Alien: Isolation Reviews
The game the Alien series has always deserved. A deep, fun stealth game set in an evocatively realised sci-fi world.
You'll see just how effective Isolation is at creating incredible tension and genuine scares, and you'll likely jump as much as the streamer, even though you're not in the pilot's seat.
Ultimately, Creative Assembly has delivered on its promise of an unforgiving thriller that refuses to pull its punches. Isolation reaffirms the Alien as the ultimate horror icon, both terrifying and awesome; trapping you within its cage proves to be the shot in the arm the franchise needed. Bold, unrelenting and very scary, Alien: Isolation is a triumph in every department. No prior knowledge is necessary. Just prepare yourself for the most terrifying game of the year.
Halfway into playing Alien: Isolation, I stopped to watch the first four Alien movies again. It wasn't just for research purposes, but mostly because the game had me yearning for more of the universe. Isolation has some flaws, but it's faithful to the film series, and I'd love to see a follow-up with a few extra alien evolutions.
And with the game's unwavering deference to the film's cinematic world building and detail, and its skillful adherence to Ridley Scott's original vision, Alien: Isolation is quite easily the best Alien game ever made too.
Deep, intelligent, intense, and utterly unlike any experience before it, Alien: Isolation presents all that's truly great about AAA, and also its evolution.
Padding is Alien: Isolation's unfortunate undoing, as there are a few too many recycled moments throughout the course of its seemingly never-ending single player campaign. Still, when it's on form, this is a nail biting affair, as you use sound and cunningly constructed items in order outwit your incredibly intelligent enemies. Outstanding audio and impressive art work make this more than just another bug hunt – but you'll be rolling your eyes rather than flinching in fear at points during the outer-space escapade.
However, those other elements do keep Alien: Isolation from ascending to heaven to stand at the right hand of God. It is merely the regular type of excellent.
[Alien Isolation] is a remarkable work fueled by fearful tension and exhausting stress.
It's been a while since the xenomorph was worth being scared of, and while Alien: Isolation runs a little long, it's a hellacious ride.
Alien: Isolation is a stressful, bold and brilliant interpretation of sci-fi's most terrifying monster. It's not for everyone.
As important as it is terrifying. A worthy successor to Scott's original vision and definitive proof that survival horror is back with a force.
While it has a few rough patches and may prove too slow and drawn-out for some players, Isolation does an amazing job of capturing the essence of a classic film and recasting it as a video game. It can be a little too easy to see the man behind the curtain at times, but this is nevertheless one of the finest film-to-game adaptations ever... and a fantastic stealth adventure in its own right.
In terms of story, while there is an abundance of nested fetch quests they do feel important. There's no "why on earth is Ripley doing this?!" Ripley is always trying to escape almost from the instant she gets onboard.
And unlike Ripley, you can always hit the power button if things get too scary.
I'd hesitate to call Alien: Isolation "good" but it's certainly "better." It feels like there was this great idea for an honestly tarrying Alien game, but halfway through the design team fell back on the same tropes we have seen over and over and over again. If you are a die-hard Aliens fan, this is the best game yet. However, the game certainly outstays its welcome. The game takes about 15 hours to complete, but more than half of that time is spent wandering around and waiting for something to happen. Even so, I suggest at least trying the game out, through rentals or demos. It's a game that deserves to be played if only so we can imagine how the series can get better still.
I'm not coming out of this locker.
Alien: Isolation expertly captures the look and feel of the Alien universe, and The Creative Assembly's AI-controlled nemesis is an inspired move that will inform the survival horror genre, but the game is held back by some poor characterisation and storytelling.
If you are an Alien fan like me and find yourself immersed throughout most of the game, you will surely find a lot to love, but for others coming for a new game experience they will find a game that mainly forces you to move slowly from point to point with little reward.
Functions equally well as an intense horror game and a heartfelt tribute to the first Alien film.