How Alien Isolation's Sequel Could Improve

As a long-time fan of the Alien franchise, I can’t help but reminisce about my spine-tingling experience with Alien: Isolation back in 2014. Now, with the passage of time and advancements in gaming technology, it’s high time for Creative Assembly to give us a sequel that truly terrifies us in the modern era.

The game titled “Alien: Isolation” is renowned among the top survival horror games ever made, and it’s not just fans of the movie series who appreciate its thrilling experience. Ever since its release in 2014, “Alien: Isolation” has earned a devoted following, with many clamoring for more content. Fortunately, their wishes were granted a decade later when developers Creative Assembly announced a sequel on October 7, 2024.

Now is an ideal moment to introduce a follow-up for our survival horror game title, given that the genre has seen a revival in recent years, boosted by remakes such as those of Dead Space, Resident Evil 4, and Silent Hill 2. Additionally, the successful release of Alien: Romulus movie has generated a surge of excitement for the Alien series. Since Alien: Isolation sequel is now in development, here’s how it could enhance its predecessor.

6 Variety in Setting and Location

Spaceships Are Cool, But What If They Could Travel?

How Alien Isolation's Sequel Could Improve

In a fresh and accessible rephrasing: The Sevastopol spacecraft in the game “Alien: Isolation” is an impressive tribute to the Nostromo ship from the initial “Alien” film. It was flawlessly designed to seamlessly blend into the cherished franchise, allowing fans to embark on yet another Xenomorph-infested spaceship. Though the setting was meticulously crafted, it could be innovative for the sequel to offer players something beyond just another spacecraft; a new experience perhaps.

A distant planet like the ones seen in the movies could complement the spaceship setting well, providing a nice variety to keep players entertained. Fans will certainly want the game to dig its teeth into the roots of the franchise, so having a spaceship setting is a must, but what if there was a destination? The movie Aliens was set on planet LV-426, while Prometheus saw a crew find a crashed Engineer spacecraft on planet LV-223. Creative Assembly could go in many directions, and fans we’ll be hoping to see more than just the interior of a 70s-inspired spaceship for the sequel.

5 Unique Xenomorph Encounters

Stealth & Hiding Can Get Pretty Repetitive

How Alien Isolation's Sequel Could Improve

In the game Isolation, the AI controlling the Xenomorph antagonist was praised for its ability to adapt to the player’s habits. However, as players progressed in their gameplay, the repetitive cat-and-mouse style of play grew tiresome. During encounters, players were often compelled to halt their activities and hide until the creature moved on, or use items such as Molotov cocktails to scare it away.

The tense fear that the unpredictable Alien creates is what makes the experience so immersive, and the community would love to see the clever AI used again, albeit upgraded. However, the sequel could improve on encounter variety, as perhaps giving players more creative options to repel, trick, and even hide from the Xenomorph will make those situations feel more unique even after a substantial amount of playtime. Some RPG elements that give players a sense of progression in their survival against the Alien could work great too – like upgrades to enhance items and movement mechanics such as a slide or a dodge to better deal with the Xenomorph.

4 Co-Op Feature

It’s Always Fun With A Friend, Even If It’s Less Scary

In “Alien: Isolation,” you played alone without multiplayer options. Although it did include a Survival Mode where players raced against each other to finish various missions and rank on a global leaderboard, it would have been thrilling if there were cooperative gameplay or a shared campaign experience.

Co-operative horror games are currently trending among gaming communities, largely due to hits like The Outlast Trials, Phasmophobia, Lethal Company, and others. Introducing an online mode for the next Alien: Isolation could broaden the game’s reach to a vast co-op gaming community. This could range from a cooperative campaign or a survival mode where players must collaborate to accomplish objectives against time limits. Such features would align perfectly with the game’s style and generate amusing moments. Furthermore, this concept aligns well with the franchise as players could assume roles of space station crew members instead of a lone survivor.

3 Graphical Fidelity

A Decade Of Hardware Enhancements

Indeed, games have significantly evolved since 2014, particularly in graphic quality. Therefore, it stands to reason that Creative Assembly could significantly enhance the visuals of the Alien: Isolation sequel. Given that horror games rely heavily on atmosphere and environment to build tension and suspense, upgrading the sequel’s graphics to match contemporary titles like The Callisto Protocol would greatly boost its immersive quality.

In a fresh and natural rephrasing: The combination of the Alien series’ science-fiction atmosphere and H. R. Giger’s biomechanical art style creates a terrifying visual experience that is unparalleled. While the original game did an excellent job in capturing these elements, they have undeniably shown their age, particularly on consoles. Enhancements to the realism of the environments and character designs, as well as performance upgrades, would be warmly welcomed. With the developers able to leverage the capabilities of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S hardware, these improvements will certainly bring a more immersive gaming experience.

2 Smoother Experience

Autosaves & Cleaner Transitions

Alien: Isolation includes numerous abrupt changes and an aggravating save mechanism that makes you repeat significant parts of the game if you overlook a save spot. Although the save points play a role in the survival horror genre, the sequel could significantly improve by occasionally autosaving to avoid repetition. Constantly revisiting the same path to gather items you’ve already found can become quite tedious, so a more contemporary save system would be appreciated.

The transitions in and out of cutscenes and during certain animations have also aged quite a bit now. The industry is in a period where AAA games are seamless, with smooth transitions and minimal-to-no load times. Rough cuts from gameplay to cutscenes can throw you straight out of the immersion, especially when you have to wait for an NPC to make a move or for the scene to load in.

1 A New Story

Add To The Franchise While Staying Canonical

“Alien: Isolation stood out due to its strong ties with the movies. The game features you playing as Amanda Ripley, Sigourney Weaver’s daughter from the iconic Ellen Ripley character. It seamlessly fits between the first two films, making it a canonical addition to the cherished series. Since we know that Amanda survived (as depicted in Aliens), with Ellen learning that her daughter perished on Earth at 66 following 57 years in cryosleep, it would be intriguing for the sequel to introduce a fresh storyline instead of reintroducing Amanda.

If developers can discover an instance in the timeline to insert another canonical tale into the series, similar to how Alien: Romulus was added, it could either match or even surpass the original storyline. This new addition would provide fans of lore with another intriguing piece to the complex jigsaw they are so fond of. The community is eager to explore more about the Engineers and their creation of the “black goo,” and a sequel offers an excellent chance to delve deeper into this topic.

2024-10-13 10:03

How Alien Isolation’s Sequel Could Improve