Alien Isolation: The Attempt to Create Security

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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