A cool fan-made RPG in the Alien-verse
A L I E N – Damnation is a free fan-made game set in the Alien media franchise. In this sci-fi adventure, you get to be the hero of a spinoff story that follows the events of a separate space mission forced to face the same race of Xenomorphs that antagonized the decade-spanning multimedia property.
Its user-friendly controls and extremely hostile environment makes for a great horror game. However, A L I E N – Damnation suffers from minor design issues. Fans can also check another horror fan-made game based on a film property with SCREAM, also from the same developer.
Experience the terror of the Xenomorphs
Like most games based on the franchise, A L I E N – Damnation also builds its game on the franchise that humans are physically inferior to the Xenomorphs. You then have to rely on your instinct and intellect in order to survive. To further drive the horror, this game even lets you experience first-person horror such as watching new aliens burst from chests and grab faces.
For an indie game, this has fairly good graphics. With smooth animations and detailed character designs, it looks like something developed by an AAA game studio. It even features atmospheric sounds that can help you cue impending danger or drown you out and leave you clueless. This combination of elements makes it feel like a demo for a full release, plus it even has its own cutscenes.
Of course, as an indie project, you can’t expect much content, and so it also suffers from a short playing time. There are also a few design issues, especially with the subtitles. Being the only clue on the lore and the progress of the story, it would be better if they remain readable regardless of your character position and angle. Other than that, the game works perfectly fine.
A fun, first-person Alien experience
Although it suffers from a short game time, A L I E N – Damnation manages to make this slight inconvenience work to its advantage. With its new premise built on the franchise lore, plus its use of visual and auditory elements, the whole game feels like a prelude to something bigger. The only real element lacking is the visibility of certain game elements, especially the subtitles. Still, highly recommended.