Alien Isolation:
If Alien: Isolation is packed with desperate humans and polite but insane androids, the real threat remains the eponymous Alien.
Only introduced once the other threats
have had their unveiling, the Alien is the core of the game,
inflicting terror even when unseen. Indestructible, fearless, and
deadly, there is no greater foe. The Alien inhabits the vents and
ducts of the space station, appearing on the motion sensor Ripley
discovers in the fourth mission.
The motion tracker is enforcer
of the tension which pervades every aspect of the game. While essential to Ripley's survival, it reinforces the player's paranoia. The device
allows Ripley to see moving lifeforms (humans, androids, and Aliens)
a short distance in front, but offers minimal protection against enemies
approaching from behind. It does not distinguish between different
types of life: a friendly human (and there are some) appears the same
as an Alien. At the worst times, the radar on the device will show
results which are false, and if Ripley is in a vent, it will fail to
function at all. The device delivers a small beep whenever it is
used, and this sound can lead an already nearby Alien to the player's
location. Finally, while humans and androids move at a walking
speed, a searching Alien can approach so swiftly, the scanner often registers their existence only a second before they set upon Ripley.
Yet in the first half of the game, it
is the only tool for surviving the Alien. Though it is already quick
on the ground, the Alien's movement through the vents is phenomenal.
The only defense is a secure location to hide. The levels are packed
with lockers and cabinets to climb into, along with tables and desks
to duck under. As long as the Alien doesn't see Ripley climbing into
a locker or a cabinet, safety is almost secured. Though the lockers
sound like the clanging of a garage door, it seems to have no
impact on the game unlike the sound made by running, the scanner,
weapons, and bumping into loose objects. Inside a locker Ripley
can peer out through small slits, while checking her scanner. The
Alien will experience no difficulty in tearing Ripley out of a
locker, but will only do so if it saw her climb in. An exception: one time an Alien sniffed around a locker, and Ripley held her
breath until it passed.
When there are no lockers, tables suffice. There are two types of tables (and desks): those
against a wall, and those in the middle or a room or corridor.
Ripley never has a problem with the first, but the latter are worthless. The Alien never found me under a table against a wall, but
always found me when I tried to hide under a solitary table. Apparently without the helpful surface of a wall, I could not position myself to hide sufficiently.
Any attack by the Alien is an death for
Ripley. So hiding is the only option. Of course one can't hide forever. The ability to know when to risk everything and run (but actually crawl), is crucial to success.
And halfway through, hiding becomes only one option. The game continuously expands Ripley's arsenal of tools, items, and weapons. Tools are used for opening doors and activating terminals. These can never be used as weapons. Then she has craftable items which vary widely in their uses: medkit, flare, smoke bomb, stun grenade, Molotov, EMP grenade, pipe bomb, and noise maker. These are limited by the ingredients scattered about the station, but also because Ripley can only hold three of each at any time. Some are essential, like medkits, since they are the only way to restore Ripley's health. Others are useful, but limited in a fight, like the pipe bomb. And some I never used like the smoke bomb. For combat Ripley picks up a full complement of weapons: wrench, revolver, shotgun, and flamethrower.
Each item and weapon have different uses. And the Alien is only effected by the most deadly tools. While it can not be killed, a limited selection of weapons will stun it. Pistols and shotguns have no effect, but the pipe bomb, Molotov, and flamethrower will send it running for the nearest vent. But it will return in a minute or two to renew its search. When Ripley is given the flamethrower her relationship with the Alien changes. It can still kill her, but only if she has no ammunition left. In medium difficulty there isn't enough ammunition to openly run through the levels, but it allows for a bit more casual playing. With the flamethrower the Alien becomes a management problem, like the relationship between a lion trainer and his lion. With proper use and a significant amount of stealth the Alien is neutralized.
To some, this might seems like a
reduction in tension, but the game manipulates expectations by
unleashing hardier androids immediately, and later, removing
Ripley's arsenal. Without her firearms Ripley becomes vulnerable, but
not entirely defenseless as she retains her limited collection of
craft-able throw-able items. When the
weapons are eventually returned, each piece of hardware feels more
valuable, but they also remind the player their return is contingent
on increased enemies.
Alien: Isolation continuously delivers
the tension necessary for each moment of the game. Levels of
desperate, Alien avoiding horror, are mixed with more casual human
interactions, and the eerie courteous Friendly Joes
ready to crush Ripley's larynx at a blow. Expertly blended in are
the scenes which allow for relaxation in the company of friendly
humans. But best are the sections where no enemies roam, and yet the
player is conditioned to expect an attack at any time. For instance, (halfway through the game) after trapping the Alien and launching it into a nearby gas giant, I still
moved about Sevastopol Station as if it were about to jump down from a vent at any moment.
Alien: Isolation's repeated peaks and
troughs merge with the plot to deliver a series of ever increasing
climaxes, which two thirds of the way through the game still keep
surprising and raising the stakes. Though I haven't seen the Alien
movies, I've researched them, and unsurprisingly plot elements of the game replicate and reinforce similar motifs. The game repeats
devices used in the movies, in the same way a piece of music uses
repetition to restate the theme, but with variation. The similarities
are not obvious as one plays, but become delightfully familiar as the
secrets of the station are revealed. The most significant difference
between A:I and it's film counterparts, is the solitude the player
experiences. Meeting allies is rare, and rarer still are those who
survive. At best, Ripley experiences the comfort of a voice speaking
to her from some safer location on Sevastopol.
Next week will be the final article on
Alien: Isolation. Having discussed the foes, there will be a bit
about some of the most important mechanics (saving) and a wrap up of
the plot.
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