Good games based on James Cameron’s Alien franchise seem to show up every now and then. Outside of a certain game by Gearbox Studios that shall remain nameless, there have been some genuinely surprising hits exploring wildly different gameplay styles that somehow just work. From the flawed masterpiece that is Alien: Isolation, to the isometric XCOM-style horror of Alien: Dark Descent, to the VR shooter Alien: Rogue Incursion, which was later ported to flat screens in its Evolved Edition, and has now made its way to the Switch 2.

It goes without saying. It’s a lot more immersive in VR. But it gets the job done on Switch 2.

I played the original VR version of Alien: Rogue Incursion when it first launched, and I generally had a really good time with it. It was a surprisingly intense, action-packed adventure in the Alien universe, blending elements of Alien: Isolation with some of the more combat-heavy moments from Alien: Dark Descent while making full use of VR’s immersive controls. Holding up the motion sensor while readying the iconic pulse rifle genuinely felt real in a way only VR can really sell. Despite a few issues, it was pretty much exactly what I wanted from an Aliens VR title.

After crashing near a facility on the mining planet of Purdan, Zula Hendricks and her android companion set out to investigate, only to discover that things have gone catastrophically wrong and a Xenomorph outbreak has consumed the entire facility. What follows is a fairly standard Alien story set between the events of the first two films, though it earns some extra goodwill by tying into the timeless classic that is Alien: Isolation.

I was really curious to see how the game would play on Switch 2, and the results are surprisingly competent for a first-person shooter adaptation. Sure, it lacks the immersion and sheer intensity of the VR release, but it does a respectable job of translating the game’s mechanics without making any drastic cuts. The map, terminals, and PDA all function in real time, meaning you will need to stay alert at all times. This felt more natural in VR, where you could freely look around while readying your weapon one-handed, but the flat-screen version is perfectly serviceable.

Impressive lighting effects… on quality mode, that is.

Alien: Rogue Incursion combines the slower, nerve-wracking vent crawling of Alien: Isolation with something a little more action-packed. I’d even argue it occasionally reminds me of Aliens: Colonial Marines, albeit a version of that game that does not completely suck. What you get is a surprisingly faithful attempt at recreating the tense encounters of the films while layering in heavier action sequences that see you facing off against multiple Xenomorphs at once.

The Switch 2 version holds up reasonably well, offering two different display modes. First up is Quality Mode, which locks the frame rate to a solid 30 FPS while boosting graphical fidelity to something surprisingly impressive. A lot of what you would expect from the console and PC releases is on display here, with excellent use of dynamic lighting and volumetric smoke effects that make the world feel far more lived in. It also benefits from a higher internal resolution, resulting in a noticeably cleaner image with far less of the softness you might expect from a portable-focused system.

There is also a Performance Mode that aims for the coveted 60 FPS target, but unfortunately does not quite get there. In my experience, the frame rate frequently fluctuated between 40 and 60 FPS, usually hovering somewhere in the middle and rarely feeling truly consistent. That instability would be easier to forgive if the visual trade-off felt worthwhile, but there is a noticeable hit to image quality as well. The presentation becomes much muddier, with jagged edges everywhere, a clear lack of anti-aliasing, and some genuinely bizarre artifacting effects that had me briefly wondering whether my Switch 2 was about to give up on life.

Why, hello there.

My personal suggestion is that Performance Mode simply is not worth the hit to image quality. A stable 30 FPS feels far better than an inconsistent attempt at 60, and when you factor in the aforementioned artifacting, Quality Mode feels like a complete no-brainer. Hopefully the developers can patch things up so Performance Mode eventually lives up to its name. As an added bonus, the game includes options for depth of field, motion blur, and support for up to a 120 FOV, which remains a bizarre rarity in console gaming, but one I am very glad to see here.

If you have not played Alien: Rogue Incursion before, I would absolutely suggest experiencing it in VR if that is an option. That is clearly the definitive way to play. However, if you do not own a VR headset and have no plans to pick one up anytime soon, the Switch 2 version is still a reasonably solid way to experience the game, doing a commendable job of faithfully adapting the tone of the films.

Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition is available now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2. 

Reviewed on Switch 2.

A copy of Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition was provided by the publisher.