Alien: Isolation Gameplay, Screenshots & New Info…& It’s Looking Good!

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Posted January 7, 2014 by Richard Lee Breslin in Gaming News, PC, PS3, PS4, Screenshots, Trailers, Xbox 360, Xbox One

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Rumours have been running rampart of a new Aliens game is expected to finally be the game that we fans have longed for and I can tell you that just looking at the preview video from OPMUK it looks scary, tense, eerie and just downright terrifying.  Everything that an Aliens game should be.

Firstly forget any Aliens game from before, this includes Aliens: Colonial Marines.  This is nothing like what you’ve played in the franchise and secondly, this is not “Aliens”, this is “Alien”.  Alien: Isolation does exactly what the name suggests, it’s you against isolated against one Alien, but this is no ordinary Xenomorph, this is a giant stalking beast that will kill you in an instant.  The game will be staring the daughter of Ripley, Amanda Ripley.

The story basically follows the events of Amanda as she peruses to uncover the truth and whereabouts of her mother after the events of the original 1979 Alien movie.  Not much is known of Ripley’s daughter from the movies, all that was pretty much know is that Ripley once had a daughter (I’m sure more devoted fans will know more, if so please comment below as I would love to know).  So this will tell a previously untold story and one that I cannot wait to find more about.

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While I am yet to play these games (due to me not having a good enough PC), Alien: Isolation seems to follow a similar path to that of Amnesia, Outlast and Slender.  Though Outlast will be releasing for the PS4 very soon, so I cannot wait to be scared witless with that one.  During Alien: Isolation you will be stalked and hunted and if that Xenomorph catches you, it’s fair to say that it will be “Game over man!”  Melee and firearms will be very scarce in Isolation and much of the gameplay mechanics will involve stealth and a lot of running away.

This may not appeal to all gamers, but it should help maximise the potential of the Survival Horror element. Some of my colleagues have been fortunate enough to play the likes of Amnesia, Outlast and Slender and going by what they say (and the PC gaming community as a whole), the method of isolated gameplay is one that works very well and provides genuine moments of horror.

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From left to right, Samuels, Ripley, Taylor, Verlaine

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Alien: Isolation is developed by the British development studio The Creative Assembly, the folks that brought us the very popular Total War series.  So this is a different direction for the development team, but judging by the gameplay footage below, it seems a challenge that they a relishing and making the most out of.  Could we finally be getting the true Alien gaming experience that we deserve? Maybe…just maybe.

Here’s what the Senior Director for Alien: Isolation Gary Napper had to say in regards to the relationship between Amanda Ripley and the Xenomorph not being scripted in a development sense:

when we drop an alien into a level, we don’t know what it’s going to do. We just see how it behaves.

Creative lead Alistair Hope said that:

the alien isn’t running prescribed paths” and went on to say “It makes the game unpredictable – a crucial component of creating real scares.

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To add further information to the mechanics of Alien: Isolation, Lead Artist Jude Bond said that the alien is:

systemic and that he (the Xenomorph) is unpredictable, the AI guys know how he behaves completely I would wage a guess, but there’s a lot of elements of the game that are systemic and it’s not scripted.

So rather than rely on Doom-style ‘press the button and all the lights go out’ style jumps this is built around a pursuer that reacts to what you do.

If you run and make a lot of noise it will find you” and “You have your flashlight, which is really useful in the dark, but it’s also a beacon that shows you where you are.

Checkout an extensive gameplay video from the folks at Official Playstation Magazine below:

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You can also read the written preview in full from Official Playstation Magazine by clicking HERE and if you’re a fan of the Alien franchise, then I would recommend giving their article a read.

Earlier today Alien: Isolation made its way on to the Xbox Marketplace (not to purchase yet of course), in which we are treated to screenshots and an official description, which reads:

Discover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation, a survival horror set in an atmosphere of constant dread and mortal danger. Fifteen years after the events of Alien™, Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda enters a desperate battle for survival, on a mission to unravel the truth behind her mother’s disappearance.

As Amanda, you will navigate through an increasingly volatile world as you find yourself confronted on all sides by a panicked, desperate population and an unpredictable, ruthless Alien. Underpowered and underprepared, you must scavenge resources, improvise solutions and use your wits, not just to succeed in your mission, but to simply stay alive.

 

Alien: Isolation is expected to release towards the end of 2014 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.


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