Game over man, game over

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: Out now
Developer: The Creative Assembly
Publisher: Sega

The Alien franchise’s endeavours in the world of video games have been met with varied responses over the last decade. Spin-offs, crossovers and canonical continuations of the existing film franchise have all been produced in many different forms.

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Last year, Sega published Gearbox Software’s critically panned Aliens: Colonial Marines, a bug infested, poorly presented and below rudimentary FPS that proved a commercial embarrassment to Sega. So they decided to reprioritise their marketing when it came to their next Alien project, seeking to steer attention as far from its predecessor as possible with an entirely new outlook to the IP.

Developed by The Creative Assembly (Of Total War fame), Alien: Isolation seeks to ask why people enjoyed Alien to begin with. Going back to the original film for inspiration, the focus of their attention was placed into making the titular horror icon frightening again. The story follows Amanda Ripley (daughter of Ellen Ripley) as she investigates the happenings aboard the Sevastopol, a vessel that has come under attack by an alien presence, while also trying to uncover the mystery of her mother’s disappearance 15 years ago. Placing atmosphere ahead of combat mechanics, the game relies on stealth and survival elements as you are procedurally stalked and hunted by a single Alien throughout the game.

The environmental aesthetic is beautifully reconstructed from references and concept arts of the original 1979 film, sticking closely to H. R. Giger’s rich visual themes and textures. The sound design is perfectly recreated and the graphics boast incredible detail. The ship’s resemblance to the Nostromo is an intentional call back to fans to further the nostalgia factor. The moment you are presented with the motion tracker is the stuff of dreams. The introduction of the Alien is a moody lead up, but the payoff is also the game’s first downfall. Besides atmosphere, the original film’s tension also derived from editing, lighting and an obscuring of the creature itself for a majority of the runtime.

Thanks to the series’ cultural popularity though, the Alien itself has lost a lot of its mystery over time. Fans already know what to expect, and the uninitiated will find little to work with due to the game’s dependence on pre-existing knowledge for many key elements of the universe. The AI’s stilted movement through brightly light rooms only worsens the desensitisation to the beast. Because an AI is all that it feels like at heart. Not a living, breathing figure that will invade your nightmares.

The only things creepier than the Alien are the ‘Working Joes’; Androids of wonderfully disturbing visual and audible design,with rubber skin and piercing eyes, which work effectively as secondary adversaries. But there are also humans with disconnected AI running amok on the ship, most of whom are hostile and attack on sight. The ‘Isolation’ of the title loses its gravity when that sense of being alone is suspended for large stretches.

The story is at its heart a tired retread of the plot of Alien, with its structure only slightly rearranged in places

The pace of the game is another serious issue. The entire enterprise feels as though it was something designed for a much smaller experience. The effort of the plot being stretched out like elastic over 15-20 hours by the developer wears out the welcome of the experience. The story is at its heart a tired retread of the plot of Alien, with its structure only slightly rearranged in places. You get to visit some key locations from the film in certain missions later in the game. One of which, while miraculous, breaks the narrative structure and immersion to do so, going out of its way to further fan bait.

By going through the motions of established franchise elements, the game offers up little to nothing new in terms of story, and the whole thing lacks any emotional investment towards its weightless characters, all of whom lack either personality or identifiable traits.

The voice work for both secondary and minor characters are unbearably wooden, especially when combined with dialogue that only consists of directives and exposition. The game’s lack of general intrigue or substance means that it grows wearier the longer it goes on for, as Amanda’s own story arc is sidelined for more filler, and missions that chiefly exist for the purposes of opening locked doors.

Moreover, Alien: Isolation’s merciless difficulty, while challenging, can become frustrating between isolated save points (as welcome as this feature is). Additional mechanics such as crafting are useful when needed and the stealth elements, while creaky, work effectively much of time and add a good deal of tension.

Although the trudging nature of the game’s middle section lacks energy and bite, there’s nothing quite like the experience of immersing yourself within the world of one of science fiction’s greatest universes. As a triple-A title, more ingenuity is sorely required. There are moments of promise here, but not enough to sustain an entire experience. [divider_top]

 Do you think Alien: Isolation lives up to the hype? Let us know on Twitter at @BoarGames.