite to become a must-play – especially if you previously experienced the game in its VR form (I absolutely loved it on PC VR).

Check out some screenshots down below:

Alien: Rogue Incursion puts players in the role of Zula Hendricks, a former Colonial Marine who might be familiar to readers of some of the Alien comics. After being shot down over a Weyland-Yutani facility known as Castor’s Cradle, Zula and her synthetic ally Davis must uncover the truth behind the distress signal they were chasing, all whilst trying to survive swarms of Xenomorphs. So far, so Alien, right? Zula is a welcome protagonist: stoic, competent, and distinct from the franchise’s usual leads, whilst her connections to Amanda Ripley give the story a place in the wider canon that really ups the stakes. It is worth noting that this is only ‘Part One’ of the story, but it still delivers a reasonably satisfying arc within its four-to-five hour runtime.

Atmosphere is the game’s strongest card, with Castor’s Cradle having all of the hallmarks of classic Alien design – industrial corridors, dimly lit outposts, and the eerie sense of being somewhere you shouldn’t be (and with something always lurking in the shadows). The audio work helps reinforce the tension: the hum of machinery, the clank of doors, and the signature bleeps of the motion tracker all create a world that feels authentic to the franchise. It looks and feels great, and long-time fans of the Alien franchise are sure to appreciate the effort made by Survios to capture that Alien identity.

“Alien: Rogue Incursion – Evolved Edition is a faithful and atmospheric addition to the franchise that loses some of its edge in the transition away from VR.”

Unfortunately, the shift to flat screens exposes some of the game’s VR skeleton, with many mechanics – hacking, welding, and so forth – being originally built around physical motions. Here, they’re simplified into button holds and stick movements, which is functional, but shows how simple the gameplay can be when tactile movements aren’t necessary. Where VR created tension through handling the pressure of the Xenomorphs whilst also having to physically perform actions, on a controller, everything feels simpler to deal with and lacks that sense of urgency. Combat in particular suffers, with encounters with Xenomorphs playing out as straightforward firefights rather than nerve-wracking hunts where you’ll be turning your head carefully and lining up shots with the knowledge that one wrong move can be your end. It doesn’t help that the AI isn’t always the smartest, meaning the Xenomorphs become easy targets as opposed to vicious stalkers.

Weapon variety is another weak spot, with just three guns found across the campaign: a revolver, shotgun, and pulse rifle. They’re serviceable and were fun to use in VR, but when playing the game as a standard shooter on a flat screen, they just feel a little basic and bare-boned. It just lacks that sense of pizzazz that I found when playing the game in VR.

Check out some screenshots down below:

It might sound like I’m being a little harsh on Alien Rogue Incursion, so I need to emphasise that I really do like the game a lot. It’s just clear that it worked better as a VR game as opposed to a flat screen one. Don’t get me wrong, the presentation is polished, performance is smooth, visuals are clean, and the voice acting does the job, whilst there are still flashes of excitement when alarms blare and motion tracker pings echo through dim corridors as you deal with a Xenomorph threat. It’s just clear that it was built for VR, and with that added sense of immersion now missing, everything feels a bit more ordinary… not bad by any means, but not as thrilling as the experience can really be.

Developer: Survios
Publisher: Survios
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PC
Website: https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP2147-PPSA30391_00-ARIEVOLVED000001