Alien Isolation: Survival Horror Perfected?

Introduction

In the not too distant past there was a window in time where the survival horror genre was truly on it's knees. Suffering from a lack of inventiveness, fractured gaming studios and development teams and years of what can only be perceived as "damaging releases" to the genre, especially in terms of mainstream mainstays such as Resident Evil 6, released in 2012, turning the genre from a thoughtful blend of resource management, exploration and sparse combat with an emphasis on survival, to a garbled mess of heavily scripted action sequences, lacking the subtle nuances that made the series truly great to begin with.

Don't. Breathe.

Just 2 years later, at the turn of 2014, we saw survival horror reinvented with the release of Alien: Isolation by the unlikely heroes at Creative Assembly. Alien: Isolation saw us thrust into the world of Ridley Scott's original 1979 film epic, taking on the role of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley, lead protagonist for the leading films. Through a series of subtle, as well as one or two not so subtle, twists and turns we find ourselves isolated, alone and stranded on the, apparently abandoned and vastly damaged, space station Sevestapol. With communications cut off, people seemingly frantic with fear and an apparent "killer" on the loose, according to our first acquaintance Axel, we are thrust, empty-handed, into an unfolding scenario that truly takes aspect of both survival and horror.

Isolation

At the time of release, Alien: Isolation truly stood alone in the mainstream market as a "pure" survival horror title. Your strengths lie in your caution, patience and understanding of your environment. Combat is never not an option, yet after committing yourself to combat, you may find that your mistakes can be quite costly, not only to your health but also to your supplies and in exposing your position to potentially greater threats!

It's this domino effect created from simple actions that we believe truly defines the survival horror genre. Even in the original Resident Evil titles it was apparent that if you decide to defeat every zombie you will be left with dwindling supplies in a situation where it is vital to use your arsenal. This was ever present in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, where you were constantly faced with the prospect of coming up against Nemesis himself, this made avoidance of confrontation important in general circumstances to allow yourself accumulation of resources in "pure" survival situations.

The beauty of this cadence of balance within survival horror is adopted beautifully within Alien: Isolation due to the threats that are present to you. Humans present somewhat easy targets that can be fairly easily manipulated and killed and often proved semi-precious resources to you upon defeat, yet, again, you can expose your position. Androids, or Working Joe's as they are called, are tough, observant and very resistant to damage, yet they provide great resources upon defeat, often crucial to some of the greater items within the crafting system. The Alien itself provides you with the greatest challenge. Senses as sharp as a knife-edge, swift and immeasurably lethal, the Alien cannot truly be stopped, yet it can be distracted or dissuaded from killing you outright, if you use your brain. 

Smile... The Xenomorph shows no mercy...

Here is where the problem arises in not using your brain. Playing through Alien: Isolation without thought will present to you a frustrating gaming experience that may simply seem "unfair". The truth is far from this assumption. Alien: Isolation provides you with one of the greatest balances of fair play within any video game we have ever played, especially within a survival horror title. Often you consider the action you made half an hour earlier, using a noisemaker to distract a Working Joe, only to regret your decision later when faced with the overwhelming sinister menace of the Alien itself. The beauty is in the fact that you continue to survive by adapting your gameplay and style of play to the situation that is presented to you.

Much like survival in reality and it's purest form, you cannot rest on your laurels, there are always alternative solutions when given thought and, ultimately, you cannot give up hope when faced with isolation.

Salvation

Here at Cash Grab, between the two of us, we have combined gaming experience of about 60 years. Within that time we have spent significant time playing games within the survival horror genre and, by happenstance, we like to think we know a thing or two about said genre. 

It comes as no small statement to us and from us, as huge fans of the genre, that Alien: Isolation is largely responsible for the renaissance of the genre we are seeing today. It is survival horror in it's purest form and, in many regards, as close to perfection as you can possibly get.

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Tom - Cash Grab