A masterclass in adapting a movie to a game.
Alien: Isolation takes the original source material and goes all in, it was amazing to experience in 2014 and it still holds up exceptionally well today.
Every inch of Sevastopol is oozing with atmosphere and lore accurate details. I personally find the Seegson corporation invented for the game (as far as I know) to be much more compelling than Weyland-Yutani ever was in the films.
The gameplay is quite simple but it feels nice and weighty to play. I still remember specific moments from my first ever playthrough that scared the life out of me.
The AI behind the Alien is very interesting, there's a lot of essays online about how it works and it's worth reading if you're into game development.
The only flaw this game has in my opinion is that it falls into the same hole that nearly every other survival horror game does. When you play for long enough you get comfortable with the enemies, you learn their limits, their weaknesses, their exploits, etc. The first half of the game is very fun but by the end the Alien stops being scary and just becomes a nuisance.
The final act also overstays its welcome, it could have easily been cut down by an hour or two.
I appreciate the character of Amanda Ripley. The developers refused to make her just another tropey survival horror character who talks endlessly to herself about what needs to be done or how she feels. She isn't some god-like, strong woman archetype. She is a grounded, stubborn character just trying to survive and is all the better for it.
Alien: Isolation takes the original source material and goes all in, it was amazing to experience in 2014 and it still holds up exceptionally well today.
Every inch of Sevastopol is oozing with atmosphere and lore accurate details. I personally find the Seegson corporation invented for the game (as far as I know) to be much more compelling than Weyland-Yutani ever was in the films.
The gameplay is quite simple but it feels nice and weighty to play. I still remember specific moments from my first ever playthrough that scared the life out of me.
The AI behind the Alien is very interesting, there's a lot of essays online about how it works and it's worth reading if you're into game development.
The only flaw this game has in my opinion is that it falls into the same hole that nearly every other survival horror game does. When you play for long enough you get comfortable with the enemies, you learn their limits, their weaknesses, their exploits, etc. The first half of the game is very fun but by the end the Alien stops being scary and just becomes a nuisance.
The final act also overstays its welcome, it could have easily been cut down by an hour or two.
I appreciate the character of Amanda Ripley. The developers refused to make her just another tropey survival horror character who talks endlessly to herself about what needs to be done or how she feels. She isn't some god-like, strong woman archetype. She is a grounded, stubborn character just trying to survive and is all the better for it.