Update (08/25/2021): This review has been updated with further commentary on post-launch co-op gameplay, and a final score that reflects all of its modes and features.
Alien: Isolation towards a more action-packed adventure. Developed by Cold Iron Studios and published by Focus Home Interactive, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a game filled with pulse-pounding firefights against swarms of Xenomorphs marred by repetitive mission structure and a potential lack of longevity.
Fireteam Elite takes place 23 years after the original Alien film trilogy, with players controlling a Colonial Marine aboard the UAS Endeavor responding to a distress call from planetoid LV-895, which is overrun by Xenomorphs. The story is broken into four unique campaigns akin to Left 4 Dead, and each mission can be tackled with up to three players or alone with AI teammates to round out the squad. While the AI teammates generally perform well during missions, they lack the personality and tactical coordination that actual players would bring to the proceedings. While the game can be completed as a solo endeavor, it's highly recommended to team up with others to experience the Xenomorph battles as a unit.
But what beautifully chaotic Xenomorph battles they are, with staggering numbers of aliens rushing players from all angles, moving with a hive-like mentality to overtake the Colonial Marines. Aliens: Fireteam Elite keeps combat encounters from growing stale by employing different types of Xenomorphs with various attacks patterns, like the bullet-sponge Warriors or the acid-vomiting Spitters. The game goes further by adding synthetic androids with guns halfway through the story, which forces players to rely more heavily on cover shooting like Gears of War to defeat the new enemy type. All of this enemy variety means adjusting combat strategies on the fly and the expenditure of copious amounts of ammo to contain the dangerous threats players face, which makes for a frantic and genuinely fun experience.
Outriders, Aliens: Fireteam Elite has five different classes of Marines for players to choose from before entering a mission: Gunner, Demolisher, Doc, Technician and Recon. Each class has their own distinct abilities that can be used during combat, giving players options to find the class that best suits their preferred playstyles. The weapons in each class can be outfitted with a variety of attachments and mods to improve their capabilities, and a Perk Board allows players to improve their abilities over time to take on the bigger alien threats later in the game.
Each campaign has a collection of typical Alien environments for players to traverse, with metal ship corridors blinking with emergency lights and ancient alien civilizations depicted with impressive visual detail. However, the story doesn't serve much importance outside of funneling players into the next Xenomorph battle.
Where Aliens: Fireteam Elite falters is in the repetitive mission structure across every campaign. Players fight their way through narrow pathways and corridors to reach an area they must defend against excessive waves of enemies, with the only variation being the types of enemies players face during each encounter. It makes the game a bit monotonous doing the same things over and over again, no matter how fun the combat encounters typically are. It's also frustrating that there are no safe rooms/checkpoint systems Back 4 Blood in the game to help players maintain their progress, meaning that a mission must be replayed in its entirety if everyone on the team dies.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite also doesn't seem to have much reason to keep playing after completing the story. Challenge Cards that offer gameplay variations like spawning more deadly Xenomorphs or removing the HUD are included to shake things up, as well as an unlockable Horde Mode that allows players to test their fortitude against heavy waves of the alien threat. However, with missions that all have the same style of gameplay, these elements might not be enough to encourage multiple playthroughs.
Despite these grievances, Aliens: Fireteam Elite still stands as a fun co-op experience for players who have always wanted to destroy waves of the iconic Xenomorph threat. After spending time playing Aliens: Fireteam Elite with human squads, it remains clear that the game is at its best when played as a co-op experience. Fights become more frantic as players constantly communicate to address the incoming Xenomorphs, and having extra players on the team allows for more Challenge Cards to be activated to add some variety into each mission. It also makes the game a better experience on the higher difficulties, as the game warns players that the AI teammates won't be very helpful above the Standard difficulty. While players can still have a great time playing solo, Aliens: Fireteam Elite truly shines with other players along for the ride.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite releases August 24th on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant was provided with a digital PS5 code for the purpose of this review.
