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.
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