Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
The Alien series has had a surprisingly decent streak on consoles since the release of Isolation back in 2014. I can only imagine the sheer disaster of Colonial Marines gave the higher-ups at 20th Century Studios the kick up the bum they sorely needed, but fans have been treated to some pretty enjoyable titles recently. Fireteam Elite? Good! Dark Descent? Even better! Rogue Incursion…? Yeah, pretty good, but it’s got some issues.
Originally released as a VR title, Rogue Incursion was quickly altered to work as a more traditional first-person shooter, breaking free from its VR shackles and thus gaining the ‘Evolved Edition’ moniker. It also happens to be the first in a two-part story, the latter of which is supposedly in development as of 2024. As such, Rogue Incursion is a brief jaunt clocking in at around 5-7 hours depending on your choice of difficulty.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
You play as Zula Hendricks, a Colonial Marine who previously appeared in extended universe stories like Defiance and Prototype. She, along with her synthetic buddy Davis 01, arrives on the planet Purdan after receiving a distress signal. When they land at a derelict facility, they find it overrun by Xenomorphs, thus kickstarting a well-paced story of survival.
I enjoyed the narrative a lot, and it certainly benefits from the talents of author Alex White, who’s written two of the more critically acclaimed Alien novels: The Cold Forge and Into Charybdis. That said, I’m also conscious that I live and breathe Alien on a near-daily basis, so if you’re not familiar with the series at large, then you might not enjoy it quite as much. For example, brief mentions of Amanda Ripley will delight fans of Isolation, but those without prior knowledge might wonder who the heck she is.
Gameplay is a mix of exploration, gun combat, and light puzzle solving. It’s nowhere near as stealth-oriented as Isolation, but it’s also not quite as trigger-happy as Fireteam Elite – instead, it nestles itself nicely in between. After a quiet opening in which the tense, oppressing atmosphere really shines, it’s not long until you encounter your first Xenomorph. From here, exploration is punctuated by brief combat encounters, requiring you to clear out any encroaching aliens before you’re able to continue exploring.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Combat feels reasonably slick, giving you access to weapons such as pistols, shotguns, and the iconic pulse rifle, and they all sound wonderfully punchy. I never really felt like I was lacking ammo, so you’re free to just unload into whatever enemies happen to get in your way.
That said, the frequency at which the Xenomorphs show up does diminish their impact. Unless you’re playing on a higher difficulty – during which you’ll need to really pay attention – the Xenomorphs become little more than moving targets to gun down, presenting little threat and often conveniently dropping down right in front of you.
Granted, if you’re facing off against multiple aliens at once, you’ll need to have your wits about you. They can be ludicrously fast, leaping over obstacles or crawling up to the ceiling to get the drop on you. Although ammo is plentiful, you don’t get that much in a single magazine, so if you find yourself having to reload while three Xenos are closing in, then, well… game over, man, game over.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Much like Isolation, you also have a motion tracker at hand to keep an eye out for incoming attacks. It’s not quite as useful in Rogue Incursion, however, since all encounters are signalled by a sudden change in the music. From that point forward, you’re best off just keeping the motion tracker stowed and relying on your own senses to see where the aliens emerge.
Outside of combat, light puzzle-solving is required to progress through the environment. To unlock certain doors, you’ll need to physically rewire terminals to get the electricity flowing properly, moving each wire to the correct socket.
You can really tell that Rogue Incursion originated as a VR game during these segments, and I imagine it was really cool to move the wires around with your hands. That said, they remain engaging enough with analogue sticks, and you’re never going to come across anything that’s going to completely bamboozle you.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Speaking of controls, the Switch 2 port boasts both gyro aiming and mouse controls. The former can be used in conjunction with the analogue sticks, letting you fine-tune your aiming during intense encounters. This is the method I stuck with for the majority of the game. Mouse controls, meanwhile, are enabled by default, and you simply need to rest the Joy-Con 2 on a flat surface to activate it.
Movement is smooth and you can adjust the sensitivity to your liking, but I just don’t get on with mouse controls in FPS games – on Switch 2, at least. That said, it works wonders whenever you interact with the in-game PC terminals, allowing you to move the cursor around like a proper mouse.
Presentation on Switch 2 is acceptable, but nothing to write home about. Visually, I find it severely lacking in detail, with enemies in particular looking like plastic figurines – hardly the perfect organism. That said, the atmosphere is on point, and you can tell the development team studied the movies closely to nail a similar vibe.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Finally, quality and performance modes are available via the menu if you wish to prioritise smooth frame rates over visuals. I didn’t notice too much of a graphical downgrade in performance mode – maybe some more noticeable aliasing here and there – but the boost up to 60fps makes it more than worthwhile.
Conclusion
I had a good time with Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition. It finds a strong balance between the slower, more stealth-oriented gameplay of Isolation and the frantic action seen in Fireteam Elite, blending classic Alien combat with some light puzzle-solving.
Visually, it lacks a lot of detail for my liking, but the faithful art design just about holds it together. Its biggest sin, however, is that the impact of the Xenomorphs quickly diminishes thanks to the frequency at which they appear. They also just look kinda goofy, I won’t lie. Still, as a fan of the series, the story, atmosphere, and sound design hit the right notes for me.
