Hey, everyone! This week I review the latest addition to Sega's trademark series of horror games. Is this game a scarefest? Or, should we be more scared on how inaccessible this game is?
Let's find out!
(Best enjoyed with headhones on!)
First off, guys I would like to apologise for the hiatus as to last week's review. Well, let's talk about more about that. The last few months and weeks has been very stressful to me. Basically, I had to finish off the various course works, and my dissertation while all university campuses (later, the entire country!) Was on lockdown due to COVID-19!
After I got everything handed in the anxious wait for module results was particularly more difficult. Although I received a lot of emotional support from my friends during this time, I couldn't stop thinking about what am I going to do with my life should I had to resit a module or fail one altogether!
Obviously, the day I received my results, on 10 June was an anti climax (in a good way though!). I have decided to take that particular week off to rebuild myself mentally. To be honest, I personally think it was a good move. I am feeling a lot better mentally, and ready to get back to weekly reviews as normal!
Anyway, as Dracula in CastleVania-Symphony of the Night "enough talk! Have at you!"
Ridley Scott's Alien Franchise has been the cornerstone of the horror genre. Since the franchise's debut, released to the public on 6 September 1979, its influence on the film industry has been a (chest) busting success! Raking in a massive $203.6 million at the box office!
On December 11, 2006, Sega acquired the rights to the Alien Franchise, the developers first take of the franchise was nothing but successful.
But the company's success was very short lived when the second entry and the rebooted franchise, Aliens Colonial Marines was released with resentment from the community and critics. After the game's release, Sega put the Alien Franchise on the backburner, along with various other franchises in its portfolio. In 2014,Sega teamed up with UK-based development studio, Creative Assembly. In case you don't know who they are, Creative Assembly are the developers of the Total War series, and Microsoft's take on the RTS genre on Xbox One Halo Wars 2.
This game is set in the year 2137, 15 years after the events of the first Alien film, Amanda Ripley, daughter of the protagonist of the film, Ellen Ripley discovered that her mother's ship, the Nostromo has been located. And is being held aboard Sevastopol. It was up to you to track down Ellen's Xenomorph infested ship to find out what has happened to her missing mother.
The accessibility scores are as follows:
Visibility 7
There is no colourblind modes present in this game. But through the majority of the game everyone but you are foe, everything that Amanda can interact with is highlighted. So you'll be able to play this game with no issues
Audibility 10
There are in-game subtitles that can be switched on or off via the options menu. So you can understand what's been said as the story progresses
Mobility 7
When playing this game with a controller, there is no legacy stick layout in it's control options. So it would be best to avoid the console version. The PC version on the other hand is playable. The keyboard and mouse controls can be fully customised. With a controller option to boot.
Gameplay 9
Unlike most games in the series this game starts off slow. For a horror game, this is good. The initial sections lulls your brain, and various senses into a false sense of security then.... BAM! the first scare kicks in. Your senses start to heighten thanks to your amygdala* as you anticipate that person or creature to strike again.
Graphically, the game looks stunning. This is probably the nicest looking horror game of this generation. This game takes the Silent Hill approach. Instead of this game being focused on action, like ValVe's Left 4 Dead series and Resident Evil. This game focuses on the experience. This game messes with your head and deliver a scary experience using music and various sounds to unsettle you and scary stuff coming at you unexpectedly.
In conclusion, Aliens Isolation is the horror game that truly lives up to the legendary film franchise that it is based on. If you are the type of player who loves to deprive themselves of sleep and who loves it when all the lights are dimmed or off. This game is a very good selection.
*= the subconscious part of our brains, inherited from our primate cousins which responds to threats. For example when you draw your hand away from a kettle filled with boiling water, or when an object is about to collide with your body for example a ball.
OVERALL 82.5%
See you guys in the next review!
SpartanCommander1990 out!
Now before I go, it's time for an open question. I have an idea to commemorate my graduation. As you are aware, EA has made a massive shift back to Steam. They are also selling most of their catalogue on Steam which used to be exclusive to EA's platform, Origin. Here is what i'm proposing- July will be dedicated to games made by developers and franchises that are a part of the EA Brand. What do you think of that? Let me know in the comments?
Roll out, Spartan Company!
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