Parents' Guide to Alien: Blackout

This mobile game manages to bring extraterrestrial terror to your devices with a new installment in a classic franchise that's designed to freak you out and keep you playing. Alien: Blackout brings one of the scariest characters from the film screen to the portable screen. Back in 1979, the first Alien movie taught the world that "In space, no one can hear you scream." Deep space had never been so terrifying, giving birth to decades' worth of sci-fi nightmare fuel, from slimy space eggs to creepy face-huggers to the unmistakable visage of the Xenomorph itself. Now the iconic franchise is chest-bursting its way to mobile devices with Alien: Blackout, a survival horror game that pits players against the deadliest creature in the universe while further expanding on the rich mythology and eerie atmosphere that keeps fans afraid of what may lurk in the shadows.

The biggest surprise in Alien: Blackout is how polished the game is. It looks and plays less like a mobile game and more like a console release. This is even more surprising considering that it's a complete package, with no microtransactions or subscriptions built-in. For less than the price of a movie ticket, gamers get a complete tension-filled horror experience. Gameplay is generally smooth and intuitive, with players (as Amanda) directing survivors around the crippled station while keeping them from crossing the path (and the jaws) of the Xenomorph stalking the shadows. It's not an easy task, though, as corralling those survivors while simultaneously trying to keep track of the Xenomorph's movements can quickly get overwhelming. While this definitely adds a level of anxiety and even occasional frustration, it actually adds more to the experience -- especially those jump scares when the Xenomorph suddenly appears out of nowhere ... and the exhilaration when the survivors escape with their lives.