Alien: Isolation is a special game; every single element of it works. Even in wireframe, without the Alien-themed coat of paint, it makes for a completely satisfying gameplay experience. If you had a different styling to it, the world would still feel fully realized and fun to navigate. The tension of being stalked by a relentless predator would be amazing even if it wasn’t the much-beloved Xenomorph. This all coalesces into a great experience that is only elevated by setting it in a perfect rendition of the Alien Universe.
Many other games have been set in this world, but they often don’t capture the soul of the franchise in the way that Isolation does. The ones that find success usually do so by adopting the tone of Aliens rather than Alien. The faster, more action-packed style is more conducive to the medium of video games, giving you more active tasks to be doing as you progress.
The late 90s/early 2000s Alien vs Predator PC games did a great job of this when you were playing as the marines. There, you’re capable of fighting back against the Xenomorphs, much like the movie Aliens, but their speed and numbers combined with the environments make them a formidable force. Alien Infestation for the Nintendo DS also did a good job capturing that Aliens tone, this time in the Metroidvania genre. You were adequately armed but easily ambushed as you explored the Sulaco.
But Alien: Isolation took on the challenge of capturing the tone of the original Alien film. Instead of giving you action in short, controlled bursts, you truly feel like you’re engaged in a game of wits with the infamous perfect organism. Just like the original film, there’s one Xenomorph hunting you throughout the Sevastapol, and just like the original film, you are not in any way prepared for it. As Amanda Ripley, daughter of franchise protagonist Ellen Ripley, you put your engineering skills to work assembling makeshift weapons from parts you scrounge in order to repel, but never kill, the alien.
Focusing entirely on conflict with the Alien might make the game feel sparse and empty, especially when the creature is run by an adapting AI rather than scripted sequences, so the developer, Creative Assembly, smartly populates the game with other enemies that feel right at home in the Alien Universe. The Working Joe androids that menace you in the halls of the Sevastapol keep you from getting too comfortable while hiding from the Alien itself. Going all the way back to the first Alien film, androids have been a massive presence in the Alien Universe, so it only makes sense for them to be included here.
One moment that always stuck with me from Alien was when Ash finally shows his true colors and tries to attack Ripley by shoving a magazine into her mouth. Everything about the way Ash acts in that scene is so cold and mechanical, making it all the more chilling. The movements of the Working Joes evoke that image, and their calm dialog offering you assistance only doubles down on the tone. Nothing is worse than finally shaking the Xenomorph, only to hear a cold “I will be with your shortly” from around the corner.
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Alien to me has always been so interesting because it was a group of working class people in space that were caught up in a fight with an incomprehensible creature. They weren’t scientists or a military squadron, so the tech seen on the Nostromo is a lot more low-tech than the sleek sci-fi we’re used to. This created a unique aesthetic that set Alien apart from others in the genre, and it carried forward into other entries into the film franchise.
Creative Assembly was able to perfectly translate this aesthetic as they created the world of the Sevastapol. Every area of the station feels perfectly at home in the Alien franchise. The technology that you use and craft throughout also fits right in. The noisemakers and pipe bombs look like big piles of junk slapped together. The maintenance jack you use as a melee weapon looks is just a wonderfully low-tech tool. Even the stations where you save your game look delightfully analog. All these elements come together to create a cohesive picture that carries the Alien tone into the video game medium with unprecedented accuracy.
Licensed games have always been a bit of a sore subject for gamers, but Alien Isolation shows how you can do it by carefully examining the tone and style of the source material. Every design decision was made to try to emulate the feel of Alien, creating an experience that works for the same reasons the film does. It places the player in a desperate situation where they have to use the meager resources at hand to defend themselves against a horrific monster. Obviously not all movies can be translated this directly to a video game, but Creative Assembly managed the impossible and created a near-perfect adaptation.
This article was originally published for the fifth anniversary on October 7, 2019.
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