
Just be sure that trolling friends and family aren't around when you play. While the easily frightened part of me wants to call this an exercise in using next-gen consoles' microphones, the pragmatist in me has to note that it's actually a pretty clever way of inserting the player into the game. My shouts of "nope" led the alien to my hiding place more than once, and my roommate delighted in blowing raspberries behind me to lure murderous androids to my hiding places. The game picks up input from your microphone, and characters and monsters in the game react accordingly. The real dealbreaker for me was the sound tracking.

While sound tracking is an interesting exercise in using the next-gen consoles' microphones, it fails when it comes to playability. It's a neat feature, though one too immersive for this scaredycat. The game uses head tracking to monitor the player's physical movements, so turning your head from side to side or leaning forward will cause Amanda to look around or even peer through grates.
#Alien isolation gameplay Ps4
Xbox One and PS4 users will find Alien: Isolation more challenging if they choose to attach their Kinect or PS4 camera. What kind of monster makes this a feature? As an exploration nut who always wants to see 100 percent of the map, I was happy to power through the more horrifying aspects of the game just to play the minigames and find new "treasure" troves. The nonlinear design turns Amanda's surroundings into a Metroidvania-style labyrinth.
#Alien isolation gameplay full
Doors inaccessible at the start of the game open up as she finds a toolbox full of accoutrements. There's nothing that can easily kill her enemies.Īmanda has to use the same tools to move around the station. Amanda has only the tools of the station at her disposal - pistols, wrenches and even a cobbled-together flamethrower. There's also the use of lo-fi tech, which hampers Amanda as a good maiming would in most other survival horror games. Hacking into doors and computers requires you to enjoy a variety of addictive minigames. But as '70s as the in-game technology and art design are, the actual game design is decidedly modern.

You access computer files on CRT monitors, your bulky motion detector uses vacuum tubes and some power supplies actually have to be pumped to be activated. The aesthetics of Alien: Isolation are decidedly lo-fi. In space, no one knows what a light switch is. The interplay of light and shadow creates a sense of palpable dread, one so rich that it took me more than 15 minutes just to make it through the prologue.

You aren't alone in the omnipresent shadows, as the alien is often completely obscured by the rich darkness in which you both lurk. The haunting atmosphere of Alien: Isolation isn't based solely on its exceptional sound design. When the sense of dread was too much, I'd retire to a hiding place - usually a conveniently placed storage locker - and the sounds of the space station would wash over me, its creaks and groans bringing to mind the settling of an old house.
