In coordination withAlien: Isolation’s 10th Anniversary, Creative Assembly announced the development of a true sequel to the beloved survival horror game. With the record-breaking box office sales ofAlien: Romulusand anticipation of the upcoming Hulu seriesAlien: Earth, the announcement ofIsolation’s sequel appears to cement theAlienfranchise in a much-needed resurgence.
According to Creative Assembly’s Creative Director andIsolation’s own Director, Alistair Hope, the sequel toIsolationis currently in early development with further details expected to be released as soon as they are ready. While it’s unknown whenAlien: Isolation’s sequel will be released or what setting it may feature, there are many aspects that fans of the game have long wanted Creative Assembly to address and build on in the eventual sequel.
What Alien: Isolation 2 Needs
Alien Isolation 2 Should Flesh Out Amanda Ripley’s Story
Alien: Isolationfamously ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with Amanda Ripley, Ellen Ripley’s daughter, barely escaping the destruction of Sevastopol Station, making it aboard theTorrensonly to come face to face with a Xenomorph and be launched into space. For most fans, this is the end of Amanda’s story until her timely death as an elderly woman as seen inAliens. However, her story actually continued inthe controversial mobile gameAlien: Blackoutas well as the Dark Horse comicsAliens: ResistanceandAliens: Rescue. Since not all players experienced Blackout or read the comics, Creative Assembly could attempt to adapt or reference these stories inIsolation 2or ignore them for a completely new story featuring Amanda in betweenIsolationandAliens.
Potential New Protagonists and Other Characters in Alien: Isolation 2
While most fans have grown to love Amanda during their time aboard Sevastopol, the same can not be said for the majority ofIsolation’s other characters. Most died by Xenomorphs or Working Joes, leavingAmanda as the sole survivor of Sevastopoland allowing for new, fleshed-out characters to stand alongside Ripley in the sequel. These characters could even serve more important roles as potential co-protagonists with Amanda, allowing players to still witness an Alien outbreak from the eyes of someone who’s unfamiliar with the extraterrestrials. Adding another, playable protagonist could even make the sequel a more terrifying ride, as mostAlienfans know Amanda’s ultimate fate but not that of a new, original character who could die at any moment.
A Well-Balanced Runtime for Alien: Isolation 2
Most aspects ofAlien: Isolationreceived wide praise from longtimeAlienfans and horror gamers alike, but most agreed that one feature could have been improved upon: the game’s length. For common players,Isolation’s base game took about 18 hours to completeand about 34 hours to reach 100% completion, not to mention the additional hours it took to completeIsolation’s DLCs. While this may have given players more bang for their buck for just one video game,Isolationoften felt like it was dragging its story along and had several players lose interest in the game’s latter half. Creative Assembly should strive to makeIsolation 2’s runtime a bit shorter or at least add improved elements to keep players' interest for a near 24-hour-long game.
Alien: Isolation 2 Should Add a Bit More Enemy Variety
Isolation’s titular Alien was groundbreaking in its A.I.’s intelligence and ability to learn from players’ quirks and habits to keep gamers always on their toes in the Sevastopol’s hallways. However, many players still sought to see a bit more enemy variety in the game beyond Xenomorphs, Working Joes, and crazed crew members. One way Creative Assembly could build uponIsolation’s antagonist is by introducinga few Xenomorph variationsin the game. For example, if a more open area shows up in the sequel, the player could face off against a dog Alien hybrid which is weaker than common Xenomorphs but makes up for it with increased speed. Likewise,Alien:Isolation’s sequelshould feature some kind of interaction with a Xenomorph Queen as a mirror toAliens.
Alien: Romulus’ Director Fede Alvarez was inspired byAlien: Isolationand featured many elements from the game in the film, such as the emergency phones that acted as save points.
Alien: Isolation
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
