ALIEN: ISOLATION REVIEW

I like horror games. It might surprise you that I don't talk much about horror games. This is because I have a hard time dealing with it. I need tea breaks and pauses to let my heart beat out of the thousands. It also gives me comfort that big scary monsters are just a game.

Horrors are my favorite genre. They live or die by their atmosphere, and rely heavily on story. It doesn't matter how complicated the gameplay is, I will often overlook them if I am completely immersed in the game world. It is true that the best horror games I play are those that I am so absorbed in that I cannot get enough of them for more than an hour.

Alien: IsolationThis is, in my opinion, the best horror video game I have ever seen. It proves this in the short time it took to beat it. It was a game that I wanted to play but couldn't manage at the time it was released.WayIt was 2014, and I first started playing it in 2015. The game is finished in a matter of months.

This should be enough evidence to show how frightening the game can be. It was a game I could spend hours on and then I would get scared so bad that I had to quit. It was more psychological warfare than anything, since your mind makes it seem so much worse than it actually was. It would appear to deliver on the mystique it had created with I.

My mummy said that I was easily affected by horror due to my excellent imagination. So if you don't find it frightening, that's your problem, unimaginative so and so!

This game is set 15 years after the original Alien film. You play the role of Amanda Ripley (Sigourney Weaver’s daughter). Although my knowledge of Alien is limited, I didn't feel that it affected the experience in any way. It is likely that there were Easter eggs for more avid fans, but the experience was still great without them (literally, hurr).

The technology of the Alien Universe is a kind of 1970's-esque level CRT monitors, punch cards, and punch cards. Therefore, Amanda must fly to the Sevastopol station with a representative from Weyland-Yutani and an android to physically collect the data. They arrive on the station to find that everything has gone sideways. Everyone is either trying to barricade themselves into as little space as possible or gibbering about how they survived the monster.

Your retrieval mission goes wrong and you are left stranded on hostile territory. You will now need to deal with the remaining inhabitants, including androids and people. You will find the first few hours slow and you'll need to regroup with your teammates, get past security protocols, and work slowly towards escaping from the ship.

It is uncanny how terrifying and atmospheric the game is, even in the early stages before the alien appears. Although the androids may not be very effective at scaring you, it becomes more difficult to know when you are safe. Running away from a screaming robot is like smearing your face with barbecue sauce.

This is actually a common theme that you will see more of. While the evil androids and other enemies humans can be a threat if you aren't careful, the real danger is that you attract the monsters from the vents by being loud. You end up sneaking around them and almost beg them to.stay fucking quietSo that you don’t have to avoid being lunch.

It's so humble when the alien does finally show up. The alien simply appears and uncoils as you hide under a table. After that, it stomps away and you have to make sure it doesn't come back to haunt you.

The sound design is one of the best in gaming. The game's soundtrack is a mix of clattering, hissing and clunking sounds that will drive you insane. You will be kept on edge by the gradual fall of the station. The alien sounds are the true star of the show. Its deep, low-pitched footsteps, sometimes appearing to be inches behind you, its tail clattering over the floor, are some of the most memorable sounds.

This happened several times. I would jump into a locker to hide, and it would become a prison for my soul. The alien's reverberating footsteps would be a frightening reminder of their presence. I would then become paralysed and unable to leave my locker. I would just keep my thumb in my mouth for ridiculously long periods of time.

Devs made a big deal about the fact that alien AI can learn from your behavior. So, in theory, if you spend more time in lockers, the alien will start to check them more often. This is a way to psyche players out, but I don't know if it's true or not.

The motion tracker, an ingenious gift from God, gives you the ability to see everything within a small radius. This seems to make it trivial. Just go in the opposite direction from the big blinking red dot. But the truth is, if the tracker shows the alien, then it's already very close to you. It doesn't do anything but fuel paranoia. The alien could be visible on the tracker at any time, but it could also appear at any moment, in which case it would be right on top of your head. Or worse, it could just be chilling in the vents system, so it could actually be LITERALLY above you. My thumb is now back in my mouth.

This tracker is so integral to the experience, that you might be forgiven if you miss large portions of the game because it obscures a third of your screen. It won't, it won't.

This constant presence is where the game shines. Even the "safe" areas feel extremely dangerous after the Alien appears. One feels like the Alien could suddenly appear at any moment and is unable to stop wincing at loud noises. It isn't scripted so there are fewer jump scares. In fact, I would say that the xenomorph actually catching you becomes almost more of an escape.

Because there is a constant buildup of tension in your brain, making you feel like a vulnerable little snack, with your thumb in your mouth and your motion tracker in your lap. It feels like your body is able to breathe again after you are spotted. This lasts for five minutes before you start the game over. There are some good moments where you might scream, but this is not what the game is trying deliver.

The game's story revolves around the escape from the station. In fact, after just a few hours, you have lost sight of your original goal of finding the flight recorder. A few characters will be encountered along the way, most of them driven insanely by paranoia by the alien's presence. They will assign tasks to help you reach your ultimate goal.

I must admit that I missed most of the story, but for the most part, it was okay. Although I do remember being given tasks to rescue crew members and find escape vessels, this was just another excuse for Amanda, who would spend hours running from locker to locker. That's kind of the point. Although the game's story is solid, it's secondary. It's simple and straight-forward so that it doesn't distract from the bed-wetting terror.

Two horror games that have risen to the top of many people's list in recent years are Outlast and Amnesia The Dark Descent. These two titles go without saying. Personally, A.I has them all beat in fear factor. Both games have scares that are scripted and make you jump out of your chair with terror. However, I doubt either one of them can create the same level of tension as Alien.

It does feel like the tension is fading towards the end, as the action picks up towards a close. Fighting and running takes over. It feels right that you are fighting your way out from the station, even though this happens only in the last hours of the game. The alien can only be warded away for a short time, so you don't have much fear.

Graphics are another aspect that I think deserves special attention. A.I still looks amazing six years later. It's amazing to see how lighting is used in this scene. (See the trailer clip where you open the shutters and let the starlight into the station's cold metal). It's a great combination of retro-futurist nostalgia (green CRT monitors and no holograms), and is a joy to admire. However, I must say that, not for the very first time, the retro-futuristic aesthetic has begun to look a little tired.

The crafting system is my biggest complaint. You are encouraged to explore the game and you can even revisit areas you have explored and unlock new ones. This is more story-driven, but you can still explore to find crafting materials for different types of explosive devices and bombs. The goal of this latter is to distract or confuse rather than cause damage. I did use one of these items once throughout the entire game, and had an extensive inventory of all the other things.

This might be more specific to me and my way of playing these games. I'm what I call a "hoarder", and I save equipment and items for later when I need them. My fear of accidentally summoning an alien to my position was what drove me to refuse to use the noisemaker. It is probably not helping that I cannot hear many of the devices in the game. I was shocked to find out that the motion tracker makes a sound at the end of the game. This might explain why I kept being yanked from my hiding-holes.

Regardless of the reason, the entire crafting system felt redundant. It felt like it was an addition because it is what games have these day. But it did nothing.

Another problem is something I already mentioned. It feels like there isn’t much character development on display. Amanda has a bad habit of accepting that she is responsible for being the bait for the aliens. However, I must say that this allows the player to more easily step into Amanda's shoes.

Even though the story is a little lacking, Alien : Isolation has a truly amazing atmosphere and scary design. This should be on the top of everyone's list if they like scary games.