Alien Isolation - The Ultimate Alien Experience (full fanboy praise)

I finished my second playthrough of Alien Isolation yesterday after a long break, feeling relieved, exhausted and with thoughts about the many memorable moments the journey through Sevastopol station brought me. I had forgotten just how good Alien Isolation was.

This time I choose hard mode difficulty and I highly recommend it, because the xenomorph is even more unpredictable, aggressive and spends less time in the vents. You'll constantly be on your toes in some areas (the initial in-game difficulty menu even states that hard mode is the intended way Alien Isolation should be played)

However, you don't need to play on higher difficulties to appreciate the atmosphere and stunning attention to detail in every area the devs Creative Assembly put into this game. It's so Alien 1979 that you'll think you just stepped into the film (if I recall correctly I think the devs even got their hands on the original concept art, and it shows)

The sound design is absolutely amazing, and I recommend playing with quality headphones to make the experience as immersive as possible. It makes a huge difference.

You'll panic as you hear the heavy footsteps of the Xenomorph as it drops down from the vents to search for humans, and you'll tremble in fear as the it "sniffs" out the locker you're hiding in, just a few feet away from potential instant death. Hold your breath or the Alien will kill you in a heartbeat, quickly and violently (just don't hold your breath too long or you'll suffocate; this game is unforgiving). The jump scares are endless no matter how many times you see them. 

Firearms are useless, true to Ash' iconic reply to "how do you kill it?" from Alien; "you can't". 

If the Xenomorph spots you, it'll give out a bone chilling shriek and you're pretty much screwed unless you carry incendiary devices (that are limited) and successfully hit the extremely fast monster (you can't outrun it), but that's only a temporary solution to drive the beast away, as it will return seconds later even more aggressive and relentless in it's search for you.

Apart from the Alien there are crude androids called Working Joes, hilariously promoting themselves saying "you always know a working Joe" among other randomly generated lines.

However, you'll soon realize that these doll-like emotionless looking androids just make the game even scarier.

If they're set out to "offer assistance", and "calm you down", get away or defend yourself; they're not there to help you (I think you get the idea) but shooting them or running away could also attract the Xenomorph in a lot of areas, so it's best to stay unnoticed and sneak past the androids. Easier said than done.

In some instances the Xenomorph might end up confronting a patrolling android for some black comedic moments, as the android might say "what are you" or "unidentified organism" to name a few reactions, as the Xenomorph curiously approaches for the moment to further examine this "strange humanoid". Get to close their meeting and the fun is over; the game switches instantly from funny to terrifying again just to remind the player what the monster is all about. 

I mentioned the word might, because one of Alien Isolation's greatest strengths is that every playthrough and encounter is unique and differs from another (not related to difficulty level)

During my second playthrough there were moments where the Xenomorph emerged to attack survivors, giving me a short amount of time to sneak away at a distance before it managed to spot me. Or when the Xenomorph begins to adapt and briefly halts its attack when you aim the flamethrower at it, only to catch you off-guard when you blink or it escapes to attack you elsewhere when you least expect.

It's during these moments that Alien Isolation becomes more than a game, it elevates itself to an unpredictable and authentic interactive masterpiece. 

Hats off to Creative Assembly.