First-person horror is quickly becoming the premier method that gamers are consuming their horror gaming content. With Resident Evil adapting its gameplay to the format with massive success, it shows the sub-genres massive appeal. However, one of the earlier examples of this modern gaming style still holds up years from now as a perfect horror title -- Alien: Isolation.
Set in a time between Alien and Aliens, the game follows Ellen Ripley's daughter, Amanda, who is trapped in a desolate space station. While finding her way out, she soon discovers she's not alone and, like her mother, will have to fight to survive. The game does an immaculate job of placing the player in the world of the film franchise. Each corridor and steam pipe adds to the utter isolation that its namesake advertises.
When it comes to games or other forms of media continuing on the story of its film inspiration, very few find success. Alien: Isolation opts to play to its strength and doesn't try to be anything more than what it is: sheer terror and survival. By creating lore interwoven in the main film narrative, players develop an attachment to Amanda Ripley. As synthetics, humans and the Xenomorph stalk them, each step becomes a mini heart attack.
The details are painstakingly designed to emulate the world from the films, and its motion sensor is emulated through the beeping and flashing controller. That all pales compared to the second AI developed for the Xenomorph that is never too far away from the player and endlessly hunts them. Jack Baker in Resident Evil 7 would use a similar mechanic.
Before these terrifying characters became fun crossovers in other games, Alien: Isolation sought to ensure that "in space, no one will hear you scream." While the second half of the game allows the player to fight the alien, there is never a true feeling of victory over the creature as it will never stop hunting players. Even when the game ends, there is still the bone-chilling Nostromo DLC. This add-on allows players to control Ellen, from the first film, or other crew members as they attempt to box in the alien. Equipped with even fewer tools, this expansion proves to be more difficult and terrifying than the main game.
The world of video games moves incredibly fast. Some true gems go down in history as underrated due to nothing but the timing. Alien: Isolation is one of those gems. However, with an ending that leaves the possibility for a sequel open, perhaps it's only a matter of even better timing to continue the story. First-person horror looks to continue growing, so only time will tell for its future.
The Alien franchise has spread to countless forms of media, and fans still adore the world created by Ridley Scott. Alien: Isolation is much more than a love letter to an iconic piece of filmmaking. It is also an inadvertent template of a style of horror introduced by games like Outlast. It stands to reason that there would be no Resident Evil 7 without the mechanics used in this game. Even after seven years, Alien: Isolation is still a perfect horror game.