Submitted by Marshall Walker on
It was announced last year that FoxNext Games was working on a new shooter based on the popular Alien franchise. Fans were heavily disappointed by Gearbox's Aliens: Colonial Marines released in 2013, and not everyone was happy with the stealth game Alien: Isolation. This is why gamers were excited when 20th Century Fox filed for a gaming trademark for Alien: Blackout in November.
Fans were certain that Blackout was the rumored shooting game in the works, but on Monday it was revealed that the game is a mobile survival horror title. Blackout is officially listed on the Apple App Store as a "space survival horror." The official App Store description reads, "try to stay alive while trapped aboard a crippled Weyland-Yutani space station carrying a deadly Xenomorph as it tirelessly hunts you and the crew."
Players play as Amanda Ripley who must help her crew by "using only the space station’s limited power supply to operate a holographic map, surveillance cameras, and motion tracker, attempt to remain hidden and protect your crew from the perfect hunter in seven fear-inducing levels."
Fans have compared Blackout to Five Nights at Freddy's and have taken to YouTube, Reddit and other gaming forums to express their disappointment. The trailer has already earned 25,000 dislikes on YouTube since Monday, while mentions of Diablo III and Command & Conquer are sprinkled throughout the comments section.
Blackout may not be the console shooter people were looking for, but at least it's not some freemium title bogged down with timers and microtransactions. The game is availble for pre-order on both Google Play and the Apple App Store for $4.99. It promises to deliver a "new chapter in the Alien franchise" by following Amanda Ripley, Ellen Ripley’s daughter. Players can decide the outcome of the game in an all new story that takes place between Alien and its sequel Aliens. Each decision made within the game can lead to a different conclusion as players test out different strategies and theories.