Alien: Isolation 2 still has many, many months to go before its release, but Dimi has already made it through the beginning of this sci-fi horror game. With quite a bit of enthusiasm.
I remember opening myself a beer back then. After over 15 hours, I’d made it through Alien: Isolation and finally sent that goddamn Alien to the other side. After countless failed attempts, I had to let the entire Sevastopol space station burn up in the planet’s atmosphere as Amanda Ripley to finally put an end to the nightmare.
Ten years later, it turns out: That stillhasn’tbeen enough to finally finish off the creatures.
Luckily.
Because after my brief hands-on session withAlien: Isolation 2at the Summer Game Fest in a pitch-black room in the middle of Los Angeles, I’m really eager to get my hands on the sequel again as soon as possible.
What terrible weather
Alien Isolation 2 continues the story of its predecessor. I take on the role of a new main character named Blake, who, along with her colleagues Otto and Cole (I hope I got their names right), finds herself in some pretty rough weather.
The first major change in Isolation 2: It moves away from the space station. The game’s prologue begins on a planetary surface; it’s storming, lightning is flashing, and it’s the middle of the night to boot, so I can barely see my hand in front of my face. Actually, I could make myself comfortable in my rover—it’s so nice to sleep to the sound of pelting rain—but what must happen happens: there’s a loud bang outside, and Blake goes to investigate.
The first few minutes of Isolation 2 are pure atmosphere. Blake roams through the muddy night; in the distance, I catch sight of the lights of some outpost that’s surely not at all suspicious. Because the storm has swept away rows of trees, I crawl through slippery caves, with only my flashlight showing the way.
Creative Assembly takes advantage of the opportunity presented by the change of scenery: Alien Isolation 2 can create a completely new horror atmosphere. Not a sterile, abandoned space station, but a hostile natural environment where I still feel terribly alone. The game’s opening hits the mark perfectly: 10 out of 10 Giger points.
Appearance: Alien
My colleagues found the wreckage of a space station in the middle of the storm: the Sevastopol. My colleague Otto makes the most sensible suggestion ever: “This stinks to high heaven, I’m getting out of here, you better come with me.”
The main character, Blake, naturally does exactly that, and everyone lives happily ever after… Just kidding. Blake and her remaining colleague naturally sense loot, because who knows what valuable parts might be hidden in a corporate wreck like that. So she climbs onto the roof and lowers herself through a hatch. Somehow, Isolation 2 does take place on a space station, at least briefly.
And now comes the surprise you definitely didn’t see coming: An alien has survived in the wreckage of the Sevastopol! Blake has just turned the power back on, completed a bit of tutorial stuff (collect screws, circuit boards, and the like to activate a panel), and promptly all hell breaks loose.
As deadly as before
Inside, everything inside me is tightening up, because the Alien won’t let me escape. Actually, I just have to cross a few hallways and make a run for it through the skylight, but the creature’s AI is just as relentless as it was ten years ago. I crawl through floor vents, but the Alien finds me.
I crawl under tables, but the Alien finds me.
I run like a madman and the Alien… well, you can guess.
In the end, I win with the good old “peek around the corner and wait like a cowardly chicken until the alien has stomped far enough away.” As I climb the ladder to the skylight, it tracks me down anyway, but just at that moment the storm blows the wreck over, Blake and the alien get lost in the ensuing landslide, and the demo ends.
A good sign
Of course, it’s still far too early to fully assess Alien Isolation 2. The biggest criticism of its predecessor—the length of the campaign—only became apparent after many, many hours. And my demo build is, at best, an early alpha; a release is still a long way off.
Most gameplay systems aren’t even available in the prologue yet. I have no idea what new mechanics are in Isolation 2, whether there are new weapons, new enemies, whether the story takes interesting turns, or if the Alien behaves noticeably differently than in the predecessor.
But what I’ve played so far is definitely heading in the right direction: The Alien is just as deadly as ever, but thanks to the new setting and the new protagonist, Isolation 2 feels fresh enough to lure me back into a hell I’d actually left behind. And that’s a pretty good sign.