Alien Breed 3: Descent

About

"Alien Breed 3: Descent" is the final entry in the Alien Breed series, featuring intense arcade-style shooting and an epic sci-fi story. As Chief Engineer Conrad, players must survive swarms of intelligent alien enemies and uncover the truth about the alien horde aboard the sinking Leopold. The game includes a single-player campaign, survival modes, and various upgrades, providing a challenging and immersive experience for fans of the series.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 300 reviews

gameplay16 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

Alien Breed 3: Descent offers a thrilling and immersive experience with its narrow corridors and relentless alien attacks, demanding strategic thinking and resource management.
The game features improved graphics and a compelling story that provides a fitting conclusion to the trilogy, with memorable moments and character development.
Despite its flaws, the game is enjoyable for fans of top-down shooters, providing a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic arcade games.

The gameplay is repetitive, often involving backtracking and similar mission objectives, which can lead to a tedious experience over time.
The camera controls and fixed angles can be frustrating, making it difficult to aim and navigate during intense encounters.
Many players found the screen shake and constant explosions overwhelming, detracting from the overall enjoyment and immersion of the game.

story
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
19%
The story of the trilogy has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the ending disappointing, unclear, and rushed, often describing it as a predictable and boilerplate sci-fi narrative. While some appreciated the comic book-style storytelling and the continuation of the protagonist's journey, others criticized the repetitive mission objectives and lack of impactful plot development. Overall, the series concludes with an open ending that leaves some players unsatisfied, despite moments of fun and nostalgia.
- “Great graphics, soundtrack, and a compelling storyline to put an evil AI out of business!”
- “Extremely well ended to the series, loved it, so much fun and again epic story with good old school alien butt kicking. Highly recommend for fun and epic storyline and great action.”
- “The story is very well done and it keeps you in the game.”
- “The ending of the trilogy story is poor, unclear, disappointing, maybe a cliffhanger for other Alien Breed games.”
- “Finally, the story is predictable boilerplate sci-fi, nothing you haven't heard or seen before; I ended up turning the volume down and listening to podcasts for the duration of the second and third games.”
- “The ending of the 'story' felt very unrewarding and rushed.”
gameplay
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
72%
8%
The gameplay in "Alien Breed 3: Descent" is largely criticized for being repetitive and lacking innovation, as it closely mirrors the mechanics and design of its predecessors. While some players appreciate the familiar experience and dynamic scenes, many find the gun mechanics unsatisfying and the overall challenge insufficient, leading to a sense of monotony. Despite decent production values and a gripping narrative, the gameplay fails to deliver the intensity and engagement expected from a third installment in the series.
- “The gameplay is familiar enough that returning players will like it.”
- “Where it lacks in arsenal and functionality, it makes up for with intense gameplay and surprises every level.”
- “I enjoy the gameplay and the story.”
- “The game tries some neat stuff with dynamic camera views and an epic boss fight towards the end, but the whole package is a rather big mess that isn't really worth it, especially if you've played the previous two games which at least functioned properly while offering the exact same gameplay.”
- “Overall, I can't recommend the third game because of the same bland gameplay, which contains assets and sections of levels from the second game.”
- “It's the third game in the series, yet it uses the exact same engine as the first, as well as the exact same textures, enemies, guns, sounds, level design, atmosphere, controls, gameplay mechanics, and fetch quests.”
graphics
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
48%
9%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and smoothness, effectively capturing a dark and suspenseful atmosphere reminiscent of previous titles in the series. While some users noted issues with the user interface and certain outdated elements, the overall visual quality, including weapon designs, is considered a highlight. However, there are mentions of bugs and instability that detract from the experience, suggesting a mixed reception in terms of graphical performance.
- “Great graphics, soundtrack, and a compelling storyline to put an evil AI out of business!”
- “The graphics are beautiful and smooth.”
- “Together with graphics that set the mood with dark overtones, the flickering lighting, constant fires, and mechanical problems all come together and mesh quite well, eliciting a feeling of suspenseful anticipation.”
- “This one gets pretty close to capturing the whole Dead Space aesthetic than the previous two, but it's also the buggiest and most unstable of the three as well.”
- “Graphics: same as the last two games.”
- “If you can ignore the bad UI and map background (it's pretty hard to see the map with the background so bright, especially the third of the series), the constant back and forth tasks, the many explosions and screen shake that would make Michael Bay ashamed, outdated graphics, and cheesy story/dialogue (which plague old game titles), you should really try this game.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The atmosphere in the game is consistently praised for its immersive qualities, effectively capturing the essence of the films that inspired the series. Players appreciate the detailed level design and ambient sounds that enhance the sense of danger and urgency, although some note that the repetitive use of the same engine and assets across the trilogy may detract from the overall experience. The combination of voice acting and atmospheric elements contributes to a compelling, albeit familiar, sci-fi survival setting.
- “Part three of a trilogy, Assault delivers a competent top-down shooter experience with decent voice acting and atmosphere that reminds one strongly of the films from which the series was derived.”
- “Just so you're not left hanging around on an idle screen reading while the gameplay drops off, there is voice acting to accompany the cut scenes as well as atmospheric ambient noise to maintain the energy and illusion of imminent danger.”
- “Level design is done with a great eye for details; a lot of scenic sightseeing helps to enhance the orbital atmosphere.”
- “It's the third game in the series, yet it uses the exact same engine as the first, as well as the exact same textures, exact same enemies (with a few additions), exact same guns (with 1 addition), exact same sounds, exact same level design, exact same atmosphere, exact same controls and gameplay mechanics, and exact same fetch quests.”
- “Level design is done with a great eye for details, a lot of scenic sightseeing helps to enhance the orbital atmosphere.”
- “Part three of a trilogy, assault delivers a competent top-down shooter experience with decent voice acting and atmosphere that reminds one strongly of the films from which the series was derived.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and janky, with many players expressing a preference for a shorter, more enjoyable experience over the drawn-out gameplay. Reviewers describe the level design as uncomfortable and predictable, contributing to an overall sense of frustration and regret.
- “Probably to pad the game out, but I would have much preferred a 2-hour game that's lots of fun, over a 10-hour tedious game that I regret playing.”
- “It is utterly ridiculous, entirely tedious, and completely predictable.”
- “Another time I wish there was a middle of the road vote button, but since there is not, the tedious gameplay makes me give this a thumbs down.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the good graphics and smooth performance, many report significant performance issues that render it nearly unplayable for a substantial number of users. Compared to its predecessor, the current title is criticized for its poor optimization and lack of thorough quality assurance prior to release.
- “Good graphics, runs smoothly, plenty of weapon and monster variations, and sounds good.”
- “There were just so many glaring performance issues that made the game borderline unplayable and actually was for a lot of people based on the comments I've seen.”
- “Unlike its predecessor, Assault is horribly optimized and could surely have benefited from much more thorough quality assurance before its release.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
50%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with a solid soundtrack that complements the compelling storyline. However, some players noted a lack of alien ambient sounds after a short playtime, which detracted from the overall experience.
- “Great graphics, soundtrack, and a compelling storyline to put an evil AI out of business!”
- “The music is still pretty good, but after playing five minutes, I noticed that they cut the alien ambient sounds.”
- “I wish I had an egg-salad sandwich right now while playing this alien-blasting stew of gore and pimp-my-ride music.”
- “The music feels like a chaotic mix of alien sounds and over-the-top beats, making it hard to focus on the game.”
- “The soundtrack is a jarring blend of genres that doesn't fit the game's atmosphere at all.”
- “The music is so distracting that it pulls me out of the experience instead of enhancing it.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Character development in the trilogy has been positively noted, with improvements compared to previous titles where it was lacking. While the aesthetics and unique character designs remain appealing, some players feel that the in-game cut-scenes are too brief, limiting the opportunity to fully appreciate the characters' growth. Overall, the inclusion of character development has been a welcome addition to the series.
- “It was great to finally see some character development in any form, which was completely absent in the last two titles.”
- “The in-game cut-scenes are a bit short in my opinion, since they look decent and some of the character designs are quite unique. I would like to see them for longer than 5 seconds.”
- “The same aesthetics, character development, and everything else that was so endearing are carried over to the rest of the trilogy.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by several game-breaking glitches that can lead to significant frustration for players. Despite these issues, many still consider it the best title in the trilogy, indicating that the overall experience may outweigh the stability concerns for some.
- “As if that wasn't enraging enough or you weren't frustrated to the point of throwing your hands up and moving on to something a little more stable, there were also a few game-breaking glitches that would come along and push you over the edge.”
- “Glitches.”
- “Even with these glitches though, this was still the best title in the trilogy by far.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is marked by a mix of heartbreak and disappointment, highlighted by a tragic death early in the narrative that resonates with players. However, the overall experience is marred by feelings of disgust due to poor customer service and deceptive practices, leading to skepticism about the game's longevity.
- “A death near the beginning was touching, but very tragic.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The game offers some replayability through its survivor mode and limited co-op stages, but players generally find it only enjoyable for a few sessions rather than providing long-term engagement.
- “The game offers a variety of modes, including survivor and several co-op stages, making it enjoyable for multiple playthroughs.”
- “With different modes like survivor and co-op stages, this game provides enough variety to keep players engaged for several sessions.”
- “The inclusion of survivor mode and various co-op stages adds to the replayability, making it fun to revisit the game multiple times.”
- “Replayability: This game has a survivor mode and a few stages of co-op, but there's no true co-op. It's alright for a few plays.”
- “Replayability: This game has a survivor mode and a few stages of co-op, but there's no true co-op. It's alright for a few plays.”