Alien Isolation:
To conclude this three part series on Alien: Isolation this article will be about safety. At its core, A:I is about the search for safety, and the illusions the player constructs in their attempt to feel secure. In the entire game, Mission 1, in which Ripley maneuvers about the Torrens as it prepares to dock at Sevastopol Station, is the only time she can act without fear. The Torrens contains no threats, and no tutorial, but only the introduction to the why, who, and where, necessary to the beginning of a story.
The initial injection of suspense
begins during the cutscene which separates Mission 1 and 2. The
Torren's attempted docking with the Sevastopol Station becomes an
ordeal, as they find the station damaged and unresponsive. In the
cutscene, Ripley and two other members of the Weyland – Yutani
corporation attempt an EVA to board, but an explosion on Sevastopol
severs their cable. Nearly thrown into space, Ripley clings to life,
and find an emergency entrance into the Station. Friendless and
surprised by a deteriorating situation, the game insists the player
never find their footing.
But it teases the player with the
illusion of safety, and the desperate gambles required to achieve it.
The most obvious mixture of these two ideas is the save station.
The game includes no autosave, nor does it allow the player to save
whenever they desire. Instead Ripley must reach one of the numerous
punch-card stations spread around the Sevastopol. Fortunately, they
are easy to locate. They generate a loud beeping noise which can be
heard from quite a distance. Once Ripley enters a room with a save
location, it appears on her map, even if she hasn't seen it.
Unfortunately, while reaching one
creates a sensation of relief, the danger remains. Activating a save
system requires three seconds, and during this time Ripley must face
the wall, unable to see any threats. And she can be killed by any
foe which can reach her. The system is even helpful enough to warn
Ripley before she tries to save, that there are enemies nearby. I
was never killed while saving, but a number of times I had to avoid
saving when being chase by the Alien or a Working Joe. I prowled
around the area until escaped them, and then made my way back to the
save station.
While there are a vocal number of
players and reviewers who disliked the save mechanic, it is essential
to A:I. The two most common modes of saving in other games, are
autosaves at checkpoints and saving in the menu whenever the player
feels like it. Neither would have imparted tension as A:I requires.
An autosave feature would have two problems. In A:I there are many
small objectives. Each one necessitates a return to the save
station. Of course, one could continue without saving each time, but
the constant threat of death requires it. It's not always an easy
choice. Returning to the known station can be as deadly as trying to
move forward to find the next one. If the game didn't allow the
player to save after small objectives, they would feel cheated when
the died before reaching the scripted autosave.
Choosing when to save, by opening a
menu, would be as disastrous. The player would save after each small
objective, and they wouldn't have to risk returning to a save
station. The tension would evaporate. With no choices to make, and
no risks to take, the game wouldn't have been any different than any
other popular stealth game.
For those who might worry, “But I'll
die often, and have to replay so many sections,” there are number
of answers. First, save stations are never more than ten to fifteen
minutes apart. Once they're located, a player can easily run from
one to the next in five minutes (Never Run!). And while players will
undoubtedly die (often), and have to replay small sections (hopefully
never more than ten minutes), this aspect reinforces puzzle solving
and tension. There are always a number of routes to a solution, and
the puzzle of the game is to find one that works. For players who
are really struggling reduce the difficulty. The game allows the
player to alter it at any point, and I started on hard, but changed
to normal after the first few missions.
There's a few last details about saving
before returning to the concept of safety. One, the save station
needs time to reset between each use. How long? Couldn't stick
around long enough to find out, trying to survive! Two, saving
resets androids who are searching for Ripley. Could be useful.
Returning the illusion of safety, the
player comes to believe they are privy to the methods the designers
use to enforce their state of fear. Certain recurring patterns offer
an illusion of safety. For instance, when Ripley is with allies,
there are no enemies. They speak and expand the plot, revealing
mysteries or delivering orders. The player needs to pay attention,
so there couldn't be any threats. Or could there?!? The same could
be said of the occasional EVAs Ripley makes outside the station. She
can't use items or run. If Ripley can't escape or fight, would the
designer be cruel enough to insert dangerous obstacles?
The game has a flow of danger, which is
appears as a comfort, allowing the player to see a series of
transitioning scenes: from the safety of a save station, to story
elements, and into outright danger, which then begins again. Ripley
is never safe, but these obvious repetitions lure the player into
relaxing in certain areas.
And while no area is safe, it's
important to use areas which seem safer for certain tasks. All the
items mentioned in the second article need to be constructed. And
bringing up the item screne does not pause the game. Waiting till an
Alien is searching under the tables is a bad time to construct the
noise maker Ripley needs. Surprisingly, and they missed a real
opportunity here, looking at the map does pause the game. If it
didn't I would have died much more, as I often was running to escape,
but was able to pause and look at the correct direction to flee.
Now, Ripley isn't the only one in
danger. This may be a bit of a spoiler, or expected if the reader is
a devotee of the movies, but everyone dies! And when I say everyone,
I mean every living thing in the game. Nothing is safe, and maybe
(depending on how one understands the ending) not even Ripley.
The problem with the ending, is the
producers tried to make it inconclusive. Many players were
dissatisfied with its hallucinatory experiences, and inconclusive
conclusion. According to the little I know of Alien lore, Ripley
(from the movies) learns her daughter lived to old age and died. But
A:I's Ripley might be: dead, impregnated with an Alien, dreaming, or
safe, depending on how one interprest the ending.
There are a number of unexplained
occurrences:
Ripley makes it back to the Torrens,
but she's still in her spacesuit, and not at the airlock? How did
she get in? This seems to lead to the dream hypothesis.
After the Torrens is destroyed, and
Ripley is floating in space, a light appears on her helmet. Did
someone find her? Who? Why wouldn't she have been sucked into the
gas giant Sevastopol orbited?
Can Aliens survive space? If so, did
they choose to let her escape because she was impregnated with an
Alien? If not, why does she see them outside the station? Again,
dreaming?
And finally, how does this story fit
into the larger plot of the Alien franchise?
In spite of my minor disappointment
with the conclusion, this is an excellent game. It immerses the
player in a tense, believable environment with satisfying stealth
mechanics, and terrifying enemies.
And remember, the only safe place, is
standing next to a locker to dash into.
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