Alienation

Press StartMatthew Zimmari

9/10

The PS4 version of Alienation was primarily tested for the purpose of this review.

Playstation LifestyleChandler Wood

9/10

Housemarque's latest effects filled explosion fest is now out, and hides a surprising layer of depth. Check out our Alienation review.

IGNVince Ingenito

8.7/10

Housemarque’s previous games have always kept me coming back through the strength of their gameplay alone. Alienation adds a straightforward, but enjoyable power chase on top, making its finely tuned arcade action all the more alluring. Its action-RPG elements won’t make it a replacement for something like Diablo 3 or Grim Dawn, but they successfully provide a structure for unending, enjoyable alien slaughter.

COGConnectedAlexander Thomas

81/100

In the last several decades, Aliens have been secretly invading Earth. During the invasion, local governments have done their best to keep it quiet – instead of working together – until it was too late. What remains of humanity has unified under the UNX in an attempt to combat the overwhelming global threat. On the surface, this is a cookie cutter sci-fi plot, but you would be making a huge mistake to overlook Alienation.

Worth PlayingBrian Dumlao

8/10

Alienation is a top-down action game where you wield a variety of weapons killing all sorts of alien scum.

GameSpotJason D'Aprile

8/10

Old-school multiplayer shooting with flair.

Push SquareStephen Tailby

8/10

Housemarque is renowned for a couple of things: its consistently brilliant arcade titles with incredibly moreish gameplay, and its gloriously colourful visual effects. The Finnish developer's body of work is a kaleidoscopic tour-de-force, the games as vibrant as they are deceptively deep. It should come as no surprise, then, that Alienation continues this trend – sumptuous shooting and colourful kabooms are its bread and butter – but it's where it differs from its stablemates that ittruly impresses.

Game InformerMatt Miller

7.75/10

Housemarque has a special talent for taking simple game concepts that lure you in with familiar appearances, only to layer in depth and replayability where you least expect to find them, as they did in spiritual predecessor Dead Nation and the wildly entertaining Resogun. That’s the case once again with Alienation, a twin-stick shooter that seems at first glance like dozens of other similar titles in which frantic enemies charge your location as you mow them down. And while you’re doing plenty of alien massacring here, the interplay of class abilities, complex weapon upgrades, and ever-escalat...

Alienation is a hugely enjoyable game, but it’s one that’s playing the ball a little too safely, and resting too heavily on the successes of games that have come before it. Ultimately I don’t think this will be remembered as a classic, and it doesn’t need to be; what Housemarque has created is a bit of fun with friends around, no more, and no less.

Metro GameCentralDavid Jenkins

6/10

A disappointingly bland top-down shooter, that while entertaining enough with friends lacks the finely tuned splendour of Stardust and Resogun.

GamingBoltJosh Griffiths

5/10

Alienation isn’t a terrible game by any stretch, but it’s not great either. It’s monotonous and lifeless, but can entertain in short bursts and with friends. Housemarque has done better in the past, and they should have done better here.

EurogamerChristian Donlan

Housemarque's latest offers brilliant loot and levelling, but it's the moment-to-moment action that truly excels.