4.5/5 ★ – Jackdh1990's review of Alien: Isolation.

Alien Isolation is the best horror game ever made. It's a big statement, so first up I'll admit I was always going to be a little biased about this one. When I was a teenager, the Alien film series was my absolute obsession, and though I watched them all over and over again with behind-the-scenes footage and director's cuts, the original Alien stuck with me as my favourite. It is still one of my favourite movies. Let me tell you, Isolation NAILS the lived in retrofuturism of that movie. NAILS it. That alone would have done it for me, but it really helps that this game is also mechanically impressive. After decades of the xenomorph being turned into a starship troopers bug to be blasted away en masse, Isolation finally brings the series back to focussing on the harm a single one of these terrifying monsters can bring upon an enclosed space. The unpredictable nature of the alien can sometimes land you in unfair situations, cowering in a cupboard for ten minutes only get jumped ten seconds after scurrying out, but that is the name of the game really. Survival. You can't beat this thing, all you can do is muddle through and pray it doesn't spot you. The androids are a little less compelling but make for a nice, more easily exploitable obstacle to bring the tension down. Every encounter with other humans is frustrating at best. The slow, involved way you interact with tools and even save stations is actually brilliant, and lends so much extra tension when trying to find the best way through the station. More manual saves in horror games please! It's not perfect, some of the distraction tools will go completely unused and many do more or less the same thing, and the flamethrower in the late game starts to trivialise alien encounters somewhat. It's also a few hours too long; I played it though again recently and it did start to drag a little towards the end. Still though, I have never been more tense and apprehensive in a video game than this. We need more big budget games that take a swing at innovation like Isolation does. It's an essential game for anyone who can handle the terror. 9.5/10 Played on PS4 Completed DLC: Crew Expendable, Last Survivor 2/3/21