Let me be the first to say: I am by no means a fan of the survival-horror genre. I purchased Amnesia well over a year ago, and chances are I will not be returning to the Brennenburg Castle any time soon. There’s a certain element found in many survival horror games in which the chance of running across the monster is the tension that permeates the environment. If you can see the evil and the evil can see you back, chances are it’s all over for you. This makes for some pretty scary moments. Is the monster here by coincidence? Is this a scripted event? Who knows? I can’t seem to enjoy it when my pursuant seems to materialize because I’ve entered the room.
But what when that evil is always chasing you, and the game makes no effort to hide that fact? Sega’s alien: Isolation is gearing up to be the latest entry in the scream-inducing genre. 20 years after the events of the original alien finds Amanda Ripley on her quest to discover her mother’s fate between the first and second films. Amanda reaches the Sevastopol, and it pretty much hits the fan from there. This alien is different from the marine fodder of previous games; it cannot be killed. The creature will attack on site, and will search the Sevastopol for Amanda’s scent, and any sound she makes, including the sounds created by running. The alien can disappear into vents while searching and reemerge when you’ve gotten too close.
It can, however, still be dealt with craftily. At Amanda’s disposal is her ability to move about quietly, and a crafting menu even allows for the ability to create items such as stimpacks and various other offensive tools. Amanda also sports a flashlight, as well as the franchise’s motion tracker. These must be used strategically, as the alien will be drawn to the light and sound from the flashlight and tracker respectively. Additionally, the motion tracker comes with it’s own set of caveats in exchange for its usefulness. The tracker, while being capable of detecting the alien’s relative position, does not indicate whether or not it is above you or beneath you. Similarly, your ability to see it may become impaired by the depth of field effect that using the tracker creates. Even the flamethrower has limited utility; it can only subdue the alien, causing it to retreat temporarily. Should none of these things prove to be effective, Amanda can retreat into the nearest locker or cupboard. Provided she’s broken the line of site, Amanda might be able to hide from the alien. There is still the chance that it may not be convinced that you’ve moved on, and may begin smelling the locker. Amanda must then hold her breath while keeping her distance from the locker door.
This is the universe of Alien, and it goes without saying that Amanda will encounter other beings over the course of her journey. Ripley isn’t the only human on-board the Sevastopol, but the other’s may easily prove to be hostile. In addition, the local synthetics may not take too kindly to foreign presences in their midst. Ripley has to determine the best way to deal with each group, as loud and brash confrontation only seeks to attract the wrath of your pursuant. The positive to all this is that Amanda can use this to her advantage. She isn’t just fodder to all factions, and the alien will attack other hostiles in the vicinity.
During my brief time with the game, I died four times. Instead of deciding that the union between the game and myself “wasn’t meant to be,” I found myself more inclined to keep playing. The presence of the Alien in front of me encouraged me to keep pushing forward. I also had the luxury of using headphones, and the sound of the alien picking up my presence inspired the same amount of fear as that sensation of uncertainty with scripted appearances. Additionally, the game provides secondary challenges like completing the mission in a certain time without use of the motion tracker.
Alien Isolation has the potential to be a great scary game. Look for it this October.
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