Not only did it capture the atmosphere of the original Alien, but it was a great survival horror game.
It’s one of the best examples I’ve seen of a survival horror game that feels modern while holding true to the core elements of the genre.
So I was disappointed earlier this year when teases of an Alien: Isolation sequel turned out to be for a mobile game that’s nothing like Isolation at all and isn’t considered a sequel despite starring the same character.
Then today I saw IGN had released an exclusive Alien: Isolation digital series, which I thought might be expanding the universe… but instead it’s a retelling of the game’s events, for some reason.
This 7-part digital series combines cutscenes from the game with new scenes to retell the events of Alien: Isolation.
It’s strange. The new scenes are great, but mainly I just find myself asking why. Is it for fans who want to know the story of Alien: Isolation but don’t want to play the game? I want to believe it’s a tease for a sequel, because what else would be the point of making a story recap like this? (And why is it exclusive to IGN?)
The Creative Assembly hasn’t said anything about it, however, which makes it seem less likely that it’s a tease for a sequel from them.
What do you think is going on with Alien: Isolation, and will we ever see a true sequel?
In other news, I have a special sale to announce! Ebook copies of my Lovecraftian horror novella The Book at Dernier will be $0.99 throughout the month of March!
Don’t forget to also check on the Kickstarter campaigns for the Gehenna & Hinnom 2019 lineup, which is closing in on its second stretch goal in the final 48 hours, and our visual novel / action RPG Eternal Radiance, which has 12 days left.
I fully expected to review Mario & Luigi: Dream Team today, but I didn’t finish it in time because the final dungeon goes on for far too long. So as an emergency replacement topic, let’s talk about the weekly sale at Play-Asia!
Alien: Isolation is one of the best modern survival horror games I’ve played, both for its unrelenting tension and the way it brings classic survival horror gameplay into a modern game.
If you’re a survival horror fan and you haven’t played it yet, you really should. And if you’re a fan of the original Alien movie, this sale will especially appeal to you, because it’s the Nostromo Edition. The Nostromo Edition lets you play as Ripley, Dallas, or Parker and try to survive one of the key moments of the film.
Play-Asia only lists the Xbox One version as part of the weekly special, but a search shows that the PS3, PS4, and Steam versions are also available at discounted prices (sorry, Xbox 360 players), though the deal isn’t as good. The Nostromo Edition is difficult to find anywhere else.
For those of you who have already played it or don’t care, Alien: Isolation isn’t the only game on sale this week, just the one I can speak about the most.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is a game I intend to play someday, though I have low expectations. I have yet to play the original Devil May Cry games, let alone the reboot. I’ll try Final Fantasy Type-0 HD eventually, but although the deal is tempting, I don’t have a PS4 or Xbox One yet to play it on. I already have Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, I’ve heard mixed things about Natural Doctrine, and while I may play the Tomb Raider reboot someday, I don’t have a PS4 to play the Definitive Edition on.
My vote on what to buy from this Play-Asia sale goes to Alien: Isolation, but share your thoughts on the rest of the weekly special items in the comments below.
It’s been a long time since I started playing Alien: Isolation. I liked it immediately, but a personal hiatus from horror caused a massive delay. Now, at last, I’ve beaten it… and I can say without hesitation that every survival horror fan should give Alien: Isolation a try.
For fans of the original Alien movie, Alien: Isolation is a tribute at its finest. Instead of feeling like fanservice or a successor in name only, it captures the tone and aesthetics of the film with startling attention to detail.
When it comes to survival horror, Alien: Isolation provides a modern spin on classic mechanics. Unlike modern survival horror games like Amnesia and Slender, you don’t play a helpless protagonist. You have weapons, and you can fight–but pick your fights wisely, because you’re far from a powerhouse and too much noise could attract the Alien’s attention. It brings back the fight-or-flight elements many horror games have lacked lately. Locked doors, backtracking (oh, it feels so good to return to an older area and see a locked door you now have the means to open), minor puzzles, and scattered notes to help tell Sevastopol Station’s story all revive the mechanics of classic survival horror without feeling dated.
And what Alien: Isolation accomplishes best of all is instilling a persistent sense of dread and tension. Maybe it isn’t the scariest game. Something like Amnesia (or Justine) might have it beat for brief moments of sheer terror. But if you want a game that will gnaw at you, leave you feeling anxious and unsafe, and torment you with quiet, unrelenting dread, Alien: Isolation is the one for you.
The Alien, the xenomorph itself, is the same sort of menacing presence from the original film. It can kill you in one hit, don’t even think about running from it, and its ability to travel through the space station’s vents means it can get around very quickly and pop up just about anywhere.
You’ll spend a lot of time hiding, sneaking, watching your motion tracker (but be careful the noise doesn’t attract it!), and possibly using distractions, but if you try the same trick too many times, the Alien will eventually catch on. Yeah, it’s smart. Just what you wanted to hear, right? Conventional weapons don’t work on it… molotov cocktails and the eventual flamethrower will make it back off, but only for a short period of time. Everything about the Alien is designed to make you feel vulnerable and paranoid.
I mentioned combat earlier, and that’s because the Alien isn’t your only enemy. Many other human survivors are hostile, and Sevastopol’s resident androids, the Working Joes, are out to politely kill you. They’re also deliberately in the Uncanny Valley.
A lot of the Joes’ dialogue falls somewhere between black humor and pure nightmare fuel. As they calmly say, “You are becoming hysterical” while throttling you or remind you of proper safety protocols while hunting you down, they remind me of the Taken’s bizarre lines in Alan Wake… but much more sinister. As I crawled into a vent and listened to the android outside tell me how patient he is, I was almost as tense as if the Alien was after me.
Almost. At least Working Joes can be killed, if not easily.
In addition to standard weapons, Alien: Isolation has a crafting system. I devoted most of my crafting resources to making medkits, molotov cocktails, and EMP mines, because my lack of stealth skills made it easier for me to risk taking damage than to try to use distractions. Still, the number of craftable items means you can approach different situations in a variety of ways.
So the gameplay is brilliant survival horror and the atmosphere is perfect… what about the story?
As a standalone experience, Alien: Isolation doesn’t have the strongest storytelling. You play as Amanda Ripley, who goes to Sevastopol Station after it obtains the Nostromo’s flight recorder. Her search for her mother is the game’s premise, but even that is overshadowed by the survival story. As a sequel to Alien, however, the story’s little touches and shout-outs make it more notable, but the plot still isn’t its strong point. None of the characters were particularly memorable aside from Amanda’s sheer will to survive, but all the same, it has some moments that resonated with me.
Click for spoiler
For example, I actually felt pretty sad when Samuels died.
Now, one of the biggest complaints about Alien: Isolation is that it drags on a bit. That, I have to agree with. Near the end, its plot twists started to feel less like plot twists and more like forced setbacks to make the game go on longer, which was a little aggravating. I don’t think it should have been much shorter, but a couple of the final chapters could probably have been cut to the game’s benefit.
Even so, this was a great experience and I’m happy I played it. It’s one of the most enjoyable survival horror games I’ve played in a while, and I’d love to see The Creative Assembly explore the genre further. If you’re a survival horror fan looking for a new game that lives up to the classics, I have no qualms about recommending Alien: Isolation.
I loved Alien: Isolation.
