Alien: Isolation

"Rascal" was the on-set nickname for the xenomorph, as the film crew quickly grew tired of saying "the alien...". And so, you get to immerse yourself in Ridley Scott's Alien universe as Ellen's daughter. Same creepy sounds. Same dark and lonely environment. Same in-movie tension, except now you are the victim not the viewer. An atmosphere that sucks you into the game world. A story that keeps you there. Voice acting that is excellent. Game mechanics that work. Rascal is not stupid. You are desperate. Time is fleeting. IMO Alien fans are granted the wish to be there, with Ridley Scott style and immersion, in a "Bucket-List Worthy" AAA experience. There is no overstating the prowess of Creative Assembly, the "dream-team" of dev's that created this experience. There are two known bugs that are minor, that's it. It is one of the best experiences you will ever get, and easily earns it's praise as a masterpiece not only in it's own right as a game, but also for the "done-right" detail of the universe. Alien: Isolation may get you fired from work. In space no one can hear you scream "Sorry boss, I'm still sick. (cough-cough)".

I'm primarily a FPS fan and do not typically like 'rpg' games. I assume that is how I missed this game when it was first released. I hadn't even heard of it (at least that I remember) until I received GOG's introduction sale notice. I went into this game completely cold, knowing nothing about it past watching the original films. I am so thankful I read the ad as I have not had so much enjoyment from a game in some time, I was completely engrossed in the story and had a blast playing. It did have more than a few jump-scares, but in this case i feel they were well earned and not just cheap shots lesser games (and films) use as a crutch. There was plenty of well earned suspense segments and the story moved along at a good pace. There is a bit of a downside though. The story had a fantastic build up and I had a blast going along with it for the ride, but... the end... well I have to be honest. The end was pretty bad. I won't spoil what happens but it struck me as if they sort of ran out of time or ideas on how to wrap thing up so kind of just dropped it. I wish GOG allowed 1/2 star increments as 5 stars seems high due to the ending, but 4 doesn't seem high enough based on how much fun I had playing 4.5 sounds about right, but isn't an option we have so having to make a decision I had to go with 5. That said, I am very glad I bought and played the game. Overall it was a very enjoyable play-through and certainly was worth the sale price.

The Good: The game captures the tension and atmosphere of the first Alien movie and makes it a AAA game experience. Excellent recreation of the interior of Commercial Towing Vehicles like USCSS Nostromo in delicious detail both introducing new elements faithful to the overall æsthetic while offering plenty of fan service for the careful eye (and ear -- check the voice acting credits after playing the game). Great graphics and optimization by the developers, every session was a smooth experience (system-dependent). The game is best-played in absolute darkness with a pair of good headphones for immersion and an alarm on vibrate so you don't end up playing till 6 AM. The Bad: No Linux version, unlike Steam.

I adore this game. It is extremely faithful to the first Alien movie, it is very well designed, the AI (esp. that of the Alien) is very clever. The graphics are very good, with great lighting in particular (a realtime radiosity solution back in 2014?!) The maps, textures, and lighting are all very cinematic and make you feel like you're walking through an Alien movie. Gameplay is very fun and well tested - a minor piece of advice is to avoid hiding too much! Keep moving, consistently and deliberately, while moving slowly and hiding behind and underneath things! You'll learn when and where you can make more noise, and get a feeling for how agitated or stirred up the Alien is. It's no fun (and works against you) to hide in lockers too much, only do it when you absolutely have to! Would heartily recommend this game!

It was made with respect to the original movie and it shows. The game is very well made. Visuals are great and detailed. Level design is great. Alien behavior is smart. Music on point and the sounds, oh the sounds... All together it works exceptionally well and offers a very unsettling horror vibe. I really enjoyed it even if it's rather long. I would recommend it to every Alien or Prey (2017) fan. Must be played on Hard.