Grey Skies: A War of the Worlds Story might be worth a tri-pod on Xbox One, PS4 and PC

There’s something enduring about HG Wells’ War of the Worlds. It’s the granddaddy of alien invasion stories, and few have surpassed it. We’ve had Jeff Wayne’s rock opera (and the under-rated 1999 PS1 game), the grim Tom Cruise movie, and a duff TV movie from only last year. Now, we have Grey Skies: A War of the Worlds Story, which falls somewhere between the Wells original and the Spielberg movie. Grey Skies: A War of the Worlds Story is out now on Xbox One, PS4 and PC via Steam.

We’re most taken with the dedication to the location. Some of the game is set in quaint english villages, and we’re impressed with the ‘Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture’-style attention to detail. Look at the police cars, road signs and town signs in the trailer! Spot on, we say. 

While previous games have put you at the front of the military effort against the Martians – well, previous games other than Destroy All Humans! of course – Grey Skies opts for the backlines. You play as Harper, a lone woman looking to survive in the wake of the invasion. This is a third-person stealth game, and you will be looking to get by, moving from location to location without getting sucked up into a tripod and harvested for your biomass. 

Actually, it looks like the majority of the enemies are human, with the Martians only popping up to obliterate the odd village. The Red Weed and Black Smoke from the book are used liberally, and humanity has obviously gone to pot, causing survivors to fight each other. Luckily, Harper is resourceful, and you’ll have traps and throwables to get you out of tight spots. 

There’s an endearing b-list feel to Grey Skies: A War of the Worlds, reminding of games like Singularity, Dark Sector and Binary Domain, which are rare nowadays. Hopefully it achieves the same levels of throwaway fun of those games. It’s also single player and narrative-focused, which is also somewhat hard to come by.

Features include:

• Iconic Setting – Based on H.G. Wells’ incredible universe, encounter iconic Martian tools such as Tripods, Red Weed and Black Smoke
• Crafting – Craft throwable weapons and experiment with them to neutralize enemies in interesting ways.
• Stealth – Sneak your way through the English countryside, or take out enemies from the shadows!
• Level Up – Progress Harper and upgrade her abilities to ensure you are prepared for the Martian invasion!

Grey Skies: A War of the Worlds Story is out now on Xbox One and will cost you £12.49, which seems like a bit of a bargain, considering that it looks quite lavish. It’s also out on PS4 and PC via Steam. 

Game Description:

Grey Skies: A War of the Worlds Story is a stealth based single player adventure that throws you right into the middle of the Martian invasion. Play as Harper through her personal story amidst the most significant event in human history. Based on the great work of H.G. Wells, explore the English countryside and encounter iconic concepts such as Black Smoke, Red Weed and of course the almighty Fighting Machine and its Heat Ray! Sneak, craft and trick the souls under Martian influence, and when it all gets too much, use the environment to your advantage or upgrade Harper’s ability to craft Throwables and learn how to neutralize or avoid enemies in new and interesting ways!