Fear is a strong emotion. And it’s something that a lot of horror movies and games can’t get right. As far as I’m told anyway. I’m not a horror fan, but sometimes, a piece of art comes along promising a scare or two that I just can’t ignore. A little while ago in the good old days of 2008, a game called Dead Space arrived with a thrilling, heart-racing adventure through a derelict spaceship with disfigured alien/zombies out to getcha. It rocked, and it was terrifying. And so… in the bad old days of 2014, when games were mostly broken and disappointing *cough* Destiny, a little game called Alien Isolation came out with the apparent promise of an unpredictable alien roaming a space station. They say it was golden. And I’ve just played it. Finally.
The Perfect Organism
I’ve always preferred the single player experience over the multiplayer. Always. Hey, I enjoy blasting guns on Halo as much as the next greenhorn would-be space marine, but take away the whiny kids and the kill/death ratios and deliver me a satisfying story, then I’m all ears. And Alien Isolation has just that. Its set some years after the first movie, and you play as Amanda Ripley, tasked to find a flight recorder detailing your mother’s whereabouts. You arrive at Sevastopol Station, where said flight recorder is, and discover things have gone straight to hell. Doy! With a Xenomorph onboard, you’ve got to find a ride out of there before it’s too late. Sounds simple. Is simple. Alien Isolation so far doesn’t have any annoying or ridiculous plot points or a myriad of nouns of lore to take you away from the experience. You get what you pay for here, and that’s all I’ve wanted. And trust me, the alien is terrifying. He’s completely unpredictable. He can jump out from any vent you see, stalk any corridors nearby and can pretty much just empty your bowels whenever he wants to. It’s a stressful experience.
In Alien Isolation, the alien is always a threat. You are never safe. And because he’s so unpredictable, and because the atmosphere and the sound design are top notch, he’s never not scary when he shows up. Listening to him clatter in the roof space above you is enough to make you stop, pull out the motion tracker, assess the area and find an escape route. And in all that time it takes for you to think about what to do, you may already be dead. Sometimes you can see him dribbling down a roof vent, and should you walk underneath… yeah. Inner jaw and all. The initial horror of its appearance will dampen overtime since you have to study its behavior, but it’s always scary when it’s around. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hidden beneath a bed or stretcher and he’s skulked past, his tail trailing behind him. My palms were sweaty as hell.
In Alien Isolation, the alien is always a threat. You are never safe. And because he’s so unpredictable, and because the atmosphere and the sound design are top notch, he’s never not scary when he shows up. Listening to him clatter in the roof space above you is enough to make you stop, pull out the motion tracker, assess the area and find an escape route. And in all that time it takes for you to think about what to do, you may already be dead. Sometimes you can see him dribbling down a roof vent, and should you walk underneath… yeah. Inner jaw and all. The initial horror of its appearance will dampen overtime since you have to study its behavior, but it’s always scary when it’s around. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hidden beneath a bed or stretcher and he’s skulked past, his tail trailing behind him. My palms were sweaty as hell.
Bug Hunt
Both Dead Space and Alien Isolation are dripping with atmosphere, and roaming Sevastopol Station sent flickers of haunting memories of roaming The Sprawl in Dead Space 2. Except, DS2 is a scripted game, and Alien isn’t. Now, I’m not a super fan of the license. I haven’t actually seen an Alien film except the third one, and everybody says that’s rubbish. But I know enough to detect some of the hints and ticks of the scenery, to appreciate how the game brilliantly recreates the set of the movies. It’s cramped, it’s dark, lights flicker all the time and the technology is analogue, and when you activate the motion tracker the screen garbles and warps like a crappy VHS tape. It’s retro-futuristic and I love it. The hacking device you use also looks like those massive chunky original GameBoys. It’s got style in buckets, and it all helps to sell the idea that you’re walking through the movies. Its attention to detail like that I adore in video games, and something more developers need to take note of. Settings matter in any context.
Alien Isolation is a wonderful experience so far, despite its frustrating moments. I’ve got three Alien books ready to read after I’m done with the game, and I may even purchase the films too and see what they’re like. Hell, I’ll bet the special effects are better than the CGI garbage we’re used to seeing now. I want more experiences like this. Scary, unnerving, and using your brain. This is as far from run-and-gun Call of Duty as you can get, and having that one hit kill threat from the Xeno is damned welcoming in this day and age of super soldier robotics. Enemies in any context should be a threat. When they’re not scary, then you’ve lost the audience. Take note. Alien Isolation knows how to do it right.
Songs of the Week:
Alien Isolation is a wonderful experience so far, despite its frustrating moments. I’ve got three Alien books ready to read after I’m done with the game, and I may even purchase the films too and see what they’re like. Hell, I’ll bet the special effects are better than the CGI garbage we’re used to seeing now. I want more experiences like this. Scary, unnerving, and using your brain. This is as far from run-and-gun Call of Duty as you can get, and having that one hit kill threat from the Xeno is damned welcoming in this day and age of super soldier robotics. Enemies in any context should be a threat. When they’re not scary, then you’ve lost the audience. Take note. Alien Isolation knows how to do it right.
Songs of the Week:
- 'Shyer' by London Grammar
- 'Strong' by London Grammar
- 'Metal & Dust' by London Grammar
- 'Darling, Are You Gonna Leave Me?' by London Grammar
- 'Anywhere but Here' by Rise Against
- 'American Hearts' by A.A Bondy
- 'Green and Blue' by Halo 4 Soundtrack
- 'Infinite Dreams' by Iron Maiden
- 'Heaven Can Wait' by Iron Maiden
- 'Stranger in a Strange Land' by Iron Maiden