Released in 2014 and developed by Creative Assembly (the guys famous for their Total War series), Alien: Isolation is as much its own take on the Alien mythos as it is an homage to the first film which started it all: Alien.
How to Download Alien: Isolation
To download Alien: Isolation click on the Download link at the end of the review. You can enjoy the game on PS3, Ps4 PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. You can also download some additional DLC: Crew Expendable, Corporate Lockdown, Last Survivor, Trauma, Lost Contact, and The Trigger. Everyone’s wondering whether we will see Alien: Isolation 2 anytime soon as the ending of the original game let many questions unanswered.
The Game Review
The arrival of Ridley Scott’s cinematic masterpiece Alien in 1979 set a new standard not only for science fiction film but also horror movies. A thriller in which a spacefaring crew is picked off one by one after pickup up a virulent alien threat upon landing on a dark, cold planet, Alien is an increasingly claustrophobic experience as the viewer is left with only Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley and her cat Jonesy.
Meanwhile, the titular alien has grown from the size of a snake to a towering monster of oil slick skin and purely murderous intent.
Needless to elaborate, it was an eyeopener when it released for its embrace of gritty sci-fi and terror.
These aspects of the classic film are the core of the gameplay in Alien: Isolation, a title set 15 years after the conclusion of the film and following the exploits of Amanda Ripley, daughter of the first movie’s heroine.
The Plot
The plot begins with the retrieval of the flight recorder from the Nostromo, the spaceship upon which much of the action of the first movie takes place, and Amanda’s desire to know more about her mother’s fate.
Believed to be dead with the rest of her crew, the flight recorder may reveal Ripley’s ultimate fate. Of course, in the great tradition of setups, the flight recorder is not the only thing the salvage team brings back with them and thus begins the infestation of Sevastopol station by the xenomorph menace.
Alien: Isolation – the Gameplay
Fans of the franchise are familiar with the more action-oriented sequel as well as the middling entries that have taken place since and that makes Alien: Isolation’s focus on the original’s spirit so refreshing. The player is as helpless as Ripley is in the film and you will not charge up to the xenomorph and rip its head off DOOM-style.
Instead, you will likely find yourself killed because, like Amanda, the player is extremely vulnerable at all times. Stealth, puzzle-solving, and even a twisted take on hide-and-seek dominate this game.
That might not sound like the most thrilling experience but the combined atmosphere of a collapsing space station and the terror of the xenomorph combine for an atmosphere that few games can match. If you have ever wondered what a game that plays like a film would feel like, Alien: Isolation does a good job of approximating that.
A tightly polished package that feels as much a part of the Alien franchise as any of the films, Alien: Isolation is a refreshing game that puts the player in the role of an ultimately helpless person who must improvise to survive.
In many ways this is more realistic and, without the Alien garb, would still make a solid concept for a title. Fans of survival horror games as well as those who enjoy puzzle solving and stealth will find hours of fun in Alien: Isolation.
