OK, so I know I say I’m a coward, but I still play a lot of horror games, like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and the Dark Pictures series, but that’s because I like the survival part, the stories, and the artistry. Alien is a whole different beast. I played the first 30 minutes or so of Alien: Isolation, then Alt + F4’d out of there instinctively the moment the Xenomorph showed up. By my reckoning, the titular alien is the most terrifying fictional creature out there. I don’t want to be near it, I don’t want to see it, I don’t want to think about it.
It seems like the good folks at Creative Assembly are out specifically for me here, as Alien Isolation 2 comes in hard and fast on the Xenomorph front, with the prologue getting straight to the point. You play as Blake, and she and her crew are investigating a fallen spacecraft before a heavy storm washes it away. One member wisely heads back to the car, while Blake heads into the ship to look for survivors and salvage. Things start off tame but tense. It is pitch black planetside, requiring a flare or your flashlight to navigate. I was metaphorically struck by the lighting that would flash occasionally; it simultaneously helps with visibility for a split second while also blinding you. While I didn’t get to experience it in this demo, I imagine that’ll be key later on when avoiding the xenomorph on the planet itself and not inside the wreck.
Descending into the wrecked ship, my first task was to turn on the power. Most doors wouldn’t function, so I found a junction box and had to turn the switch a few times to get the engine running again. Once power was on, there was an inconvenient stream of fire blocking my path forward, so I had to go around to the ship’s computer room. Upon investigating the terminal… well, you can probably guess what decided to show up.
Blake hid under the table, and I had a new goal: get the F#$@! out. My first attempt ended almost immediately. I tried to turn a wheel to get rid of the fire and sprint for the exit, but while turning, the xenomorph came up behind me and stuck its tail through my stomach. On my second try, I didn’t even get out of the computer room before it jumped on me and ate my face. It seems like as long as you are in the computer room, the xenomorph will also stay there, so you really need to wait for it to look away or lure it somewhere else with a throwable bottle.
My third try was far more successful. This time, instead of going for the wheel, I hopped right into the floor vents. The alien followed me, but didn’t seem to know exactly where I was, so long as I moved slowly. I waited for it to go away, climbed out of the vent, and crept my way towards the ladder out of there. This is where the demo ended, with Blake being grabbed by the xenomorph, about to get face-hugged, when the ship careens off into the river created by the storm. I can extrapolate from there that this means Blake will have to find a way back to her crew and off the planet, all while the xenomorph is one step behind.
Alien Isolation 2 is a game I personally will be staying far, far away from, but one I can also tell fans of the first game are going to love. It is a tense escalation of everything present in the original title, complete with the analogue sci-fi aesthetic and evil corporations.
Alien Isolation 2 releases at some point in the nebulous future for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
