What may in most games be nothing more than a simple jaunt from objective A to objective B – you’ll be doing that a lot by the way – instead becomes a tension-filled journey when the Xenomorph is involved and when it isn’t. Alien: Isolation takes the idea of fear being at its most powerful when it isn’t tangible and spreads it across a lengthy story. While the idea of hiding from a Xenomorph for 15 or so hours might sound like something that would get old, the primitive fear is built throughout every second.
Any time the walls creak it could be the Alien. Every hiss of gas could be the stalker creeping up behind you. Shaft openings could be the hiding place of your imminent doom all of the time. Usually you’d just whip out a shotgun and blow the face of this beast. In Alien: Isolation you cannot do that. Not just because the creature doesn’t have a face. It simply cannot be killed. The flamethrower can be used to buy a few seconds but that’s the only conventional weapon that would have any effect. After all let’s be honest. Would you rather hide from the creature, or piss it off with a jet of flame and then deal with the consequences of it learning.
Sevastopol station itself builds this feeling of horror with every fiber of its being. Dim lighting and dark corners present themselves at every turn. Where Creative Assembly really deserves all of the credit they earn is in the building of this station. No one element feels out of place at any point. It stays so true to its source that if a director were to pick up the entirety of the original Alien, change the story to fit this new station, then lovingly drop it into the setting of Alien: Isolation, it would feel like a true sequel worthy of the franchise. Much more so than the prequel territory trodden through Prometheus or the questionable Alien: Resurrection.
The majority of gameplay plays out in typical survival-horror form. Through a combination of stealthing, creating items with a brilliantly-innovative if initially-jarring crafting system, and objectives like “press this switch to open this door”, you lead Amanda Ripley through this living hell and out of the other side. Admittedly the similar objectives do become something of a drag at times but the Xenomorph and changing locales do a fine job of diluting this somewhat unimaginative selection of activities.
Sound design and visual attention to detail play a huge part in the success of bringing the world of Alien to Alien: Isolation. Nothing sounds out of place. These sounds meld together with every other factor to create an experience which keeps you on your toes at all times. Of course there are frustrations. When trapped in an area with no obvious escape, frequently dying and having to fumble through a rather dated saving system becomes a controller-launching experience. As you learn the ins and outs of each environment though you feel an overwhelming sense of achievement, even if you’ve only moved several feet.
It should be noted that if you suffer from any visual impairment or hearing difficulties, Alien: Isolation makes almost no effort to bring the experience to you in a suitable way. There are no visualizations of ominous sounds and one incredibly frustrating section is outwardly unfriendly to anyone who suffers from color-blindness.
This isn’t a horror game. Oh no, this is an Alien game. A place where fastidious art direction, intriguing level design and an ever-present nightmare roll into one. A truly wondrous title that, with a few minor hiccups, deserves to have the Alien name emblazoned upon its art. If you’ve ever enjoyed an Alien movie, then Alien: Isolation is a natural and recommended play for your immediate future.
