Summary
Of the many games tied to theAlienmovie franchise,Alien: Isolationcan be considered one of the biggest successes. With exhilarating gameplay and a well-developed AI that works relentlessly to take down players, it’s easy to see why it’s considered one ofthe scariest horror video games of all time. Since it is held in such high regard, the gameis getting a sequel, with no other details yet confirmed. Still, it is exciting news for fans, and it might be that the follow-up toAlien: Isolationdoesn’t have to do anything too new to reach the same heights of success.
WhileAlien: Isolationis held in high regard today,Sega did not consider it a commercial successat the time of its release.
Alistair Hope, creative director of the popularAlien: Isolation, announced during the game’s 10th anniversary that Creative Assembly is officially working on the long-awaited sequel. The news has led to several speculations, such as the date of release, gameplay changes, and the type of difficulty it will have. Although nothing is set in stone, the sequel will likely be reusing the same formula as the first game, and perhaps that’s for the better. Either way, developer Creative Assembly doesn’t have to do too much forAlien: Isolation 2to be another big hit with the fans and non-fans of the franchise and that’s because of how in-demand a sequel has been for the last decade.
What Alien Isolation 2 Should Bring More of the Same but Slightly Improve
WithAlien: Isolation’s sequel in early development, it will take some time until its official release date is announced. Until that day arrives, Creative Assembly can consider what new mechanics and features the next game will have, but it may be best to stick with and add to the already successful formula:
A newAliengamewith such minor but important changes might be all it takes to amount to what fans adored about the first as that adoration is likely what resulted in a sequel announcement so many years later. That said, going about a new direction could work in theAlien: Isolationsequel’s favor rather than taking what made its predecessor work and just making it better.
What the Alien: Isolation Sequel Should Have a Little Less Off
There are many things players could have on theirAlien: Isolationsequel wish listand one of them is a reduced runtime. The time to finish the previous game averaged around 18 hours on a casual playthrough and 34 for those who decided to complete it 100%. Although it may not seem like much in relation to other genres, those lengths of playtime can be detrimental to a game that relies on its atmosphere and scare factor to keep players hooked.
It may be scary being grabbed and killed by a Xenomorph the first few times, but if it happens quite too often with the end of nowhere near, people might see it as more of an annoyance rather than a dangerous obstacle. The sequel being shorter than the originalAlien: Isolationwould actually help ensure that it retains its thrilling atmosphere while being concise with its scares.
Alien: Isolationcan be touted as one of thebest atmospheric horror gamesbased on theAlienfranchise, and the news of it receiving a sequel was a long time coming. There isn’t a need to change things that already work, so hopefully Creative Assembly realizes that and decides to improve what made its first game work rather than reinventing the wheel to a possibly detrimental effect.
