Michael Leask

I played this game on two (technically three) game settings. Novice and Hard, one from both extremes to see how my experience would change. The first time I saw Alien was on syndicated TV before Streaming was a concept. I was in Grade 7, and I had to flip the channels back and forth (kinda like holding fingers over the eyes, but still looking) when a Xenomorph appeared. I was so scared.

That childhood memory returned when I turned on Alien: Isolation for the first time. I played Novice because I knew I would be scared with a Xenomorph and hide and seek. The other reason for that difficulty level was that I wanted to play for the story, not just to pass a level.

However, what makes the story all the more appealing is the effort put in by the player and overcoming those challenges to get to the next part of the story. That interactivity experience is what makes games like these memorable.

When playing Novice, there is an abundance of ammo and items that can be collected to construct things like Medkits, Pipe and EMP Bombs, etc. The human and android enemies are also not difficult. When they attack you with guns or fists, you don’t lose much health and can defeat them easily. I’m glad I played Novice for these reasons. It also made me confident in taking the time to explore Sevastopol Station, learning the ins and outs of the gameplay mechanics. For me, this was important because I loved the environment settings, the texturing and the detail used to make this like the film Alien. I also found all of the Archive Logs, Tags, and Nostromo Logs were marked as completed even if I started a new game. I replayed through on Novice to collect everything I missed.

When I played Hard, I had all the logs and tags, so now I could seriously play this game. I noticed a lack of ammo, especially for the Flame Thrower, the only effective weapon to keep the Xenomorphs away from you. In Novice, a shot of flame usually sends the Xeno running. In Hard, most of the time, the Xeno would gauge trying to attack after it got doused with fire. It would take a couple of shots to scare them off.

The only time I encountered a second Xenomorph throughout the game on Novice was a cut scene near the end—I never interacted with more than one. In Hard difficulty, I met two simultaneously in the Hive and three near the end of the game. They scared the crap out of me (and caught me), but it was worth it for the experience and challenge. The Xeno was even more aggressive on Hard, more challenging. It makes me appreciate this style of Xenomorph to other media, where they can be easily killed. I mean, their skin isn’t impervious in the Alien fictional universe. Still, they are resistant, and this game proves how deadly they are by comparing Alien to Aliens.

So why am I writing this blog? I think this game was worth playing many times over. I think it has a solid story. Sure there are some technical issues when playing the game. The lip-syncing doesn’t always match; the tone of the voice actor’s speech doesn’t match the movement of the characters, or sometimes a weapon is floating randomly in the air. But I think the concept, story, design, atmosphere and sound were so well made that I can ignore those minor glitches and write how much I loved this game.

When I tried and failed to play on Nightmare, I stopped. I want a map, and even though the Xeno is even more challenging here—it will find you! I remember hiding in a vent on Novice. It would easily walk by and not see me; Hard, I don’t recall doing that, but I think it would walk by. One time on Hard, it followed me into the vent, having seen me through the grate and dragged me away to my doom!

On Nightmare, it will find you! It will follow you in vents and rooms. It will find you if you hide in the same locker for too long! I would stay for the challenge and play it all the way through if I had a map. I don’t think my heart could take the anxiety of not knowing if I turn left or right if that would be when the Xenomorph gets me. But isn’t that the point of the game? If you were stuck on Sevastopol, you wouldn’t have a map, and the Xenomorph could lurk just around the corner. I was too afraid to find out. Kudos to the makers of this game!

Michael Leask