Alien: Isolation Review (PS4)

Introduction

This is a first person view survival horror game, developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega. 

Story

Experience Amanda's survival in the Sevastopol station.

This game takes place between Alien and Aliens' films. Amanda Ripley is Ellen Ripley's daughter, the only human survivor of the Nostromo ship. After a certain amount of time, Amanda managed to find a lead on what happened to her mother, which is a flight recorder from Nostromo. She went to Sevastopol, a large space station where the flight recorder is located. She managed to get inside of the station and found some survivors. Unfortunately, she is not only hunted by humans and hostile androids, but from an unknown alien organism as well.

The story is good. Some interesting twists as well as interesting lore. Amanda is a good lead character, but most of the supporting characters are not particularly memorable. Although there are some files explaining on what happened to other survivors and stuff, it didn't feel enough to me. The ending is a hit-or-miss to many people, but I am okay with the ending.

Gameplay

Fight or sneak past against different enemies, such as humans and androids.

This game is a first person survival horror game. The game's structure is basically mission based, where you need to explore around the station, complete objectives by interacting with objects and etc. You will also encounter some enemies, as well as the frightening Alien. In some Missions, you can backtrack to earlier areas to pick up any left items if necessary. However, this presents a risk where you might be stalked and killed by the Alien, so choose your action wisely. You also can use the map to find the next location that you need to go.

You can find materials around the area. Materials such as scraps can be used to craft tools that allow  you to survive in different combat situations. However, in order for you to craft the tools, you need to find the blueprints, which are scattered at different areas in the game. Once you have found a blueprint, you can craft the tool if you have enough materials. You will also unlock mandatory weapons as you progress in the game's story, which are vital when it comes to surviving.

Get new tools to progress.

As Amanda, you can walk or run. You may also crouch to hide from enemies, as well as crouch walking. You may also hide in lockers or vents as well. In combat, you can use firearms or tools to fight against the humans and androids. However, as supplies and ammo are limited, it would be better if you sneak past them instead of fighting them. You will also unlock new tools as you progressing the game, which allows you to unlock inaccessible areas before.

In the game, you will encounter several types of enemies, such as humans, androids, and most of all, the Alien. The former two can be killed or destroyed by using firearms or crafted items, however using them will risk you getting discovered and killed by the Alien. The Alien will be your major enemy in the game, as the Alien can appear in many areas, in both scripted and unscripted areas.

If you make too much noise in certain areas, the Alien will jump down from the vents and try to find the source of the noise. If it find you and get close to you, it will be instant kill, and you need to reload your last savepoint. To prevent yourself from getting killed easily, hide behind obstacles or use craftable items to survive. 

The gameplay is good overall. Easy to learn controls, good learning curve, intentional hard designed save system, many tense and scary moments, and amazing Alien A.I. However, it has several detractions. There are some hard parts in the game where it can catch players off-guard, especially for casual players. The game also has backtracking issues, and campaign feels a bit too long for my liking. Despite those issues, playing this game is a great experience.

Graphics

Pretty good graphics.

This game has pretty graphics. The environments especially look great and faithful to the first Alien film's style and aesthetics. The character models look good too, and Alien looks particularly detailed and horrifying.

Sound

Good voice acting and amazing musical score.

This game has pretty good voice acting. Some good voice performances by Amanda, Sam and other characters. The music is also great, with many horror-like themes as well as one or two action tracks. The sound design such as the Alien's footsteps and the ambient are really well-done as well.

Replay Value

Low to moderate replay value.

This game has low to moderate replay value. You may opt to play the game again in harder difficulties, collect all collectibles such as ID tags and logs, or play the game's Survivor Mode challenges. Bear in mind that many Survivor Mode challenges are paid DLC.

Conclusion

A worthy Alien and survival horror game.

This is a worthy Alien-based game as well as a competent survival horror game. At first, I wasn't that thrilled to play it, but I was rather immersed with the game's atmosphere, spaceship design, as well as playing as Amanda in the game. Despite some issues, this is a game that is worth playing for any Alien and survival horror fans. Highly recommended.

Score

Story: 8/10

Gameplay: 8/10

Graphics: 8/10

Sound: 8/10

Final score: 8.0/10 or 32/40.

Pros and Cons

Pros

- Amanda is a good lead character.

- Many intense and scary moments.

- Good learning curve and easy-to-learn controls.

- Interestingly designed and old school save system.

- Amazing Alien A.I. and encounters.

- Good music.

- Amazing sound design.

Cons 

- Not many memorable characters.

- Some story pacing issues.

- Campaign feels a bit too long.

- Some frustrating parts in certain Missions.

- Not much replay value.

**Screenshots are from official PlayStation US site and GamingBolt site.