Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition lays out the sad state of VR gaming, taking what was a solid VR game based on the legendary property and turning it into a just-alright flatscreen experience to reach a wider audience.
I don’t blame Survios for taking the Unreal Engine-made game and re-releasing it as Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition. Rogue Incursion‘s initial release gave fans of the Alien franchise a competent first-person shooter featuring a well-written narrative that fleshes out the expanded comic book world of the series in a meaningful way. Its departure from a VR-only title is more than worthwhile for a wider audience, particularly fans of the series, to be able to play.
Unfortunately, the transition to a traditional flat screen experience somewhat diminishes the charm of Rogue Incursion. Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition loses the one thing that made it feel distinct, which is its ability to transport players into the hostile world of the Xenomorphs, thanks to the power of VR. The game, instead, now feels more like a shallow first-person shooter experience that doesn’t have the same level of tension found in its VR counterpart.
Despite the more aggressive, hostile AI, Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition is far too easy as a flatscreen experience, resulting in a game that feels more like a generic sci-fi shooter than a foreboding and tense romp inside a Xenomorph-infested station. The removal of VR also directly results in the game feeling riddled with too many button prompts, making up for sections that once featured climbing or physical interactions, which felt natural with motion controls, now feel contrived and clunky.
Not everything is worse, however, as Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition now features some better volumetric lighting and other visual effects that give the game a much more polished look, especially in contrast to the Meta Quest edition of the game. The graphical enhancements, unfortunately, seem not to affect the overall texture quality of the in-game assets, as even now, many areas of the game feature some low-res textures, which can feel jarring against the otherwise improved fidelity of the game.
“Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition loses the one thing that made it feel distinct…”
On PlayStation 5, Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition features good use of the DualSense controller, with weapons, including tools, such as the torch, all feeling well-realized on the gamepad. There is also a quick dash button, making it possible to get out of the way when swarmed with enemies, which can come in handy when in the often claustrophobic environments of the Purdan Research colony.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition feels like a solid companion piece to Alien Romulus, following the exploits of ex-Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks and her synth partner Davis 01, as they investigate a distress signal on a derelict research colony. One thing that translates well regardless of platform is the narrative chops present in Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition, making it an essential experience for hardcore Alien fans. It should be noted, however, that Survios plans on releasing a follow-up game sometime in the future, as Rogue Incursion only tells half the story of what may be a multi-part project.
Ultimately, Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition is still a decent romp that Alien fans will enjoy. Sadly, without its immersive VR lens, the game feels somewhat bland and generic, making it best reserved for a sale or for those who love the franchise but have no means or desire for VR.
