Alien: Isolation News

Alien Isolation is way too long because its Xenomorph got way too smart: 'At the time it didn't seem that long'

lien Isolation is my favourite horror game, but it's too long and I think that opinion is near unanimous. When it feels like it's drawing to an end it just keeps going, and its protracted runtime is exacerbated by the fact that it's an unbearably tense experience. I adore this game, I swear I do, but boy could it have used a trim...
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Alien: Isolation is too long because the Alien is too clever, says former Creative Assembly writer

When Sega and Creative Assembly's Alien: Isolation launched in 2014, I was deputy editor at Official Xbox Magazine. I remember getting the review copy from our contributor Alex "Game Over, Man" Dale, and asking him how long the game was. 35-40 hours, he said. WTF, I said. I can't remember how Alex responded - possibly his transmission ended with a jangling scream and a burp of static, or possibly he agreed with me that 35-40 hours is indecently hefty for a horror game, even with the qualification that you can get through the main campaign in around 20. 35-40 hours? That's a farking Final Fantasy, mate!

Over 10 years later, we finally know who to blame. Surprise surprise, it was the xenomorph all along. According to Alien Isolation writer Dion Lay, the Gigerbeast's increasing capability during development made certain areas more time-intensive than they were originally supposed to be. There's probably a relevant Alien quote to invoke, here, but I'm going to settle for that Jeff Goldblum line from Jurassic Park.

The pitch read like an inevitable disaster: development studio known for only making RTS games to create a first-person horror with only one enemy, based on the film Alien. Not only that, but it was to release in the year following publisher Sega's last Aliens effort, the abysmal Colonial Marines. Things weren't looking good for Alien: Isolation.

Creative Assembly absolutely pulled through, though. Alien: Isolation is a tense and terrifying triumph; an immersive trip into director Ridley Scott's 1979 vision of a cruel, industrial future. It is, without question, my favourite game of 2014.

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To 'appease the people who thought the game was too long,' an Alien: Isolation modder trimmed the campaign length down to a svelte 46 seconds

Here at PC Gamer, we're willing to admit our admiration for those who can maintain a personal grudge for a decade or more. It's a rare dedication to the art of being a hater; keeping your contempt at a steady simmer for that long takes a lot of discipline. I'm not talking about the kind of curmudgeon who deals in cheap dunks. I'm talking about those who write negative Steam reviews after collecting 8,000 hours of evidence, or—in the case of Alien: Isolation modder Matt Filer—publish mods for a 10-year old game just to mock its reviews from 2014...
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Why Alien Isolation is one of the greatest PC games, and you should play it now

It's been ten years, but Alien Isolation 2 is actually in development. If you've played the original, this is the announcement you've both been waiting for and never thought would arrive - it's not quite up there, but after a decade, Alien Isolation 2 was at risk of gaining the same mythical status as Half-Life 3. If you haven't played the first Alien Isolation, however, today, right now, is the perfect time. On the surface it might seem similar to Amnesia, Outlast, and other run-and-hide horrors. In fact, it's something much more subtle and sophisticated, a unique balance of power and powerlessness that's unlike anything else on PC. Available now for very cheap, there's one thing that makes Alien Isolation superior to its horror game peers.