Improved Gameplay with Simplified Graphics

Alien: Rogue Incursion made its debut on PSVR 2 and PC VR headsets last December, marking the first VR-exclusive entry in the well-loved ‘Alien’ saga. Now, the developers at Survios have finally unveiled it on the Quest 3.

When we initially reviewed the game, we found the encounters with Xenomorphs both thrilling and nerve-wracking due to their cunning, raptor-like hunting tactics. However, the excitement was somewhat dampened by the monotonous repetition of these random encounters. Our frustrations were further heightened by a challenging save system. Our spoiler-free review landed the game a respectable 7 out of 10.

Before coming to Quest 3, the game underwent several updates. You can find it on the Horizon Store, priced at $40. One particularly crucial update was released just days ago. It rebalanced the Xenomorphs by refining their auditory and visual detection, preventing them from overwhelming players with relentless precision. The save system also saw an improvement, allowing gamers to reload from previous saves instead of being limited to just one.

Though we haven’t had the chance to dive into the Quest 3 version yet, initial reviews have been mixed. For example, ‘Gamertag VR’ on YouTube provides a valuable overview of the game’s latest Quest release, pointing out a few graphical anomalies.

“Sadly, on the Quest, [the dark atmosphere] loses its impact because the game isn’t actually dark during the first half. You carry a flashlight on the left side of your head, but for those initial four to five hours, it’s largely unnecessary because the environment remains well-lit.”

On a brighter note, Gamertag VR found that Xenomorph encounters felt more organic, presumably thanks to the recent patch rolled out before the Quest 3 release.

If you’re interested in a direct comparison between versions, ‘The VR Grid’ on YouTube offers a detailed side-by-side look at Quest 3 versus PSVR 2 using the base PS5. It highlights how the Quest version sacrifices some features to run on the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor.

Though the core gameplay experience on both Quest 3 and PSVR 2 remains largely consistent, the Quest version does lack certain elements, such as dynamic lighting, realistic ambient effects like steam, and has a reduced draw distance. However, it compensates with clearer in-game text.

You might be calling it Alien: Rogue Incursion like us, but technically, this installment is just ‘Part One’ of a two-part narrative. In a statement from late December, Survios mentioned this initial release is a “standalone adventure which ends with a cliffhanger,” hinting that there’s “more on the horizon.”

The studio is busy crafting ‘Part Two’, which promises to carry forward Zula’s journey, challenging her with fiercer adversaries and tougher trials.