Fans are getting close to finally being able to go toe-to-toe with a Xenomorph in VR––an experience The Direct got to do thanks to a hands-on impression of the upcoming Alien: Rogue Incursion game.
The VR game, developed by Survios, follows ex-Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks (a character first introduced in the Alien comics) on a mission to the uncharted planet of Purdan.
While searching for missing squad mate Benjamin Carver, she is thrown into a deep, dark mystery as she is forced to defend herself against an onslaught of Xenomorphs.
Hands-On Impression of Alien: Rogue Incursion
VR game developer Survios invited The Direct out for one of the first hands-on impressions of the game, and we couldn't have been more excited to try a Pulse Rifle and hunt down some Xenomorphs.
The level we played took place in the first third of the game, still in the early swings of the narrative. It followed the lead character, Zula Hendricks (Played by Andia Winslow, who spoke with The Direct at SDCC), wandering around a destroyed facility with her sentient AI companion Davis-1, looking to upgrade their keycard access to uncover the mysteries of the narrative further.
The control scheme is similar to what one would expect from a VR shooter. Weapons are grabbed directly from where they sit on the body (Pistol on your right waist and Pulse Rifle over your right shoulder), and a light can be turned on over your left shoulder.
After a quick press of a button on the controller, a little utility pouch with various items (including the map/objectives tablet, ID card, etc.) becomes available.
While I played with full, smooth motion, softer options are available for those more sensitive to VR movement.
Throughout the experience, there are panic rooms, where players can also save by inserting their key cards into a console. But be warned–you better close the door behind you.
Overall, the level being played saw me going through a torn-apart facility, opening doors, finding tools, and upgrading my keycard. In doing so, I had to be very careful because, at any moment, a Xenomorph could appear to take me out.
While the game gives you a motion tracker, just like the original films, I found it more fun to simply keep my eyes and ears out for Xenomorphs to pop out. And rest assured, those dudes are tricky and can hide very well.
Needless to say, running across Xenomorphs in VR is worth the price of admission alone.
They're well-designed and scary, and it's oh-so-satisfying to mow them down with the Pulse Rifle. It also felt particularly thrilling to put them in their place with a revolver––which is possible, provided you don't miss a shot.
If a Xeno does take some swings at you, it's not the end of the road. Health vials are on your left wrist and are easy to inject at a moment's notice.
The shooting mechanics are smooth and feel entirely natural. I did have some issues aligning the sights for the Pulse Rifle at points, but it was a small hiccup that I assume will be worked out by launch.
Items are scattered around for players to collect, either sitting in lockers and on desks or hidden in what look to be empty boxes players can pick up and shake out. This made it feel like actually taking a moment to scavenge and look around the environment would be beneficial.
To properly pick them up, players deposit them into their avatar's chest, and they're added to the inventory.
Hunting down Xenomorphs was exhilarating, but sadly, I wasn't able to make it to the dramatic climax of the level due to some bugs in the game––which is completely understandable and par for the course when it comes to early demos like this.
But what I played, which was fairly simple in the end, was enough to convince me that I'll definitely want to be playing the full game when it launches on December 19 at the end of this year.
Survios Creative Director on Bringing Alien: Rogue Incursion to Life
After playing through a portion of the game, The Direct's Russ Milheim sat down with Survios Chief Product Officer and Creative Director T.Q. Jefferson to talk about Alien: Rogue Incursion, a game that was the culmination of everything the developer has created before.
The first topic was an immediate comparison to Alien: Isolation, the fan-favorite game that's come out of the franchise.
Jefferson noted that while "'Isolation' is a love letter to 'Alien,' they consider Rogue Incursion to be "a love letter to 'Aliens':"
"I think the most succinct way I can put it is that 'Isolation' is a love letter to 'Alien,' first film. 'Rogue Incursion' is a love letter to 'Aliens,' the second film. So was to have that level of fidelity, that level of storytelling, because 'Isolation' is the benchmark... We want just to be able to stand in the same room, crowd, and space as that sort of game, but at the same time, do our own thing and lean into action, leaning into a different sort of wish fulfillment and player fantasy."
He also leaned into how Zula Hendricks, the protagonist of Rogue Incursion, really helped with what they were aiming for:
"Zula [Hendricks] was always in the game. She was never another player character. So what I really want to do is capture in a way... like that third act in 'Aliens,' when Ripley gets the gun, and she's like, I'm gonna go find Newt, and she goes in there, she starts whipping ass, right? Like, how do we do that? How do we give you that sort of agency in the world of Alien? So, that became one of our guiding posts."
Jefferson admitted that they "knew that so many people have been clamoring for Alien and VR:"
"We knew that so many people have been clamoring for 'Alien' and VR, and that's what Survios has been doing for the last 11 years, is VR. So we suspected, we knew, that there was an appetite for something like this. But VR is about immersion. VR is about interaction. VR is more action-oriented."
While Zula is "being attacked and hunted by Xenos" throughout the game, she's also doing the same to them:
"So, it all sort of aligned around this vision of Zula in this space where she is being attacked and hunted by Xenos, but she's also attacking and hunting them at the same time, and that power dynamic, the way it switches back and forth, was part of what we felt was gonna be special about the game."
As for how scary they wanted Rogue Incursion to be, Jefferson explained how, during their research, they had people telling them that they "can't scare [them] enough:"
"We had folks talking about the franchise, and they're saying, You can't scare me enough. It can't be too scary. So that's great. It gives you a lot of latitude, right?... One of my favorite anecdotes was, I would always say if I can scare someone out of the hardware, then we've done our jobs."
In fact, he went on to share a story about a play tester who ripped his VR helmet off the first time he came across the Xenomorph in the virtual world:
"And sure enough, we had a play tester just on the other side of that wall. The first Xenomorph he saw, he took the helmet off, and he was like, 'No.' And then he came back, about 10 minutes later, pumped himself up. He's like, 'I'm ready for it,' right? Then, the Xenomorph came again. He took it off again... But it was high fives for everybody on the team that day. You've never seen me happier."
For Survios' approach to Rogue Incursion, however, it was less about being scary and more about "finding the balance between feeling helpless and being empowered:"
"It's not a matter of it's too scary. It's really finding the balance between feeling helpless and being empowered, right? So there gonna be times as because Zula doesn't have superpowers, you know, she doesn't have abilities or anything like that. She is a normal person with a particular skill set and a will to push back... So, there will be times when you're going to feel very in control and very powerful, but also times where, like, I need to retreat, and finding that balance was really quite cool."
Jefferson also went on to explain how Survios is very mindful of the little details within their projects, especially when it comes to existing in a shared continuity as large as the Alien franchise.
One of those details is how they handled the existence of the Pulse Rifle, which technically would not have existed in the form seen in Aliens.
He explained how they had to "reverse engineer the how and why of it being in existence now to fit the lore:"
"We had to sort of reverse engineer the how and why of its existence now to fit the lore. We could have just waved our hands and said, You know, just be thankful you have a pulse rifle. But we also know that, like the core 'Alien,' fans would lose their minds, and rightfully. So we worked with 20th Century and came up with either more or narrative justifications for why we have certain things that might seem anachronistic on the face if you're looking at the fine details."
Jefferson elaborated that the Pulse Rifle in Rogue Incursion "is essentially the precursor, the prototype" to what is in Aliens:
"So the pulse rifle in 'Aliens' is the M41A, and ours is the M41, which is essentially the precursor, the prototype. And the thing that's cool about that, to me anyway, is that. So they're pretty commonplace by the time you get to the second film. But for Zula's context, it's a little more of the rare side."
For fans hoping to see references to previous Alien projects, rest assured: there will be Easter eggs to see from nearly all movies, including the likes of Covenant and the recent Alien: Romulus movie:
"There are nods to several of the 'Alien' films. So there's 'Alien,' 'Aliens,' 'Alien 3.' There's a nod to 'Covenant' in there for you to find... There are some very clear nods to 'Alien: Romulus' in our game... The game as a product has some knots to Romulus built into it. So yes, it's there."
Fans can be sure to pick up Alien: Rogue Incursion when it launches on December 19 on PSVR2, MetaQuest 3, and the Steam store.
Pre-order details can be found below:
