Alien: Isolation

With Alien: Isolation, we welcome you back to our weekly video game column!!

Fifteen long years have passed since Amanda Ripley lost track of her mother, who disappeared on the Nostromo.

The recovery of the ship’s black box, however, could give her the answers she’s searching for.

Recruited by Weyland-Yutani, Amanda travels to the Sevastopol space station orbiting the gas giant KG348, where the black box has been taken.

Upon arriving, Amanda discovers that something is amiss: the space station is damaged, and communications with it are nonexistent.

After a harrowing spacewalk, Ripley manages to enter Sevastopol, and thus her nightmare begins…

Alien: Isolation offers a gameplay experience different from the usual; for most of the game, you must help Ripley survive while trying to evade the Xenomorph that infests the space station and hunts using its sight, smell, and hearing.

The weapons you’ll find on Sevastopol mainly serve to scare it off or will be used against other enemies.

The stealth system implemented in the game revolves around actions such as crouching, peeking from cover, and holding your breath, while items that could increase Amanda’s chances of survival often lead to certain death.

The flashlight, for example, can expose you, while the handy motion detector makes far too much noise.

Given the Xenomorph’s non-linear behavior and the numerous access points to the various rooms/areas of Sevastopol, every playthrough of Alien: Isolation feels claustrophobic, filled with suspense, and conveys a considerable amount of anxiety.

The soundtrack, almost entirely based on ambient sounds, gives a sharper emphasis to the game’s atmosphere.

How many of you managed to survive this new “Alien” nightmare?

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