It’s been over a decade since Alien: Isolation came out and scared the hell out of us. While it initially received polarized reception, it has since become more popular as the Aliens franchise has grown through video games spanning a range of genres. You have a tactics-focused game through Aliens: Dark Descent, an action-heavy shooter with Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and even virtual reality with Alien: Rogue Incursion.
But Alien: Isolation is the one that everyone always points to as the pinnacle of the Alien video game adaptations. It’s now lauded as one of the best psychological horror games out there. The feeling of defenselessness, dread, and chest-pumping fear is something that Alien: Isolation is unmatched in. On top of the tense atmosphere, it also featured a gripping, emotional story starring protagonist Amanda Ripley.
Now developer Creative Assembly and publisher SEGA are back with Alien: Isolation 2. I spent about 40 minutes playing a demo at Summer Game Fest, and sat down with game director Al Hope to talk about how the team is doubling down on everything that made the first game great.
For more, check out the best horror games we previewed at Summer Game Fest.
My demo started with a trio consisting of protagonist Blake, along with her friends Otto and Cole. As part of the Weyland Yutani, they’re out surveying for the corporation on a remote planet, LV-921, when they come across an abandoned ship. Even though rain is pouring and time is running out before the planet starts flooding, Blake and Otto decide to scavenge for parts. Cole, however, thinks it’s not a great idea and walks away (good thinking!).
The first game took place on the Sevastopol space station orbiting a gas giant, whereas this sequel is set on the planet itself. Hope said that this gives the game a similar yet different feeling from the predecessor.
“Planet LV-921 gives us a broader canvas for the Isolation experience than Sevastopol station in the first game. You’ll still experience tense, claustrophobic environments within Kurosaki’s interiors, but the exteriors present a different kind of dread,” he explained.
Given the outdoor setting, the team is experimenting with factors such as inclement weather, which can impair your senses, making it harder to see and hear. With a wide range of environments, the Alien will have new ways to stalk and kill. Combined with the tempestuous weather, the aim is to make you feel even more exposed and unsettled.
Once inside the ship, I scoured around to restore power, peering into the dark at every corner, trying to find the proper components. My flashlight definitely helped, though its battery life is limited (it slowly restores over time). Once I got to the main control room and accessed the ship log, an alert popped up about a containment breach. Then it happened.
A terrifying Xenomorph appeared, and Blake hurriedly hid under a table to avoid its sight. I was terrified, and so was Blake! Completely unarmed, with absolutely no way to defend myself as I tried to make my way out of the ship. A lack of tools to fight back is, by design, to enhance the frightening atmosphere. And it worked.
“We're building on the foundation of the first game. You’re trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the ultimate killing machine,” said Hope.
“The object is not to kill it. You can’t kill it! You can only hope to survive, and it’s your ingenuity that will enable you to change the odds and escape death.”
As I slowly made my way across the ship without being detected, admittedly, I died a few times. I even hid in the vents underneath the floorboards for longer than I anticipated. To my horrifying surprise, the Alien could search in there as well. Thankfully, I managed to backtrack to my previous save point, giving me a moment of calm before continuing.
In fact, these save stations are the same ones featured in the film Alien: Romulus. “We were deeply honored when we discovered that Fede Álvarez chose to include the save stations from Alien: Isolation in the sets for Alien: Romulus,” Hope added. “What a delightful piece of recognition.”
Once I walked away from the save point, the Alien walked right into the room, as if it was scripted. I ducked under a table again, and then managed to make a run for the exit. The Alien heard me, but not before I climbed the ladder out to freedom. Or so I thought. It grabbed me as I was about to make it out, roared in my face, then the demo cut to black.
Alien: Isolation 2 is shaping up to be just as scary as the first one. And honestly, I’m fine with it not reinventing the wheel. As long as it can make me soil my pants again, I’m all for it.
Creative Assembly is continuing to draw inspiration from the original 1979 film, which means adding in authentic lo-fi sci-fi objects like CRT screens and tactile tech with buttons. That also extends to the Alien itself.
“It’s the perfect organism. Unkillable, unpredictable, and deadly. It’s unchoreographed, and hunts using its senses, so you never quite know where it’s going to strike from, and that helps to create an air of true psychological horror where the unknowns place you in a high state of nervous tension,” Hope explained. “We’re absolutely doubling down on this for the sequel.”
The studio is known mostly for its historical games, namely the Total War series. But now gamers are finally getting the follow-up that they’ve all been asking for.
“We’re a busy studio! We had a list of projects we wanted to work on right after the first game, such as Halo Wars 2,” said Hope. “We’ve always been quietly planning and thinking about a sequel to Alien Isolation. Now feels like the right time.”
Alien: Isolation 2 will launch for PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S.
