Alien: Blackout

About

"Alien: Blackout" is a single-player science fiction strategy game with an intriguing story and dense atmosphere, where players must use only emergency systems to guide Amanda Ripley's crew and survive against a deadly Xenomorph. The game's choices are perilous, potentially sacrificing crew members, with seven levels of intense horror and life-or-death stakes. Its impressive graphics, music, and unpredictable alien behavior deliver a unique, fear-inducing experience for both "Alien" and horror enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,717 reviews

story43 positive mentions

monetization6 negative mentions

The game captures the atmosphere of the Alien franchise well, providing a thrilling experience.
Gameplay is unique, combining elements of strategy and horror, making it engaging.
Graphics and sound design are impressive for a mobile game, enhancing the overall experience.

The controls can be frustrating and unresponsive, leading to unnecessary deaths.
The game is relatively short, leaving players wanting more content and levels.
There are frequent bugs and crashes, making it difficult to enjoy the game fully.

story
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
60%
5%
The game's story is generally engaging and well-crafted, effectively continuing Amanda Ripley's narrative from "Alien: Isolation" with impressive graphics and voice acting. However, many players find the storyline too short and repetitive, expressing a desire for additional missions and content to enhance replay value. While the plot is appreciated, some reviewers noted that the gameplay lacks depth and variety, leading to a less satisfying experience overall.
- “The story is engaging.”
- “With exceptional graphics and a clear-cut storyline, it makes you want to keep going even when you fail.”
- “The storyline is perfect, keeps you 'on your toes', highly recommend this game.”
- “The only reason I give the game 4 stars is because once you beat the story mode part, it's pretty much done for; nothing new is introduced.”
- “The backstory is nothing original; hopefully, it serves as a bridge between isolation and a full-fledged sequel.”
- “The story is too short, and I can suggest that in the last mission or stage, it should be a POV or a first-person situation where you're the one escaping while being guided by your crewmates.”
graphics
121 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
26%
2%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many users praising them as "phenomenal" and "console quality," particularly in their ability to create an immersive atmosphere reminiscent of the Alien franchise. While some reviews noted minor issues or suggested improvements, the overall consensus highlights the impressive detail and visual quality, especially for a mobile game. Many players found the graphics to significantly enhance the gameplay experience, contributing to the game's suspense and engagement.
- “The graphics are stunning, and as an Alien franchise lover, the sounds make me feel like I'm actually there experiencing it!”
- “The graphics are fantastic and they mimic the movie's technology very well.”
- “The graphics combined with the gameplay are absolutely superb.”
- “The graphics are a bit choppy and slow.”
- “The graphics are a bit out of date but the game is really good.”
- “The game has very poor graphics.”
gameplay
119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
46%
6%
The gameplay has been described as a unique blend of strategy and survival, where players manage a crew while evading an alien threat, reminiscent of Five Nights at Freddy's but with its own distinct mechanics. While many praise the game's tension, graphics, and innovative approach, some critics note issues with repetitiveness, a lack of depth, and a short overall experience. Overall, the gameplay is engaging and atmospheric, though it could benefit from more variety and clearer tutorials.
- “The gameplay is decent and fairly unique; instead of surviving yourself, it is about helping others to help you.”
- “The gameplay is tense but fun, where you, as Amanda Ripley, lead your survivors to escape a doomed space station while keeping a close eye on the xeno using motion trackers and security cameras.”
- “Great gameplay that cleverly takes a key idea from the first movie and turns it into a suspenseful, action-packed strategy game.”
- “But, I found it to be short on gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is boring and repetitive.”
- “Despite the superb graphics, akin to Alien Isolation, and the seemingly brilliant plot which is a continuation of Amanda Ripley's journey, I'm highly disappointed as the gameplay is nowhere near the standard of Isolation, especially when you consider the capacity of Android games out there, to be stuck in one room, watching cameras the whole game, takes away the majority of gameplay elements which made Isolation so incredibly gripping.”
atmosphere
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
32%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its intense, immersive quality, effectively capturing the dread and tension reminiscent of the original Alien film and Alien: Isolation. Players commend the exceptional sound design, graphics, and overall ambiance, which contribute to a feeling of constant danger and suspense. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to maintain a chilling atmosphere even in a mobile format, making it a standout experience in the survival horror genre.
- “The atmosphere of the game is tense, scary, and keeps you on your toes.”
- “It captures the authentic atmosphere of the alien universe really well, and in an interesting new way.”
- “The whole atmosphere is absolutely nailed - can't believe I'm playing this on a phone.”
- “The fantastic Alien: Isolation is followed up by a 'Five Nights at Freddy's' clone bereft of tension, atmosphere, charm, or any sense of terrible wonder.”
- “Graphics are nice, audio is gripping, dialogue is smooth, atmosphere is choking us with doubt and fear.”
- “It manages to keep the atmosphere of Alien even when the mechanics are totally different.”
monetization
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
53%
32%
The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions and in-app purchases, providing a refreshing experience for players who prefer to buy a game outright and enjoy it without interruptions from ads or additional costs. Reviewers appreciate the game's complete package, highlighting its immersive atmosphere and character development, while some express a desire for more content given its price. Overall, it stands out as a positive example in a mobile market often criticized for cash-grabbing practices.
- “It's an alien game fit for mobile and has no microtransactions, so credit to the devs there.”
- “There are no microtransactions, just the full game with an immersive atmosphere, fleshed out characters and an enemy that actually made me sit on the edge of my seat constantly.”
- “Fantastic, it's quite rare to have a feature-filled game in these days of in-app and microtransactions, totally worth the money.”
- “A true example for the mobile platform that is polluted with cash grabbing, wallet-milking microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics.”
- “I also commend this for not relying on in-app purchases, but as an app for $5, there should be more content even though $5 is not a huge amount of money, but the game is somewhat short.”
- “Thank you for being open about harvesting my data to sell to advertising agencies, and sorry, not going to buy this game because of it.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
87%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent glitches, freezes, and crashes, particularly during gameplay and menu navigation. While some players experienced no issues, others faced significant problems that hindered their experience, leading to requests for refunds and calls for urgent fixes. Overall, the game's stability appears to be inconsistent, with updates providing some improvements for certain users.
- “Runs great on my 4GB RAM Android and my iPhone with iOS 13.”
- “This game is awesome! The graphics are nice, I like the gameplay, and I have no glitches because the phone I have is kind of new. But seriously, the story is also good. Please, if you can, make a part 2!”
- “I open the game, go through the menu, get ready to start the first level, and then it freezes and kicks me home.”
- “Freezes on level 2 every time.”
- “Since updating my phone, the game starts to load, then freezes, then crashes.”
replayability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
Overall, the game's replayability is criticized for being limited due to its short length, fixed sequences, and lack of additional content, with many players expressing a desire for more levels or challenges. While some find minimal replay value in attempting to keep all crew members alive, the consensus is that the game offers insufficient content to justify repeated playthroughs.
- “Hope they release some bonus or challenge levels at some point for more replay value.”
- “The only real thing I wish is there were more levels or challenges for replayability.”
- “Good campaign and replay value.”
- “I do not see this having much replay value, seeing how I am already halfway through the missions, 40 minutes after it was released.”
- “It's too short for its entry price and it doesn't have any replay value outside of trying to keep everyone alive, which isn't worth the reward in my humble opinion.”
- “4.99 for 7 levels with low replay value.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
90%
30%
The music in the game is widely praised for its exceptional quality, enhancing the tense and atmospheric experience. Reviewers highlight the beautifully composed soundtrack and effective voice acting, which contribute significantly to the game's horror elements. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that elevates the gameplay and emotional impact.
- “The atmosphere and music are exceptional, providing a unique perspective on dealing with the xenomorph while guiding a group of survivors through a level.”
- “A very tense, sometimes scary game with great voice acting, a nicely designed ship, and a fantastic soundtrack.”
- “The music is beautifully done, enhancing the overall experience of the game.”
- “The music is barely noticeable, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The game's soundtrack lacks variety and becomes repetitive quickly.”
- “The audio quality is poor, making it hard to enjoy the music.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users noting improvements after enabling performance settings, while others continue to experience significant lag and crashes, even on capable devices. Despite these issues, many appreciate the gameplay and overall concept, suggesting that optimization could enhance the experience further.
- “An exceptional reimagining of sorts of the game Alien: Isolation, optimized for mobile devices.”
- “The only reason it is not 5 stars is because of some performance issues; it really shouldn't be slow on an octa-core 2.0 GHz phone. Otherwise, game-wise, all is fine. It's not a long game, but it's enough for the price and has replay value with missions.”
- “Excellent gameplay, performance, concept, voice acting, the list goes on.”
- “The only reason it is not 5 stars is because of some performance issues; it really shouldn't be slowing down on an octa-core 2.0 GHz phone. Otherwise, game-wise, all is fine. It's not a long game, but it's enough for the price and has replay value with missions.”
- “The game constantly crashes while loading into the game. I use an old Android 5 tablet, but even with optimization mode on, it still crashes.”
- “This game is kind of laggy. I opened the performance settings, but it still lags. Why?”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unrealistic, particularly due to the need for individual commands for each character, which detracts from immersion. Additionally, the permanent loss of crew members and lengthy levels contribute to a frustrating replay experience aimed at saving everyone.
- “If I could give a group command, it would make the game much more immersive, but having to tell each character to hide is tedious and unrealistic.”
- “You lose crew members permanently, and the levels are long, so replaying them to save everyone would be tedious.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the humor in the game's peaceful mode, where the typically dangerous elements are transformed into comedic scenarios, such as friendly androids and absurdly burning face huggers. This juxtaposition of a serene environment with bizarre, humorous events adds a unique and entertaining twist to the gameplay.
- “Peaceful mode would be hilarious: only map dangers, androids are all nice, aliens are dead, eggs empty, but the facehuggers are burning in sequence.”