Asymmetrical, multiplayer horror experiences have become something of the norm in video games over the past two generations. From taking on Jason Voorhees in “Friday the 13th: The Game”, to facing a pig man from the “Saw” franchise in “Dead By Daylight”, tackling fearful foes alongside friends & strangers alike is truly exhilarating. But before those aforementioned experiences, developers saw the potential in the asymmetrical, online multiplayer genre as gamers know it today being carried by another grand horror franchise, “Aliens”. For better and for worse, “Aliens” games delivered some unique moments and unintentionally set the stage for what was to come in the near future.
Now the “Aliens” franchise is playing catch-up by bringing three players together in hopes of destroying xenomorphs aplenty while upgrading weapons, skills, and difficulty levels. There was definitely a level of intrigue to see if “Aliens: Fireteam Elite” had what it took to stand out in a crowded field, or if it would falter and simply be completely forgettable.
Did I Complete “Aliens: Fireteam Elite”?
Gamers take control of customizable mercenaries sporting various weapons, tools, and class-specific abilities with said skills being complemented by perks that can be both unlocked as the player levels up thanks to experience points gained via completed game sessions, and bought in-game with currency earned by playing said missions. Without the ability to play as one of the special xenomorphs in hopes of taking out player-controlled colonial marines a la “Versus” mode in the “Left 4 Dead” games, there isn’t much to do from a mode perspective. There are only twelve campaign missions that can be completed at one of five difficulty levels (the two hardest difficulty levels are unlocked after the player finishes all twelve under one of the first three difficulty options) and a “Horde” mode that, as of this review, only features one map.
After a little over eight hours, I finished the campaign on “Standard” difficulty featuring a mix of random human players and AI bots as my partners. My time with “Horde” mode lasted a little over an hour with my teams rarely making it past wave eight. The trophies are really grind heavy in this one including killing 10000 xenomorphs and obliterating 1000 of the “human” style adversaries known as “Synths”. There are also some luck-based trophies like no one taking friendly fire damage in an “Intense” difficulty level mission. Considering the timing of this game’s release and a lack of content, there definitely won’t be a platinum trophy completed.
Did “Aliens: Fireteam Elite” Live Up to the Hype?
“Aliens: Fireteam Elite” is built around the premise of a three-person team looking to blast their way through an abandoned facility now overrun by xenomorphs. Players will have multiple objectives that show up one at a time while mowing down the acid-spitting, face-hugging, sneakily-jumping aliens doing their best to stop their latest intended prey. Most of these mission moments boil down to moving through an area, pulling a switch, pressing a button, or attaining a certain object that sets off a series of attacks from mounting xenomorph forces, before reaching the endpoint where players are given stats about how well they performed.
The main variables are the adversaries the fireteam will encounter and the classes of said marines chosen by the players. The latter offers players one of four classes to initially choose from with another class unlocking after completing all the campaign missions once and others that will be patched in via updates. Each class is unique not in terms of stats like health or defense, but abilities and load-out options. Playing as a “Demolisher” will offer players the opportunities to handle weapons like grenade launchers or flamethrowers when said items become available when raising the character’s class level and spending the currency earned by completing missions (no micro-transactions in this one). A “Recon” class character will specialize in sniping enemies, while the “Technician” can be more than tactical by using an explosion-inducing shotgun at close range.
What really makes these character classes different is the fact each has two special abilities that cool down after usage. The aforementioned “Demolisher” class can shoot homing rockets at enemies that, when hitting grunt xenomorphs, presents a one-hit-kill scenario while doing major damage to the more ferocious beasts like “Drones” who appear out of nowhere, pounce for a quick series of hits, and scurries away to do it again until the players can kill the creature. “Technician” players have the ability to set up a sentry turret for long-range attacks if they see fit.
Thanks to special perks that are both unlocked as the player levels up a class and bought in-game, certain abilities can be changed including the “Technician’s” turret being turned into a flamethrower. Some class-specific perks are universal, meaning that the player can switch classes and still use one of the perks from a previous class in their new class’s skill grid. Weapons can be customized as well including adding attachments earned from completing missions, purchased via the in-game shop, and discovered courtesy of a hidden resource cache placed in every map whenever the player takes on a mission. Weapons also have a leveling system, earning experience points when the player completes a mission. The higher the weapon level, the better the automatically assigned perks permanently connected to that weapon are such as a “Demolisher’s” “Pulse Rifle” gaining five percent better fire rate at level three.
But all the customization means nothing if the gameplay isn’t fun. Thankfully, “Fireteam Elite” provides a great mix of adrenaline-pumping action featuring holding off xenomorphs and taking on synths in firefights. Courtesy of some fantastic level design, players will go from the claustrophobic, factory environments, to open areas perfect for cover shooting when trying to avoid being sniped by a synth, back to enclosed arenas where creatures come out en masse more than before.
As the missions progress so do the enemy variations including a long-range spitter xenomorph that loves to stay behind cover and slings acid from long range to pepper marines. “Prowlers” usually hang behind corners to pounce on unsuspecting fireteam members for a resulting bit of damage that can be hindered by a quick-time event or the marine’s teammates shooting said Prowler. While there are bigger xenomorphs that show up later in the campaign missions, there are no actual boss battles unfortunately. There is a tease of taking on a mother xenomorph in the final mission, but the players only have to run from it instead of taking on the fierce creature. Special or “elite” xenomorph appearances are actually randomized, forcing the players to stay on their toes at all times.
Something to complement the action is “Challenge Cards”. These “Challenge Cards” can be chosen before a mission and add certain stipulations to missions that, when completed, can multiply up to two-times the amount of experience points post-mission. But these challenges can be pretty daunting including not taking any damage during a mission or landing fifty head-shot kills on synths. Card packs are only earned by purchasing them in the in-game shop, and completing “Daily Challenges” that usually features three small grind requirements such as completing a trio of missions as a “Gunner” class character. “Challenge Cards” only have one-use options, meaning the player must really believe they can succeed if they want to add said stipulation.
Technically, “Fireteam Elite” is definitely a budget title. Some NPCs can be interacted with, but have no lip-synching associated with their speeches & exposition dumps that are performed well enough. Connectivity in this online multiplayer game is both commendable and unpredictable. Depending on the server’s stability and human allies’ internet connection, most missions will run smoothly enough. But there will be times when stuttering and frame rate drops occur. Other instances may see the player get disconnected from their human teammates; resulting in the game replacing the human players with AI bots. The AI teammates are fine for “Standard” or lower difficulties where they can simply shoot enemies and revive the fallen human player. But against the xenomorphs beyond “Standard”, the AI bots are pretty much xenomorph fodder.
Graphical and sound glitches will be pretty jarring including the sound completely dropping out other than the background music during the first campaign mission, and a section of the map refusing to load, forcing the team to fight on an invisible surface where the players have no idea where the barriers are. And then there’s the lack of options in “Horde Mode” where the player is pretty much doing the same thing they were in the campaign missions without the story or walking through a map to break up the action.
“Aliens: Fireteam Elite” embraces the wildness of shooting down numerous alien enemies not the atmospheric horror of its source material. What “Fireteam” does it does well including presenting different xenomorphs and class customization options, but it feels all-too-similar to what’s been seen before it in other games without really innovating.
Should You Play “Aliens: Fireteam Elite”?
That really depends on if you’re craving a solid third-person, online multiplayer shooter that really doesn’t feel incredibly unique other than the license being used. The shootouts are fun, but become rudimentary after a while. The enemy variations and class options make it enjoyable to play around and try out different missions & strategies, but there’s only so much anyone can do. Technical issues including lost connections during a hectic mission do exist. Yet, with all of that the game is still incredibly fun in short bursts without players hoping for more than just the norm in the genre. For the initial asking price of forty dollars, this game is reasonably priced.
Unfortunately, “Fireteam” also feels like something that not only will get a price cut sooner than later, but will also suffer from a drop in player count; meaning it will be harder to get random human players for harder mission where AI bots are useless. If “Fireteam” sounds appealing, now is the time to pick it up unless you have two dedicated friends who will be with you for the campaign’s entirety at a latter date. Players on the opposite end of the spectrum may just want to skip past this one like a marine deciding it’s best to run and fight another day instead of taking on a gigantic mother xenomorph that, seemingly, doesn’t know what direction to go.
