The original Alien Isolation has a special place in my heart. That’s because it’s one of the handful of games I put down as a child, because it was too hard. As the years went on, the shame inside me got too much to bear, but I never went back to beat it. I would consistently hear stories about how great the tale end of the game is, and about how my friends and peers nearly escaped certain death time and time again. Once I found out that Alien Isolation 2 would be at Summer Game Fest, I made it a personal challenge to beat the demo on my first attempt, in hopes of redeeming my younger self.
Even if you’re someone like me, you don’t necessarily need to beat the first one or play it to understand Alien Isolation 2, but if you did, there are some nuggets you’ll pick up on. The first one I caught is that this picks up almost right where the first one ends. You play as a character who works for Weyland-Yutani, and your crew is sent out on a mission to look for a crashed ship from the first Alien Isolation during a rainstorm.
One thing I quickly noticed was that Alien Isolation 2 follows many horror tropes. At the start of the game, I was introduced to a few of my co-workers and was getting to know them a bit on a personal level. Although I didn’t see it, I’m sure that they’re all going to slowly get killed off one by one by the Xenomorph that’ll also be trying to kill me.
While the three of us were out and about, my character decided to venture off on their own for a second to see what was out in the woods. The tone was already set. Every little step I took made a bunch of noise because of the branches on the floor. It was dark, with no display telling me where to go, and my flashlight would die on me immediately. On top of all of that, everything was extremely claustrophobic.
But walking around the woods was incredibly scenic, and as scary as it was, I couldn’t help but take in the sights of the great outdoors and the crashing waves hitting the shoreline.
My venture into the woods eventually led me to the ship where the Xenomorph from the first game was trapped. Of course, in true survival-horror fashion, the character I was playing as had no idea what horrors awaited her inside and decided to see what she could scavenge.
The second I got inside, I went down a ladder and was prompted to start powering up parts of the ship to help restore power. Before I could get everything up and running, I had to look around and collect scraps to make it functional again. Once that was all said and done, it required me to stop in my tracks and mash a button over and over until said task was complete. Although it wasn’t said outright, it was clear that this would be a taste of what’s to come when I end up running for my life.
As soon as the power turned on, I was granted access to a new room and was greeted by an old friend. The save point from the first game. Like muscle memory, I immediately saved my progress, but doing so required me to stop in my place and mash some buttons once again.
Shortly after leaving that area, I was grabbed by one of the androids that was half beaten to death. Luckily, I was able to shake them off and move on with my day. Unfortunately, though the android wasn’t the only thing waiting for me in this room. After looking around for a bit, I was face-to-face with the iconic Xenomorph, and it was just as scary as I remembered it all those years ago.
This is when I knew I had to lock in and prove myself. From the little tidbits I learned, it is just as smart as the last game. Every time I made too much noise, it would immediately run to me and check that spot like clockwork.
To make it out alive in one go, I knew I had to be smarter than perfection. So, to do this, I waited until it was out of my line of sight and B-lined it straight to the sewers, because I thought it was a smart plan.
The second I made it there, I regretted this choice for a few reasons. The first was because I could hear it stomping around right above me, the next was that it was filled with water, so every little step I took made more noise than I would have liked. Last but not least, with no display, I had no idea where I was going. So I ended up walking in a circle for about five minutes.
Thankfully, I found my way back to the save room alive within those five minutes. Like last time, I went to save the game, just in case, and that’s when I let my guard down. This was yet another mistake that almost proved fatal on my end. The second I did that, the Xenomorph ran into the room, and right before it saw me, I was able to hide under a table.
Like last time, I waited for it to leave the area, so I could plan my escape. The second the coast was clear, I ran towards a room that was once open to me, right before I entered it, some pipes burst and nearly set me on fire. Without giving it a second thought, I ran to the ladder I had entered.
I then started making my way up the ship and back to the safety of the outdoors when the Xenomorph tackled me to the ground and slowly opened its mouth. As I, the tongue of death, was ready to pierce my skull, a wave of water came crashing and separated us both, and that’s where my demo ended.
I was extremely happy with what I played. Everything about it felt extremely smooth and scary. Each corner was as cramped as the next, and every little noise I made could have been a fatal mistake. I’m proud to have restored my inner child’s honor and completed the entire run without dying once. Although I didn’t see it for myself, I was told there were multiple ways to escape, and with a large part of the core game taking place outside, I’m dying to see how I can avoid death when it’s fully released.
