A new Alien Isolation trailer has been released, after the game’s Xbox Live Marketplace did some hocus pocus shenanigans over the last two days. The trailer confirms rumors from last year.
The XBL drama involved the Alien Isolation XBL page appearing apropos of nothing two days ago. Two screenshots came out, and the page was immediately taken offline. In the succeeding hours, the page resurfaced and disappeared again. Now, the page has been permanently placed online, with one image sharing this description:
"Discover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation, a survival horror set in an atmosphere of constant dread and mortal danger. Fifteen years after the events of Alien™, Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda enters a desperate battle for survival, on a mission to unravel the truth behind her mother's disappearance. As Amanda, you will navigate through an increasingly volatile world as you find yourself confronted on all sides by a panicked, desperate population and an unpredictable, ruthless Alien. Underpowered and underprepared, you must scavenge resources, improvise solutions and use your wits, not just to succeed in your mission, but to simply stay alive."
Now, for the real meaty stuff. The game trailer confirms an Xbox One release and a rating (PEGI 18 for Europe) later this year. Narration indicates you are playing Ellen Ripley’s daughter, entering a space station after the events of one of the Alien movies, and tasked with investigating what happened. The game is played from a 1st person perspective, and notably we don’t seem to be using a gun. A flashlight, a flare, a radar detector, a portable blowtorch, you get a lot of tools to use, and there seem to be a lot of paths you can take.
Initial rumors had even more details. Ellen’s daughter is named Amanda Ripley-McClaren, and the game will be a 1st person shooter with stealth and horror elements. The game will be slower paced than previous Aliens FPSes, with one Xenomorph stalking Amanda throughout the game. However, you will be shooting down different enemies, such as soldiers and clones.
We do know one thing for sure. Sega has corrected information from the XBL page leak, explaining that the game will not have multiplayer or coop. As they put it, there will be ‘no help, no solace, no escape from the Universe’s deadliest killer’.
I don’t need to tell you the last Alien game we got was anything but good. Still, hope springs eternal with a new developer at the helm, as well as a new writer (Dan Abnett of Warhammer 40,000 fame) and a new direction. Let’s hope Sega gets it right this time. The game will also be available on Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, and PC. Watch the trailer below.