When Alien: Isolation was announced early this year, gamers held their breath for yet another terrible game based around the Alien brand. With last year’s disastrous Aliens: Colonial Marines still fresh in the minds of players burned by over-hyped pre-launch marketing, another Alien game coming so soon after seemed almost unwelcome.
That is, until developer Creative Assembly (the British development studio behind the Total War franchise) began saying all the right things that Alien fans want to hear. Instead of making another action-packed Alien-branded game in the vein of James Cameron’s Aliens, Alien: Isolation is being marketed as a true survival horror game that digs deep into the roots of the original Alien movie.
Today publisher SEGA announced that Alien: Isolation will released on October 7, 2014. The game will be coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
“We couldn’t be happier to finally announce a date for Alien: Isolation,” said Alistair Hope, creative lead at Creative Assembly. “The reaction we have seen so far has been simply incredible, from the screams and shrieks to the cold sweats and racing hearts. It’s the Alien game that we’ve always wanted to play and we can’t wait to let everyone get their hands on it this fall.”
Alien: Isolation will put players into the first-person persepective of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Alien heroine Ellen Ripley. Finding herself on a derelict space station, Amanda will have to search the station for for the whereabouts of her mother while avoiding a xenomorph presence.
Like recent indie survival horror hits such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Outlast, Alien: Isolation will give players few, if any, tools to deal directly with the xenomorph. Instead of using guns and explosives, the game will use atmosphere and darkness to make players feel uneasy and vulnerable. A recent developer diary released by Creative Assembly shows just how dedicated the developer seem to be to creating an experience that mirrors the fear audiences felt when seeing Alien for the first time.