Enhanced Gameplay at the Cost of Graphics Quality

Alien: Rogue Incursion made its first appearance on PSVR 2 and PC VR headsets back in December, marking a significant milestone as the first VR-exclusive title in the legendary ‘Alien’ series. Now, the developer, Survios, has expanded its horizon by launching the game on Quest 3.

When we originally reviewed the game at launch, we pointed out the thrill of encountering the Xenomorphs, whose hunting tactics could give anyone a jolt, much like the velociraptors we fear in pop culture. However, the excitement was often dampened by the tedious repetition during random encounters. Adding to the players’ frustration was a rather unforgiving save system. In our spoiler-free assessment, we gave it a solid 7 out of 10 rating.

Before the game hit Quest 3 this week, it went through a series of updates, which is good news for prospective players. You can snag it on the Horizon Store for $40.

The most notable update rolled out just days ago, as Survios fine-tuned the spawning mechanics of the Xenomorphs. This included tweaks to their sensory abilities, ensuring they don’t zero in on your location too easily or swarm you in unmanageable numbers. Additionally, the save system saw improvements, now allowing players to load from previous saves, not just the latest one.

We haven’t dived into the Quest 3 version yet, but early feedback is a mixed bag. YouTube channel ‘Gamertag VR’ offered an insightful look at the latest Quest launch, pointing out several graphical quirks.

“Sadly, on the Quest, the game’s intended dark atmosphere suffers because, ironically, the first part of the game isn’t dark at all. You have a head-mounted flashlight, but for those initial four to five hours, it remains fairly useless as there’s plenty of light,” they remarked.

Despite this lighting oversight, Gamertag VR suggests the Xenomorph encounters now feel more organic, likely thanks to the recent patch before the Quest 3 debut.

‘The VR Grid’ on YouTube provides a side-by-side comparison of Quest 3 and PSVR 2 (using a base PS5), giving us insight into what was sacrificed to make the game compatible with Quest 3’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor.

While the core gameplay feels consistent between the two platforms, the Quest version takes some visual hits. Things like dynamic lighting and realistic effects, such as steam, don’t translate as well, and the draw distance is somewhat compromised. However, players will find the in-game text easier to read, so there’s a silver lining.

Though we’ve been referring to it simply as Alien: Rogue Incursion, it’s technically just ‘Part One’ of a two-part narrative. Survios clarified in a statement last December that this first installment serves as a “standalone adventure with a cliffhanger” and hinted at more content coming soon.

The development team is currently focused on ‘Part Two,’ which promises to further Zula’s journey, confronting her with even tougher adversaries and greater challenges ahead.