Title: Alien: Rogue Incursion
Developer: Survios
Publisher: Survios
Release Date: February 13, 2025 (Meta Quest 3), December 19, 2024 (PlayStation VR2 and SteamVR)
Platforms: PC (SteamVR), PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 3
Reviewed on: Meta Quest 3
Price: $39.99 (USD) for the base game, $9.99 for the Deluxe Upgrade

To read our Xbox review of Alien: Rogue Incursion Part One Evolved Edition, click here.

Growing up, I loved science-fiction: movies, comics, video games—anything I could get my hands on. One of my favorites was Star Trek: The Next Generation; I loved the futuristic technology, the way anything and everything was possible. I found the holodeck particularly fascinating: a giant room where any reality could be programmed to come to life and experienced as if the user were walking inside a video game or actually there in real life.

By that time in the 90s, I was already obsessed with the Alien franchise, both in films and video games like the 1992 classic Alien 3 on the SEGA Genesis. So it was only natural for my young mind to dream of a future where one day gaming technology would advance so far that I could actually storm a Xenomorph hive or battle The Perfect Organism in the corridors of LV-426 like my childhood heroes. I distinctly remember a youthful melancholy that I’d likely never live long enough to see that dream become a reality.

I share this because I want you to take me seriously when I say that playing Alien: Rogue Incursion on the Meta Quest 3 virtual reality gaming console felt like a dream realized. This game delivered big time on the elusive promise of VR Gaming, and more impressively, delivered an Alien game that will carry the banner for its sub-genre for years to come.

I want to acknowledge that Survios has provided a key for this review; and I hope my history of writing about Alien content has earned some trust from my readers as someone who shares their honest take and that my life-long obsession with this franchise marks me as a true fan, because when I say you MUST play this game, I mean it with all of my xeno-loving heart. I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you.

Synopsis

Long-time Alien fans and consumers of the Alien Expanded Universe will appreciate that Alex White wrote the story for Alien: Rogue Incursion. White is the celebrated author of Alien: The Cold Forge and Alien: Into Charybdis, both celebrated novels from publisher Titan Books. To read more of our coverage of the expanded universe, click here.

Spoiler-free synopsis from Survios:

“Zula’s Fight Begins Here: Part One of this gripping two-part story thrusts you into the violent world of Alien, where you will uncover the secrets lurking within the GES (Gemini Exoplanet Solutions) facility on LV-354, the enigmatic planet Purdan. This installment stands alone as a complete story yet leaves you hanging on a thrilling cliffhanger, eager to dive deeper into Zula’s unfolding story in Part Two, where she will face new challenges and deadlier enemies.”

Detailed synopsis with mild spoilers:

Former Colonial Marine Colonel Zula Hendricks receives a distress call from the planet Purdan, where a secret research facility called Castor’s Cradle is being operated by Gemini Exoplanet Solutions, the same corporation featured in Alien: Isolation. This Weyland-Yutani competitor is conducting highly dangerous and unethical research with Xenomorph specimens, and Zula’s former squad mate Benjamin Carver, who is now head of security at Castor’s Cradle, has key information and is requesting extraction.

Upon seeking permission to land on Purdan, Zula and Davis 01 (her long-time synthetic companion) are shot down by the automated defense systems, only to discover upon surviving the crash that Castor’s Cradle is a ghost town with a full Xenomorph infestation.

Zula Hendricks must survive long enough to find Carver and escape with the incriminating data, but many dark discoveries and terrifying surprises await.

The Meta Quest 3 Experience

I’ll preface this section by noting that I’m not a ride-or-die guy for graphics; gameplay has always been paramount to me in my considerations of which games I play and my enjoyment of these titles. That said, I appreciate a good product when I see one and know the value of high-fidelity graphics and the impact on immersion they provide.

I’m happy to say that the Meta Quest 3 version provides an incredibly immersive gameplay experience and that the graphics, while slightly below the PSVR2 and SteamVR versions, more than hold serve. And for some users like myself who feel frustrated by games (or shows!) that are too dark to see, they may appreciate the slight color variation (such as blue tones instead of pitch black) that Survios used to fit the game to the hardware limitations of the Meta Quest 3.

For me, the Meta Quest 3 version of the game is preferable for one big reason: immersion. Unlike the PSVR2 or SteamVR, the MQ3 does not need to be plugged in during gameplay. (This is the reason that the other platforms can provide a higher graphical fidelity because the game is running on a high-powered PC or console.) Playing Alien: Rogue Incursion unplugged is the best way to experience this terrifying and action-packed game.

Survios provides three options for playing the game using the Meta Quest 3:

• Sitting: works best with a minimum play area of 3 feet by 3 feet . It’s also recommended that players use a rotating desk chair. (Players should note that the locations for weapons and item storage will be different than the other recommended ways of playing.)

• Standing: requires a minimum play area of 3 feet by 3 feet . You may need take a step in any direction. (Weapon and item placement will be at the normal / default locations.)

• Roomscale: may require you to move anywhere in your play area. A play area of 6.5 feet by 6.5 feet is recommended. (Weapon and item placement will be at the normal / default locations.)

Playing Alien: Rogue Incursion in Roomscale mode is, simply put, an incredible experience. The freedom of being untethered via the MQ3 headset and then being able to walk freely within the game space is thrilling (try in as large of a room as possible!).

In the heat of battle or as Xenomorphs stalked me through the corridors of Castor’s Cradle, I found myself peering around vent corners by walking to the edge and dipping my head at an angle or spinning rapidly with my Pulse Rifle to take down a lunging Facehugger. I’ve been sucked into a gaming experience before, but never have I become so immersed in a game that I literally forgot I was playing one inside of my house. But that is precisely the experience I had playing Alien: Rogue Incursion on the Meta Quest 3.

The battery life is decent. Closing other apps and making sure I’d fully charged the game typically got me 90+ minutes of playtime between charges. It is worth noting that performance does significantly suffer when the battery level dipped below 20% (something Survios is aware of and acknowledges is a limitation of the hardware); so I typically limited myself to hour and a half sessions and then took a break to recharge. I never hit frame-rate drops or laggy glitches when the MQ3 was above 20% battery. When I played during low-battery stretches, the experience drop was noticeable, but infrequent and usually lasted for only a moment.

Gameplay

Alien: Rogue Incursion makes brilliant use of VR capabilities in a way that feels authentic to the game itself and to the franchise as a whole. The actions are intuitive and the puzzles feel germane to the world of Alien. The following section of this review takes a deep dive into the game play experience. Where spoilers are present, notes will warn in the subheading.

Basic Operations

The game immerses players into the role of a Colonial Marine, equipping them with gear and weaponry placed all over the body, just as a real soldier would carry their equipment. The Spearhead .357 “Heavy Bore Revolver,” a modified Frontier Revolver (Aliens: Fireteam Elite!) is holstered at the hip. The classic M41 Pulse Rifle and Spearhead 12 Gauge Riot Shotgun are located on the shoulder, left and right respectively. There is a TNR Shoulder Lamp that players can click on or off as needed, while proximity grenades are stored on the arm, meds on the wrist, and ammo at the waist. The Armat 3145 Motion Tracker is stored on the shoulder opposite of the grenades.

Players can access tools on the utility wheel, where they can access the CC34 Insulated Clamp, Armat C11 Datapad, PDT Keycard, and ME2 Hand Torch.

While players new to VR gaming may need a moment to adjust to this system and away from decades of console-based control schemes, the function and utility of the VR controls is intuitive and relatively easy to use. Even better, however, is how they add elements of strategy, tension, and even stress to the gameplay.

Combat

There is a gradual increase in difficulty, which trains the player on how to deal with Xenomorphs. Early in the game, players will face a single Xeno at a time, with fair warning pinged out by the Armat 3145 Motion Tracker. However, as the game progresses, there is a significant spike in the AI difficulty of the Xenomorphs, which often hunt in pairs or even greater numbers. On higher difficulty levels, passing by a grate or vent is a near death sentence, and players will want to approach with extreme caution.

At several points in the game, players are tasked with holding out for 60 seconds or longer as an unlimited onslaught of Xenomorphs attack. In these moments, players will want to make sure they utilize the proximity grenades and are fully-stocked and reloaded with ammo before the battle begins.

Players must be strategic when engaging in combat because reloading each of the weapons requires different physical movements and time. For example, the Pulse Rifle is the quickest and easiest to reload—a single button press to expel the empty clip, a quick reach to the waste to grab a new one and slam it home, and a quick pull to chamber the new rounds. However, Pulse Rifle ammo is precious in the game, and players can burn through it quickly when faced with attacks from multiple Xenos at once. When used by a single-hand, the Pulse Rifle is wildly inaccurate due to its powerful kick, so players will want to hold it with two hands to ensure precision.

To preserve ammo and for stability, players will likely want to use the Spearhead Shotgun whenever possible; however, when faced with multiple attackers, the shoot, pump, shoot rhythm of the shotgun, which is limited to eight rounds, can be too slow to ward off the attack, particularly if the player becomes stressed and misses shots. To reload, players must grab a single shell at a time from their waist and load them into the base of the shotgun. This became easier as I gained experience, but still felt too slow in the heat of battle. More often than not, I would simply move on to the next weapon until all my ammo had been spent or I could reload after the battle. The shotgun can be fired fairly accurately with one hand, but this limits players to just a single shot, since two hands are needed to chamber the next round.

The last resort for players is likely to be the Heavy Bore Revolver. With six rounds, it’s just enough to take down an adult Xenomorph, but reloading is a multi-step process that is not well-suited for the heat of battle. Players must open the cylinder and tip the revolver backwards to allow the spent shell casings to fall to the ground, then reach to their belt for more ammo, and insert new rounds in one at a time (though this can be done with rapid movement by skilled players), and finally re-close the cylinder. The revolver is excellent for one-handed combat.

These processes challenged me to think through combat situations and exploration, forcing me to choose carefully when engaging. Never did this feel more apparent than when I needed to solve puzzles or problem solve, limiting my ability to hold onto weapons with two hands.

Puzzles and Exploration

As players explore Castor’s Cradle, they will encounter work stations that contain control panels and emails. These work stations appear nearly identical to those in Alien: Isolation and fans will likely swell with nostalgia. However, much like the source material, players can be killed by Xenomorphs while working at these stations. The added complexity of VR gaming, however, is that operating these work stations requires physical movement!

Players must insert key cards or dock their Armat C11 Datapad. They must then grab the controls and move a large control stick to select information on the screen. This leaves players vulnerable to attack during the process, so they will likely want to hold the revolver or shotgun in one hand while they work with the other.

Much like Alien: Isolation, certain rooms will be unavailable upon the first traversal as security clearance, power-failure, and physical obstructions restrict entry. This incentivizes players to return to previous areas, particularly if they desire to complete every detail of the story or collect all items.

The puzzles in Alien: Rogue Incursion are wonderfully varied and feel natural to the world of Alien. These range from rewiring utility boxes (you’ll feel just like Hudson!), to collecting data drives, energy cells, or encrypted data that allows Davis 01 to hack doors. My personal favorite of these was the rewiring of utility boxes with the CC34 Insulated Clamp. These puzzles are often presented to players during extremely tense moments, such as squatting in an air duct with Xenomorphs attacking or the Motion Tracker pinging. Taking the time to figure out which wire needs to get connected to specific locations in order to open a desired door or allow power to a specific workstation felt excruciating in the best possible way.

Always, players will be on the lookout for Panic Rooms—key locations scattered throughout Castor’s Cradle where players can lock themselves in a safe room, protected from Xenomorph attacks while they save, reload weapons, or study the map. Just don’t forget to close the door behind you.

I also thoroughly enjoyed using the ME2 Hand Torch, which allows players to cut through welded doors or break into storage lockers that have been sealed tight. My only critique of Survios’ use of the tool in game is that players don’t get to use the ME2 Hand Torch to seal doors up, only to break through. Imagine the added stress of having to seal yourself into the safe room or facing the prospect that a Xeno will pry its way in. But perhaps that will come with Part 2 of the game, which is set to release at an unspecified time in the future.

Story Analysis (WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS)

Warning: this section contains MAJOR spoilers for the game. If you do not wish to read spoilers, please skip down to the next section labeled “Music and Voice Content.”

Simply put, the story in Alien: Rogue Incursion is spectacular. Survios made a wise decision in putting Alex White in charge of the story and in working with Disney and 20th Century Studios to ensure the game blended seamlessly with the Alien Expanded Universe.

Much of the narrative is told through environmental storytelling via investigation of Castor’s Cradle and through emails and audio recordings; however there are some damn compelling cutscenes.

The first act of the game focuses on Zula and Davis 01’s exploration of Castor’s Cradle and on their attempt to locate Benjamin Carver while repairing their damaged ship. The first act comes to a dramatic close when Zula and Davis must take a stand in the Mess Hall, which has become a slaughter house for the crew of Castor’s Cradle. Despite heroic efforts from Zula, Davis 01, (and the player!), the Xenomorphs win this battle. Davis is damaged and Zula is taken to the hive and cocooned in the wall.

This first act gives players a sense of scope in terms of the situation and damage of Castor’s Cradle. It’s a full-blown infestation, just like LV-426. You feel powerful as you cut down wave after wave of Xenos, and when you’re finally taken down, you may incorrectly believe you simply died. It actually comes as a great shock when you wake up cocooned inside the hive.

The second act of the game begins with Zula waking up as Ovomorphs release Facehuggers, one at a time. This is gut-wrenching and brutal. Players have a fully loaded (six rounds) revolver in their hand despite being cocooned. However, there are seven Ovomorphs; even if players perfectly aim and kill each approaching Facehugger, they will find themselves one round short. Zula is impregnated with a Chestburster.

During her time unconscious, she is visited by visions and dreams of Benjamin Carver, the Colonial Marine who carried her from the battlefield many years ago when she was critically injured. His words that this is their “worst nightmare” and that there will be “no glorious death” serve to reinforce the bleakness of the situation and ultimately make Zula’s grit and determination all the more inspiring when she refuses to go down without a fight.

Players must use a fallen ME2 Hand Torch to cut their way out of the cocoon; however, the nest guards will not allow Zula to leave and will attack her if she gets too close. Players must work their way over to the irreparably damaged body of Davis 01, who came looking for Zula in the hive, only to be destroyed by the Xenomorphs. Zula refuses to leave him there to die alone, so he orders her to cut off his head and take him with her as she escapes the nest, directing her to his fallen shotgun.

This section of the story is visceral and moving. Survios does an excellent job of highlighting the best qualities of Zula Hendricks while covering new ground—not an easy task when dealing with an already established character that has extensive lore. The relationship between Zula and Davis is beautifully rendered and fits well with other pieces of canon such as the comics or even the recently released Alien: Seventh Circle.

The second act of the game focuses on Zula’s plan to “carve her name” into the foundations of Purdan as she attempts to go down fighting. During this stretch of the game, she comes to terms with her own death and reflects on her relationships with Davis 01 and Amanda Ripley.

During this section of the game, players can access employee emails and audio recordings detailing the cruelty and heartless greed of Gemini Exoplanet Solutions. One particularly disturbing email recounts how the corporation purchased lobotomized convicts and used them to grow Xenomorphs via Facehuggers. One employee recalls how the people cried and whimpered despite being unable to speak as they underwent experimentation.

As this section comes to a close, Zula is sprayed with some kind of medical compound that appears to kills the Chestburster inside of her, though players and Zula don’t know it at that point in the game. The second act comes to a powerful conclusion as Zula battles a 60-second onslaught of Xenos as she attempts to get a moving communication out to Amanda Ripley, warning her of what they found and about the truth regarding Gemini Exoplanet Solutions.

I absolutely loved this moment and honestly teared up listening to her words to Amanda while simultaneously feeling like the ultimate badass mowing down Xenomorph after Xenomorph. Well done Survios and Alex White.

The third act of the game revolves around Zula’s path back to her ship to explode it like a bomb, taking out the whole of Castor’s Cradle. However, the synthetic staff of the facility have now woken up (many of whom look like off-brand Working Joes—love it!). In order to carry out her plan, Zula must make multiple trips to the medical facility located deep within Castor’s Cradle.

This part of the game is incredible. OF COURSE there’s a creepy medical facility that is without power and full of danger. (San Cristobal Medical Facility, anyone?) It is during one of these trips that Zula becomes aware of the possibility to remove the Chestburster through the surgery operation center.

In a dramatic moment of epic proportions, Zula is awake while strapped into the surgery unit, having the Chestburster removed (the VR, first-person POV is perfect for this); in a terrifying twist, a fully grown Praetorian Xenomorph obliterates the medical synthetic helping with the surgery and then stares down into the operating theater at the player, making clear its intention to kill you next. Only problem? You haven’t been sewn shut yet and still have a gaping hole in your chest.

Zula just barely makes it out of the operation theater with her body stitched close before having to do battle with the Praetorian, whose armor plating makes it immune to Pulse Rifle fire or shotgun blasts. Players must trap the creature in the operating theater and use surgical lasers to cut through its armor before making it vulnerable to exploding pressurized pipes and eventually weapons fire.

The battle is claustrophobic and exhilarating in all the ways an epic conclusion to an Alien adventure should be. Seeing that Praetorian finally fall to the ground dead was a thrill.

The game ends with Zula taking an elevator down to a secret sub-basement to ostensibly meet Benjamin Carver; however, when the elevator doors open, it is a bizarrely malfunctioning synthetic that is using his voice. It carries a weapon and begins to move toward you in a disturbing manner, before letting out a shrill Xenomorph cry. Then the credits roll.

Talk about a cliffhanger!

I really enjoyed the final act of Alien: Rogue Incursion. The game’s conclusion feels like a worthy climax that requires players to use all the skills they learned along their journey. Obviously, it’s hard to wait the many long months before Part 2 releases, but I appreciate what Survios has done with Part 1, and I’m more than willing to give them the time they need to give us a quality conclusion to the story they so skillfully began.

Music and Voice Content

The sound design and voice acting in Alien: Rogue Incursion is superb.

The spatial audio functions of the MQ3 headset allow for true immersion and complement the tension in the game. Players will hear Xenomorphs before they see them, as the Perfect Organism crawls inside air ducts, scales walls, or drops from the ceiling. With spatial audio, players can pinpoint the exact placement of the oncoming threat by simply listening and turning to that spot, not just left or right, but with vertical accuracy as well. It adds a level of immersion and realism not available in console or PC gaming, even when paired with a good surround sound system.

Zula Hendricks is voiced by Emmy Award winning actor Andia Winslow and Davis 01 by the talented Robbie Daymond. Both of these actors nail their roles, and as a hardcore Alien fan, it was a treat to experience these characters brought to life with such talent and attention to detail. Particularly moving was the care for Zula communicated through Daymond’s voice during moments of the game where death seemed inevitable. Similarly, Winslow’s steely passion and fire as Hendricks when she sends off an epic off-world communication about her last stand on Purdan. Absolutely badass!

The music for Alien: Rogue Incursion was composed by Sara Barone, a long-time Alien fan. As reported by Game Rant, Barone collaborated with audio lead Chris Dang to create a music and sound design “that would cause the player to question what they are hearing: is it a Xenomorph lurking nearby or is it just a mechanical sound from the environment?” Both the music and the soundscape are worthy homages to the first two films.

Final Score

Simply put, Alien: Rogue Incursion is the best VR game I have played and one of my favorite Alien games ever, rivaling the likes of Alien: Isolation, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and Aliens: Dark Descent, each masterpieces within their respective sub-genre. Survios’ entry into the Alien franchise has earned its place among these standard-setting staples of the gaming fandom.

Not only does it provide a legendary Alien experience, but it delivers on the promise of virtual reality gaming in a way that made this reviewer smile. If I could go back and tell that kid in the 1990s that his favorite science-fiction franchise would come to life through his favorite hobby, well—he wouldn’t have believed it possible. It is with that sense of wonder, that I say thank you to Survios, not just as a reviewer of games, but as someone who has a lifetime of passion for video games and Alien. This game is a dream realized. In the immortal words of Vasquez: “Let’s rock!”

Boss Rush Network proudly scores Alien: Rogue Incursion five out of five stars.

Tell us what you think! Will you be playing Alien: Rogue Incursion? Share your reactions in the comments below or join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord, X, and Facebook.

Featured Image: Survios

David Lasby is the Editor-in-Chief for Boss Rush Network. His favorite video games are The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and the Alien franchise. You can find him on X to talk all things Nintendo, sci-fi / fantasy, and creative writing.