Kris Wall reviews Alien Isolation…
The Alien franchise, it’s had a tough old time over the years. Beginning with Ridley Scott’s original masterpiece, Alien and then onto James Cameron’s thunderous sequel, Aliens, both films feature highly in best of polls for sci-fi, horror and all time great movies . From Alien 3 (depending on your view of it) through Alien Resurrection to the awful AVP movies, it’s hard to argue that it hasn’t been downhill following James Cameron’s sci-fi war epic. The Alien franchise has suffered similarly diminishing returns as a video game, with every high like Alien Trilogy and Aliens Vs Predator tempered by crushing lows like the Alien Resurrection tie-in and the horrible AVP reboot a few years back. It’s especially odd given that the Alien movies are rich in potential for easily crossing over into video games, who doesn’t want to suit up as a kick ass colonial marine and go on a galactic bug hunt with awesome weaponry, how hard can it be to get it right?
However, nothing could really prepare anyone for the moment when Aliens Colonial Marines finally emerged from development hell and essentially nuked the franchise from orbit, leaving Sega and Gearbox to sling mud at each other over who was to blame for such a critical and commercial failure, while every Alien fans hopes and dreams of having the ultimate Alien experience were crushed into dust by all the false hope that had been laid down from footage that proved to be nothing more than a smokescreen to the awful truth. Despite Aliens being my favorite film of all time, I’ve read enough to know that I don’t even need to play Colonial Marines to know how bad it is, by the time it had released I had already moved on to Creative Assembly’s Alien Isolation, which had peaked my interest for making the bold decision to eschew the guns blazing, video game ripe universe of James Cameron’s sequel to head back to Ridley Scott’s original Alien setting. Could an Alien game with no pulse rifles and just a single Alien really work? Would it even be exciting? Could the franchise be redeemed after Colonial Marines? And perhaps most importantly, would it be better than Alien 3 on the Sega Megadrive which is still my personal favorite Alien game?
In Alien Isolation, you play Amanda Ripley, daughter of Nostromo survivor Ellen Ripley. Set 15 years after the events of the first Alien film, Amanda is now a technician for Weyland Yutani. She is approached by a Weyland synthetic called Samuels who informs her that the flight recorder for the Nostromo has been found and is being held aboard the Sevastopol space station, owned by Weyland Yutani rivals, Seegson Corporation. During boarding of the Sevastopol, disaster strikes and Amanda is separated from her ship and team, things don’t get much better seeing as the Sevastopol is deserted, trashed and stained with blood. Rogue synthetics patrol the corridors and frightened crew members have no trust towards outsiders, it seems someone or something is onboard, hunting and killing anything in its path. Amanda’s quest to find the truth about her mother quickly descends into a desperate fight for survival against the most feared killer in the galaxy.
Alien Isolation is unlike any other game I’ve played before, unfolding at such a glacial pace it’s initially confusing and at times even off putting, the game is in absolutely no rush to play any of its cards and the main attraction doesn’t even show up for at least two hours of gameplay. To that end, I can almost see why some people would be (or have been) put off by the game, you spend more time hiding under desks, huddled inside lockers and inching through vents at a snails pace, lest your haste give away your position.
The Sevastopol is an an incredible setting, its deserted and bloodied corridors telling more story than any amount of exposition could. Not since Bioshock’s Rapture or Dead Space’s USG Ishimura ( which itself was heavily inspired by the Nostromo) have I seen a setting with as much character and atmosphere as the Sevastopol. While the game doesn’t look stunning and the character models look outdated, the attention to detail as you explore is absolutely staggering, Creative Assembly have really gone to town on staying as true and authentic to Ridley Scott’s vision as they could possibly get. Where Alien Isolation really sings is the effects work it brings to the table, featuring some of the most unsettling use of light and sound I’ve encountered in a video game, creating a near suffocating atmosphere of dread and fear.
The trepidation and concern with which you’ll approach a thick blanket of steam, occasionally lit with a strobe light is testament to how well Creative Assembly have crafted their environment. It’s even more unbearable when you see the silhouette of the Alien outlined in it and outright heartstopping when you’re crouched in a vent and your last flare bursts violently bursts into life and there it is waiting for you, teeth bared and ready for the kill. Another nice little touch is the attention to detail when using the motion tracker, Amanda can only focus on one thing so when you’re using the tracker, the background blurs out and you have to manually adjust your gaze to focus between the tracker’s info and what Amanda can actually see, which only raises the tension even further.
Sound design adds to the intense feeling of claustrophobia, the beat of the motion tracker alone will have your heart thumping but every hiss from a pipe or creak of groaning steel will have you flinching and scanning your surroundings, at times creating an almost unbearable level of tension and unease. I challenge anyone not to panic when they hear the distinct sound of one of the vent portals sliding open and it’s not you that has opened it. Everything comes back to the iconic sound of that motion tracker though.
Undoubtedly the star of the show is the Alien itself, never before in a game have I encountered an enemy as legitimately threatening and frightening as this creature. Creative Assembly have given the Alien a free roaming A.I so it hunts based on its own instinct. Unbound and unshackled of any algorithms that would make it hunt in set patterns and routines, the Alien will force you to constantly adapt your approach to your surroundings. The threat of the Alien is aided by the incredible atmosphere aboard the Sevastopol and some incredibly clever level design that feels incredibly claustrophobic but also offers many routes for both Amanda and the Alien to outsmart and outmaneuver each other. By making the Alien a free roaming threat, Alien Isolation manages to deftly stay one step ahead of other horror games where being caught stops being scary after the initial few times you’re caught, the Alien cannot be learned, it doesn’t have any set routines you can learn, it can’t be harmed, it adapts, it hunts and it absolutely will not stop until you are dead.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in Alien Isolation was the weapons, guns aboard the Sevastopol aren’t the life savers that gamers are used to, we’re accustomed to guns solving 99% of our gaming problems but here they’re a risky prospect that could make things 100% worse for you. While Ripley gains access to pistols, shotguns and flamethrowers along her journey, none of it will even dent the Alien, a blast from the flamethrower will annoy it enough for it to scurry off and try and find a way behind you but for the most part, guns are more trouble than they’re worth. However you’ll also encounter rogue synthetics and frightened survivors with serious trust issues around the space station, taking them out with your weapons always risks alerting the Alien to your location so it always pays to be stealthy as much as possible. I’m not proud to admit that in my most desperate (and callous) moment, I fired off a gunshot to lure the Alien to an area I know is populated by survivors, giving it a free meal while I bought myself a precious few minutes to plan my next move and further my escape.
You won’t be entirely out of options though, bolstering Alien Isolation’s more stealthy approach and focus, Amanda can collect salvage and electrical parts as you explore, which can be combined using the games crafting system to make flares, noisemakers, EMPS, smoke bombs, molotovs and other such items that when used carefully, will create distractions that will buy you just enough time to maybe catch your breath and survive to to the next section. It’s immensely satisfying shutting down a synthetic with an EMP mine, even more so when you manage to ward off the Alien with a well aimed molotov cocktail.
Unfortunately, Alien Isolation isn’t without its flaws. The game vastly outstays its welcome, without spoiling anything the story reaches a natural conclusion after about 15 hours but it just carries on and on and on and given the slow paced hide and seek nature of the game, it begins to feel almost painfully drawn out, it’s as if Creative Assembly went ahead and bolted on additional DLC story content. I’m not usually one to complain about the length of games seeing as many developers are only too happy to churn out a 6-7 hour story and charge £40 and over for it, but given the style of Alien Isolation, the length of its story really starts to work against it.
You certainly can’t complain for the amount of game content you’re getting here though, on top of the main story which sits at around 18-20 hours, you’re also getting the Crew Expendable DLC which reunites the original Nostromo crew of Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Yaphet Kotto, Veronica Cartwright and Harry Dean Stanton in the motion capture studio to allow you to play through segments of the original movie as the characters themselves, a superb little treat for any Alien fan.
Another slight issue was the character models in the FMV’s all look like they’ve been crafted from cold shiny plastic and they all seem to be sweating profusely, even the synthetic character, Samuels, who I’m quite confident doesn’t have any sweat glands. The frame rate on the FMVS is also quite jarring and occasionally drops out and stutters, while I also noticed that it sometimes knocks the audio slightly out of sync as well. The game is also incredibly difficult, almost unfairly so at times and it goes out of its way to punish players for their haste. The old school save system doesn’t help things much here either, while the game autosaves at the start of each environment, you have to manually check in at points to save your progress and it can be awfully frustrating to reach a point and as your keycard is loading, the tail of the Alien bursts through your chest and it’s worth mentioning again that the slow pace of Alien Isolation will not be to everyone’s tastes, especially those accustomed to Call of Duty’s whizz bang, Michael Bay inspired, ADHD assault on the senses. Fortunately Alien Isolation is so strong in pretty much every other aspect that these few negatives are vastly outweighed by everything the game is doing right.
Alien Isolation is without doubt the hardest game I have ever had to review. It has taken me at present, 3 weeks to really sink my teeth into it, fall into a groove with it and really absorb everything that is and isn’t going on in the game and generally just try and just put my thoughts and experiences into words. It’s definitely the longest review I’ve ever written and I still don’t feel like I’ve covered it properly. For every thing I loved and adored about it, I could also see something that could (and has) put other gamers off. Alien is a game that demands your patience and attention and is quick to punish those seeking quick thrills and loud gunplay. The Sevastopol setting, the incredible effects work and quite possibly the most threatening enemy I’ve encountered in a game all combine seamlessly. Creative Assembly have made the equivalent of digital marmite, there really doesn’t seem to be any middle ground on peoples view of it and whether you love it or hate, Alien Isolation is THE definitive Alien experience that fans have been waiting for that bleeds authenticity, restores glory to the franchise and almost, almost makes up for Colonial Marines. Alien Isolation is not only one of the best games of 2014, it’s one of the greatest horror games ever made.
Pros:
The Alien is an incredible threat
The claustrophobia of the Sevastopol
Unbelievable sound, lighting and effects work create a near suffocating sense of dread
Authentic to Ridley Scott’s vision
The motion tracker
Original cast re-united for the Crew Expendable DLC
Cons:
Almost glacial pace which might put off those seeking quick thrills
Outstays its welcome
FMV’s occasionally stutter
Weak character models
Rating: 9/10
Kris Wall
