I went to see Alien: Romulus a while back and remembered playing this game when it came out and decided to give it another go. Seeing as now that I'm older I can appreciate the game better than I did all those years back, I have to say this truly is a work of art. Not perfection, but art.

I am not the biggest fan of horror games, in a sense that after the first encounter and points leading up to that I'm shaking in my boots, and afterwards I just see the game and the mechanics of it in my mind and the game becomes less horror and more of a puzzle how to get past those encounters’ unseen. The same happened here. I played on Hard difficulty, and I sadly didn't see much of what the alien can do due to my playstyle. I hid in cabinets maybe twice during the game and had no idea the AI can open them up and find you or ignore where you throw noisemakers and head to the direction of the throw instead. I quickly learned that the AI of the alien would try to be as close to me as possible at all times, so the best strategy is to always be on the move. And after crouching through the game, I saw the Alien far less than I had anticipated. Sadly, my brain is wired in a way that I can't just let my brains go and enjoy the horror without trying to analyze how everything works in a game design perspective and killing the enjoyment of the horror aspect in the process.

The middle portion of this game is quite dull and slow, which is probably the biggest hindrance the game has going for it. Working Joes are not that scary and can be easily avoided by just crouch walking away and they will never catch you if you know how to maneuver. And sadly, there is a long stretch of the game where you only encounter these guys that feel like they will last forever. Maybe this isn't the case for everybody, but I truly started to feel like this section of the game felt more like a chore to get back to the real action. And when you do finally get back to the meat of the stuff (the Alien) the game is almost over at that point.

Oh man, the atmosphere. The game is gorgeous at every point and whichever way you look at it. The graphics hold up, the level design holds up and the visual design of the environments are spot on. You feel like you are in the Alien universe, and I can't really think of another game in the Alien universe (or any game of that matter) that gives you those same vibes. This coupled with the redonkulously amazing sound design. From the hisses of the Alien to the beeps and the various computers to the echo’s through the halls. It's all there and in the best way possible. There are few who can contend with what this game has brought to the table before or since. It's truly these things in the design of the game that hold everything together. Even the parts I didn't like where enjoyable just because the vibes where there. When the game wants to be eerie, it truly is eerie. When it wants you to feel the tension of the situation, it makes sure you FEEL that tension. I can see why so many call this the best horror game out there.

The story of the game is good, not the best, but good enough to keep the player engaged to see what's going to happen next. It's mostly there to give you a reason to keep going to new places. None of the characters really stayed in my mind except for the main character and her voice actress did wonderful job. And the reason why the other characters don't really stick in your mind is because they either aren't seen much, or they die soon after they are introduced. One character does a sacrifice and the game gives as a moment to reflect on that moment, but do we really care for the death of a character in fiction, if we don't truly know them any better than what their name happens to be? Moments like this fail to hit the mark due to how the characters were handled. Also this is a horror game, so I felt the presence of the constant radio chatter really do take you out of the feeling of isolation. The best moments of the game are those moments where the radio cuts off, but I guess it's there so the game doesn't feel so frightening? But... it's supposed to be frightening, right? I think things would've been better if there was no radio and you had to go to talk to others after completing your mission face to face. Maybe then their deaths could've been more impactful.

Alien: Isolation is homage to the movie franchise created with the utmost respect to the source material. Playing through this game leaves no doubt that the developers knew what they were adapting into a video game and did so as meticulously as they possibly could’ve. Developers knew their target audience and what they wanted and gave them exactly that. It often feels like many developers or movie studios try to branch out franchises in different directions to broaden the appeal of the product or franchise they are trying to push, but this game does the opposite. It knows exactly the people who love the franchise and why they love it, most likely due to how much they love it themselves. And that can be seen throughout the game in the environments and the attempt to make the Alien the most horrifying and unpredictable apex predator there is and making sure you know that too as you play along. If you ever wanted to experience what it would be like to go through the same experiences as the characters in the movies as yourself, then I dare say you have come to the right place.

The best movie to video game adaptation of all time! A must play for any fan of sci-fi horror. Still Holds up in 2024.

Let's play a game after a long working day to unwind....

>Alien Isolation

Ah yes....