Now Playing: Alien Isolation

Alien: Isolation is a first person stealth/survival horror title inspired by the original Alien. Set 15 years after the events of the film, you play as Amanda Ripley, joining a mission to the Sevastopol Station to retrieve the flight recorder of the Nostromo. As you can probably guess, things don’t exactly go to plan.

The first thing that strikes you about Isolation is how damn authentic it is to the original Alien. The attention to detail is tremendous, and everything in the game feels meticulously hand crafted and placed with the utmost care. Visually, Isolation is a fantastic looking game. Lighting, shadow and smoke effects are particularly excellent – static images really don’t do it justice. Isolation also has outstanding audio design. From the sounds of the station to the dynamic soundtrack, this is one component of isolation which is practically flawless.

Isolation has quite the slow paced opening, introducing you to the world, characters and mechanics of the game. The opening hour or so essentially serves as a tutorial section. It is, I must admit, a little tedious to sit through, and as a result I was initially somewhat underwhelmed by the game. I think this is partly due to the fact that although Amanda may not know what lurks within the station – we do, and we’re all waiting for the star of the show to arrive. But the developers certainly like to tease, and you won’t encounter the alien fully until nearly two hours in. But when you do…

Isolation is a game primarily of stealth. You can run (not generally advised) walk or crawl. You’ll be crawling a lot. Under desks. Under beds. Into lockers and cabinets. But this isn’t a stealth game like any you may have played before, and that’s all down to the alien AI. You have various tools to assist you – the motion tracker, flashlight and flares plus an assortment of craftable items and weapons. Yes, weapons. Because there’s actually far more action in this game than you might expect. It certainly surprised me, but in a good way.

A lot of the items you can craft are used primarily for distraction, to lure the alien or other opponents away from where you need to go. But some can be used offensively too. There’s a certain risk/reward system at play. These items can be extremely helpful, but you must use them with caution and restraint. It should also be noted that you have to find the blueprints for these items (and upgraded versions) yourself. Although they can usually be found in areas you’ll need to visit, the game, refreshingly, doesn’t spoon feed them to you.

The game is, aside from a couple of sequences, brilliantly paced, continually varying up the gameplay and environments. If you’re concerned that Isolation is a game entirely of hide and seek – don’t be! During the early stages of the game, when you’re rather under equipped, it most certainly is, but as you progress and unlock new weapons and tools you’ll learn that ‘aggressive stealth’ is the best way forward. Hiding for too long in one location can actually be dangerous in Isolation, as the alien as well as other enemies will eventually sniff you out. There are also moments when you can disregard stealth almost entirely and adopt a rather liberating ‘guns blazing’ approach. These bring a welcome change of pace and sense of relief after some extremely tense cat and mouse segments.

I played Isolation through on Hard in about 18 hours. Although story progression is linear, you’re free to explore the station mostly at your leisure, although certain areas remain locked off until you gain access to various tools. You’ll find the typical audio diaries and computer logs allowing you to build a picture of events prior to your arrival, as well as collectible ID tags and crafting components. On Hard, Isolation presents an extremely rewarding and satisfying challenge. You save your progress at terminals dotted about the station, a system that may be a little frustrating for those who have grown too accustomed to extremely forgiving checkpoint systems.

Isolation is distinctly old-school in many aspects of its design. It doesn’t really hold your hand, tell you exactly where to go or what button to push. And it will punish you for failure. That said, it never feels unfair, and the save stations are fairly generously placed. It just takes a little patience and planning as you approach each area.

In addition to the alien you’ll be dealing with hostile human survivors and androids. The humans are probably the weakest part of Isolation. Human animations are oddly stiff and awkward, and their AI is very hit and miss. Thankfully, they don’t show up very often. The androids on the other hand are one of its best features. They are creepy as hell, walking just fast enough so that you can never quite outrun them, often making polite conversation just before they crush your throat or stomp on your face. They remind me a lot of the exploding service robots of System Shock 2. In fact, a lot of Isolation in terms of design reminds me of that title. In many ways, it feels like the sequel to System Shock 2 we never received.

Which brings us onto the star of Isolation – the alien. Unlike other stealth games, the alien has no set patrol patten. Although clearly scripted to appear at certain moments, once it enters the environment it runs entirely on its own AI. An AI designed to relentlessly and ruthlessly hunt down any prey. Yes, that means you. As a result, the alien is unpredictable. It may decide to stop, turn and head back the way it came. Or it may decide to wait behind a door, motionless (and therefore won’t be picked up by your tracker). Or it may hide in a vent, waiting for you to pass underneath.

This unpredictable nature means the alien genuinely feels like an actual, living creature hunting you. If it gets the sense you’re in an area, it will search it – thoroughly. And don’t think hiding under desks or in lockers makes you invisible – if you’re in a clear line of sight, it will catch you, and it will tear you out of any ‘safe’ hiding place. Over time, you will begin to understand the behaviour of the alien in terms of its ‘moods’ from the sounds that it makes, but you can never entirely predict exactly what it will do or how it will react. Oh, and it also ‘learns’ over time, so if you keep trying to use the same tactics against it, say by distracting it with a flare, it won’t be fooled.

I can see this unpredictable nature being frustrating for some, because in some areas, especially the first time you encounter it fully, it’s hard to shake off and you’ll die. A lot. But this almost serves as a rite of passage as you learn the best way to ‘manage’ the threat of the alien. Over time, fear of the alien will slowly turn to respect. So many games are about making the player feel powerful and in control. Isolation is the exact opposite. One thing the game does brilliantly is continually make you feel like you’re just starting to take charge of the situation, only to pull the rug out from underneath you, leaving you feeling powerless once again.

The story of Isolation is good, but it’s nothing surprising if you’re familiar with the films. It has a few twists and turns here and there, and there is some stuff I really wasn’t expecting to see, which came as nice/nightmarish surprise. I won’t say any more because I don’t want to spoil anything. Amanda is a good central character, not simply a carbon copy of her mother, but an individual in her own right. I hope we see more of her in the future.

In terms of other criticisms, I think a few sequences towards the end could have probably been cut, as it gets a little silly. Isolation also comes with a single map for its ‘Survivor Mode’ which plays like a surprisingly enjoyable ‘speed run’ mode. More maps will come as DLC. There’s also a couple of DLC missions based on events in the original film. Not exactly necessary for the main game, but great if you’re an Alien fan.

Oh, and did I mention the tension? I can’t remember the last time I played a game this tense. Isolation can be draining at times. There were moments I had to step away and take a break. One section in particular I just had to stop playing and take a breath. It’s horrible but also amazing. When the ordeal was finally over, it felt like a great relief. And yet, I wanted more.

Alien: Isolation initially struggled to win me over, but when it did, I was completely hooked. It’s an incredible piece of work and in many ways, it’s amazing it was made at all, given how risk-adverse AAA games have become. Isolation certainly isn’t going to be a game for everyone but I think a lot of people will come to adore it, despite its imperfections.

9/10