Alien: Isolation
We’re stepping outside of our usual medium this week to talk about our very first horror video game, Alien: Isolation. I first became aware of Alien: Isolation a few years ago when I saw my brother playing it on his XBox. As a huge fan of the Alien franchise, I was intrigued but didn’t have a XBox. I was delighted last December when it was announced that Isolation would be released on the Nintendo Switch.
Alien: Isolation is a survival horror video game set in the Alien franchise. It was written by Dan Abnett (Warhammer 40,000), Dion Lay (Total War: Three Kingdoms), and Will Porter (Mafia: Definitive Edition) and was directed by Alistair Hope (Halo Wars 2). Alien: Isolation was originally released for Microsoft Windows, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, XBox 360, and XBox One on October 7th, 2014 and a port to the Nintendo Switch was released on December 19th, 2019. Alien: Isolation received generally positive reviews upon its release.
Set fifteen years after the events of Alien, Alien: Isolation follows Amanda Ripley (Andrea Deck, Homeland) in her search to discover what happened to her mother (and protagonist of the film series) Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver, Alien). When the Nostromo’s flight recorder is discovered Amanda goes to Sevastopol Station to retrieve it only to find the space station in ruins and an alien creature hunting her.
As I mentioned, I am a massive fan of the Alien franchise (I even have a soft spot in my heart for Alien: Resurrection) so I was naturally inclined to like this game and waited anxiously for months after it was announced it would be released for the Nintendo Switch, and I was not disappointed.
Stealth missions in video games are among my least favorite. When I play Breath of the Wild I just stock up on Ancient Arrows when I go to the Yiga hideout and snipe the guards rather than deal with the irritation. The fact that Alien: Isolation itself is almost entirely a stealth mission should be a turn off, but it so perfectly captures the terror and tension of the original Alien that it becomes thrilling rather than tedious. The Alien can’t be fought and while human and synthetic enemies can, the noise from the struggle will often attract the Alien so sneaking and hiding is frequently the best solution to getting through the station safely. The game’s first-person nature puts you right in Amanda’s shoes, all the better to share her terror.
Alien: Isolation boasts an impressive AI that makes the gameplay all the more thrilling. As you progress through the game the Alien will learn from your actions. Use the same type of hiding place too often? The Alien will start to catch on and check those locations more frequently, keeping the player on their toes and adjusting their strategy throughout the game.
Outside of the gameplay the story is engaging as well. It’s clear that a lot of effort went into making sure that Amanda’s story was not only scary but emotionally resonant as well. It would have been easy to drop the audience into the life of any random person having an encounter with the Alien, but having it be the daughter of an established and beloved character desperately trying to find closure about her missing mother allows the player to engage with Amanda on an emotional level as well. As the player I was just as invested in finding out what happened to Ripley, despite already being familiar with her history past this point in the franchise timeline.
Alright, I’ve showered the game with compliments; do I have any complaints? Just one. This game is LONG. Don’t get me wrong I appreciate getting a lot of content in my games (they aren’t cheap), but there is a lot of padding toward the end of the game. Obstacles start getting thrown in your way not for any particular story reasons, but to extend the length of the game. It’s not a gamebreaker, but it does start to get a little irritating.
All in all Alien: Isolation is a fantastic game. It’s everything you would want from an Alien game; tense, terrifying, and emotionally satisfying. Turn the lights off, turn the sound up, and let it thrill you.
Rating: 4 pipe bombs out of 5
Other Observations:
Does the Dog Die? Nope!
Harrison’s Favorite Scare: It’s a little weird to qualify this because each player will likely have a scare unique to their gameplay; but as far as scripted scares go, the first full appearance of the Alien is very scary. In general, the game is good at lulling the player into a false sense of security before unleashing the Alien on them. The first Medical Facility level is also a nightmare.
There is a DLC where you can play scenarios from the original film that’s very fun. The cast of the original reprise their roles for the voiceovers.
Comments
Post a Comment