Opinion

Sequel announced for "Alien: Isolation": I rejoice and fear

8.10.2024

Translation: machine translated

"Alien: Isolation" is the game that best captures the atmosphere of the excellent 1979 film "Aliens". Now, surprisingly, a sequel has been announced. I have flashbacks to my own playthrough.

Will ten years be enough to recover from the fears endured in "Alien: Isolation"? And face another ménage à deux with the drooling monster from another world? The developer studio of "Alien: Isolation", Creative Assembly, certainly wants to take the plunge again.

Ten years after the game's release in 2014, Creative Director Al Hope announced on X that a sequel to "Alien: Isolation" is coming. For the tenth anniversary, "your distress signals have been heard loud and clear" - the distress signal is a reference to the first "Alien" film from 1979. However, the sequel is still in early development. Hope did not give any details about the game or a release date.

In between the "Total War" games came "Alien: Isolation"

The studio Creative Assembly, which belongs to Sega, is not actually known for horror games. In fact, it is known for hardly anything other than the "Total War" series. I count a total of 16 of them on the British company's Wikipedia page. "Alien: Isolation" stands out in the studio's portfolio. When a development studio has focussed so much on one genre from the outset, namely strategy games, the exception is all the more significant.

The development of the game was a dream project at the time, Hope states in his post. He emphasises that "Isolation" was supposed to capture the "atmosphere and horror" of the original film. This includes the sneaking around, being at the mercy of others and especially the palpitations. There is therefore hope that the new game will not turn out to be a multiplayer baller game. Like "Aliens: Fireteam Elite" from 2021 or the cancelled "Hyenas", for example.

"Alien: Isolation": A love-hate relationship

I loved and hated "Alien: Isolation". I avoided the "Alien" films for a long time out of fear. I normally flinch at every fly. But then, almost exactly four years ago, I dared to live stream this game, which I had already heard a lot about. "Isolation" grabbed me immediately. For a game from 2014, it still looks good today, apart from the characters. But they are unimportant anyway.

The dark corridors, the flickering light and the soundtrack completely transported me to the more or less abandoned space station "Sevastopol". The well-known alien from the films of the same name is up to mischief there. As if that wasn't enough, the remaining humans are also fighting amongst themselves. In the middle of it all, I'm squatting in a filing cabinet and peering through the slits, hoping not to be discovered. I played Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley from the films. And just like her mum, she didn't know what was coming.

Blood, sweat and tears - and yet gladly again

As Amanda, I had to learn that being quiet is the trump card and ammunition for the revolver is scarce. It only helps against people anyway, and only if I can hit them with my shaky hands. And if I'm unlucky, the noise attracts the alien to the scene, the creature I affectionately referred to as the "godforsaken spawn of hell". Even today, I sometimes wake up in a cold sweat because I think I heard the alien rumbling around in some ventilation shafts.

And I'll never forget the beeping of the emergency phones that serve as save points. The beeping - my personal ambrosia for the ears - meant that after umpteen attempts in which I ended up as alien fodder, I could finally complete a section. Days before the scheduled "Alien" streams, I was shivering down my spine and yet I gamed through the game including all the DLCs. Simply because it's that good.

"Alien: Isolation" manages to do with just a few noises and a dark corridor what "Resident Evil" and co. can't do with their entire bag of tricks of mutated monsters, disgust and lousy jump-scares: make me wet my pants. That's why I'm looking forward to the sequel to "Isolation" - and dreading it at the same time.

Header image: Creative Assembly

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Debora Pape

Editor

Debora.Pape@galaxus.de

Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.

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