Gray's Cozy Nook

(STEAM)

I remember when I first bought this game for my XBOX alongside with The Evil Within, and Deadspace. All three games were a trifecta of horror, but the game that I still have held consistent awe and terror for, has always been Alien Isolation. For good reasons.

When this game was first announced, I admit, I was plenty hesitant with it. However, when I saw who was on board for this whole entire game, I was stoked to buy it. I regret not having my XBOX anymore, but I’m fairly happy to know this game can be found on Steam and Nintendo Switch.

Alien Isolation still enacts the terror factor no matter how many years it’s been out. The fact that the Xenomorph hunts you, and unlike other games I had played before this, you never know when it actually will appear. This was a stroke of genius by the creators to use an AI that adapted to hunting, listening, and also just plain knowing how to be an apex predator.

This game brought all the elements from the original movie series had created and breathed it into a massively successful videogame. I genuinely loved the storytelling in the game, and playing as Amanda, you could understand her struggles and grief to find her mother (also the fear and need to survive). What was a major bonus for me was that the game developers created a character that masterfully grew throughout the process of the game plot.

However, not only was the character development wonderfully crafted, but the factors of having to think about how to survive in the game were also a lethal injection of reality to gamers. Having to force the players to process what to do, where to hide, when to stay quiet, or make a gamble at running for their life (albeit that option rarely worked).

I believe that in itself, the key factor, to SURVIVE, created the strongest feelings of fear in the game. The experience of a terrifying monster hunting you, and not knowing where it will actually appear created the right amount of anxiety in this game (I ADVISE CAUTION IN PLAYING THIS GAME IF YOU ARE EASILY ANXIOUS). To this day, this game will always remain at the top of my list of favorites in survival horror.