In coordination with Alien: 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 of Alien: Romulus and anticipation of the upcoming Hulu series Alien: Earth, the announcement of Isolation’s sequel appears to cement the Alien franchise in a much-needed resurgence.
According to Creative Assembly’s Creative Director and Isolation’s own Director, Alistair Hope, the sequel to Isolation is currently in early development with further details expected to be released as soon as they are ready. While it’s unknown when Alien: 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.
Alien: Isolation Sequel in Early Development
Sega and Creative Assembly confirm that a sequel to 2014's Alien: Isolation is in the early stages of development on the game's 10th anniversary.
What Alien: Isolation 2 Needs
Alien Isolation 2 Should Flesh Out Amanda Ripley’s Story
Alien: Isolation famously ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with Amanda Ripley, Ellen Ripley’s daughter, barely escaping the destruction of Sevastopol Station, making it aboard the Torrens only 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 in Aliens. However, her story actually continued in the controversial mobile game Alien: Blackout as well as the Dark Horse comics Aliens: Resistance and Aliens: Rescue. Since not all players experienced Blackout or read the comics, Creative Assembly could attempt to adapt or reference these stories in Isolation 2 or ignore them for a completely new story featuring Amanda in between Isolation and Aliens.
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 of Isolation’s other characters. Most died by Xenomorphs or Working Joes, leaving Amanda as the sole survivor of Sevastopol and 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 most Alien fans 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 of Alien: Isolation received wide praise from longtime Alien fans 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 complete and about 34 hours to reach 100% completion, not to mention the additional hours it took to complete Isolation’s DLCs. While this may have given players more bang for their buck for just one video game, Isolation often 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 make Isolation 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 upon Isolation’s antagonist is by introducing a few Xenomorph variations in 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 sequel should feature some kind of interaction with a Xenomorph Queen as a mirror to Aliens.
Alien: Romulus’ Director Fede Alvarez was inspired by Alien: Isolation and featured many elements from the game in the film, such as the emergency phones that acted as save points.
Alien: Isolation
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 76%
- Released
- October 7, 2014
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Creative Assembly
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
- Engine
- Cathode
- Franchise
- Alien
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.
