Alien: Rogue Incursion review – A well-rounded VR thriller

Although Alien: Rogue Incursion does little to push the Virtual Reality space beyond what we’ve already grown familiar with, it’s another well-rounded experience that all owners should strongly consider, especially if you’re a lifelong fan of the IP.

The newest Alien game can be best described as an all-around solid VR experience. Will it be winning awards for innovation in the space? Certainly not. Will it shock lifelong fans of the franchise? Not at all. But from top to bottom, it’s an undeniably polished game that offers up hours of action-packed gameplay for existing fans and newcomers alike.

At its core, Rogue Incurison leans more toward the action genre than it does horror. If you’re expecting something akin to 2014’s Alien: Isolation, being hunted down by a towering Xenomorph as you scavenge for scarce supplies, that’s not what you’ll find here. Instead, think more along the lines of a Colonial Marines.

It employs VR well, fully immersing you on a mysterious planet swarming with hostile creatures, and the mystery that unravels throughout is intriguing enough to keep you coming back. Not to mention, there’s plenty of bang for your buck with this title too, even if it is the start of something bigger. Just don’t expect this first chapter to completely knock your socks off.

Rogue Incursion is an enjoyable action game that falls just short of standing out in the VR market in any discernable way.

Alien: Rogue Incursion screenshots & details

• Price (Standard Edition): $39.99 USD / £32.99 GBP / $59.95 AUD
• Developer: Survios
• Release Date: December 19, 2024 (February, 13, 2025 on Meta Quest 3)
• Platforms: PlayStation VR2 (through PS5), PCVR (through Steam using Meta Rift S, Quest 2, Quest 3, Quest 3s, Valve Index), Meta Quest 3
• Reviewed on PS5

It’s a Xenomorph party

Dropped straight into a sticky situation, you take on the role of Zula Hendricks after she and her artificial person crash-land on the mysterious Purdan. Looking to repair the ship and get off-world in short order, it’s not long until their plans are interrupted, as you’d expect. The less you know about the events from here, the better, but it’s all fairly predictable until the closing moments.

It doesn’t take long to realize Aliens are everywhere in this game. Hiding around most corners, crawling through countless air vents above you, they’re almost always lurking. While the frantic pace is fun at first, keeping you on your toes at every turn, it can grow rather tiresome before long.

Rogue Incursion has a nifty inventory system wherein, you pop weapons over your shoulders and grab equipment from your hip. Though given how much fighting you’re doing, it can often feel like your primary weapon rarely leaves your hands.

By the time you reload after a fight and strap it back over your shoulder, another Xenomorph is already leaping into the room. Even designated Panic Rooms – areas designed to let you exhale as you save the game and take a short break – aren’t safe from the enemy. They can rush you down while you’re just trying to

Survios

It may sound goofy complaining about too many Aliens in an Aliens game, but a slight tweak to the spawn rate would vastly improve the game’s pacing.

It does help, however, that the AI system plotting their next move is tremendous. Even with headphones on, tracking their movement is a challenge until they’re out in the open and you’re struggling to fend them off. You can never quite predict their next path as they’re able to climb walls and hang from the ceiling.

Fights feel authentically nerve-racking as you fumble to slot new rounds into a shotgun or even clumsily drop your weapons on the ground. Though for as fun as combat can feel, when you’re not overrun, it’s a shame environments aren’t quite as interactive as in other standout VR shooters.

You can’t use the butt of your gun to push an Alien back, you can’t grab a sharp object off a nearby desk and use it to your advantage. You’re using your standard equipment from start to finish with little in the way of variation throughout.

Survios

Equipment at your disposal varies, with items like the map, being essential, while others I made it through the game without using.

Sinking your teeth in

While advertised as a standalone game, it’s crucial to know going in that Rogue Incursion is just the start of a bigger story. Thankfully, developers are already toiling away on what comes next, but it’s likely still a while off. As a result, by jumping in right away, you’re only getting part of the full story, part of what’s sure to be a larger map, and part of an arsenal that will no doubt expand over time.

Despite this, this first slice is still fairly substantial. Framed as a metroidvania of sorts, there’s plenty that will entice you to backtrack through previously explored areas. New tools will open up new pathways while higher security clearance will allow you to open doors you previously couldn’t.

Survios

There’s plenty to uncover in Rogue Incursion, and the lore will no doubt be intriguing to diehard Alien fans.

Along the way you’ll find a ton of ammunition and syringes to heal with, but also a great deal in the way of wordbuilding. Almost every room you enter has at least one computer terminal you can access which in turn, lets you check a wide range of communications between former locals.

If you really stop to smell the roses in this game, even replaying at a higher difficulty or going for the Platinum Trophy on PS5, you’re in store for a few dozen hours of playtime, and all things considered, that’s not bad for what’s being framed as an opening act. Down the line, with the next installment available, we could be looking at one of the more sizeable FPS experiences in VR.

The Verdict 3 / 5

No matter how you look at it, even during its weakest moments, Rogue Incursion is still a well-refined VR experience. It makes great use of the hardware and your time is respected from start to finish. Though nothing it offers is truly revelatory or innovative for the space, meaning there’s no rush to jump in right away, especially given there’s more to come in the years ahead.

Still, I mostly enjoyed my time with the game as a fan of the series, though the Aliens themselves were far too populous for my liking. I’m eager to see what lies ahead and will definitely be circling back for the next installment.