WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A first-person survival horror/stealth/exploration game that'll have you control Ellen Ripley's daughter as she searches for clues as to her whereabouts in the dilapidated corridors of Sevastopol, while constantly under the ever uncertain mercy of the freakiest alien in the galaxy, the freakiest (and slowest) androids in the galaxy and the most unnecessarily violent humans in the galaxy
PROS:
- Massive, complex and beautiful level design that screams faith to the Alien movies, matched by unbelievably authentic sound, lighting and atmospheric effects that will make you gasp in awe (earphones highly recommended), which is a nice distraction from the gasp you get most of the time when that alien suddenly drops on you and eats your face, and gives perfect excuse for all the backtracking you'll do to get those archive logs you won't give the slightest damn about if you didn't watch the Alien movies
- Environments so insanely detailed you could read the smallest letters in every poster or panel in the darkest rooms of the space station
- Freaky and daunting as hell alien nemesis that's as unpredicable as they can get, who never follows the same path or behavior twice as guided by one of the most renowned AI in gaming, and warning you with a hiss that will make you cower just before you see its tail pierce through your stomach and claw your face off
- Pretty wide variety of craftable items that will at the least ease your burdens on sneaking away from the alien (unkillable and un-outrunnable, I might add) and the other less than freaky but still annoying enemies
- The absence of autosave (except in the latter parts) or in-game save menu, adding an insane amount of tension and desperation to get to the next telephone to save tens of hours of progress, though this is also the primary source of frustration in this game, but that also forces players to play smart (and to tone down the difficulty)
- The awesome VHS glitch effect and lens flares/aberrations that's more of a welcome addition than a distraction
- The pretty long campaign, which some might see as a bad thing but its about making each penny worth it
- That long, almost confusing level that ends inside a ship like that from 'Prometheus', and that part where you take that cathartic and frustratingly slow walk outside the space station
- The straightforward story of a daughter trying to find clues to the whereabouts of her mother, which immediately gets undertoned and turns into a frightening fight for survival (and reaching that save port)
- The fact that simple tasks like pulling levers and smoldering lock covers require more than one button to press, and the more secure locks requiring challenging and nerve-wracking quick react hacks, which further adds to the already high dread of that bastard seeing you while you're at arm's reach of that save port
- Great character animation and voice acting that will probably make Ridley Scott proud, particularly that of Amanda
- The dramatic ending that will make you realize no matter how badass you are, you're no match against the relentlessness of space
CONS:
- The rather small amount of time spent with the alien relative to the length of the game compared to the other enemies, which is unfortunate considering it's basically the highlight of the campaign (not to mention named after it), without which the game loses much of its horror factor and becomes basically Dishonored that tries for the low chaos state
- The fact that most of the humans try to kill you at first sight instead of helping you out as if they're post-apocalyptic marauders owning the damn place
- Pretty extended and uneventful but suspense-building walks (or crouches)
- The sometimes confusing in-game map that thankfully pauses the game to at least help plan out the next course of action, assuming you find the floor you're in
- The other variety of alien enemies introduced in but the later parts of the campaign, particularly those freaking facehuggers, whose presence all over would've improved the scare and frustration of the campaign (particularly the alien-free parts)
- Though understandable for a horror game, much of the objectives are monotonous, involving you going there to get or do this thing, maybe finding out that you have to do one thing first then go back so you can finally do that thing again
OVERALL:
Alien: Isolation is a beautiful, immersive, long, stressful and (mostly) frightening experience that, while not perfect, adequately satisfies your "being trapped and all alone in a derilict space station while being chased by an alien, robots and annoying humans" fantasies