10 years on, does Alien: Isolation hold up?

With the release of director Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus on August 16, the longstanding Alien franchise has been launched back into the spotlight. Fans hadn’t seen a new film since 2017’s Alien: Covenant from legendary director Ridley Scott. Thus, there has been plenty of buzz surrounding the entire series as of late. This renewed interest isn’t limited solely to the franchise’s cinematic installments. Naturally, all-things Alien have made their way back into the mainstream, including one video game set to celebrate a landmark anniversary in a few months.

On October 7, 2024, Alien: Isolation (which Romulus drove home is indeed canon) will turn 10 years old. The survival horror game, developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega, fills in the gaps between the events of 1979’s Alien and it’s 1986 sequel, Aliens. Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) daughter, Amanda Ripley (Andrea Deck), sits at the core of the narrative, as she tries to figure out what became of her mother and her allies. Being an Alien story, it only makes sense that she and her companions are soon ambushed by the dreaded Xenomorph, throwing players into a fight for survival against one of the most iconic and terrifying science fiction monsters in history.

10 years is a long time. Society, popular culture, and entertainment as a whole can and have changed drastically in that time. So with a decade behind it, how does Alien: Isolation hold up in the modern gaming landscape? How has the perception of it changed over the years?

Despite its shortcomings, Isolation has aged quite well

When I first gave Alien: Isolation a try shortly after it released, I was just a teenager who loved the Alien movies and wanted to further explore the franchise, as well as the entire horror video game genre. To say that the game delivered for me on those fronts would be an understatement. I appreciated the game’s connections to the films and was equally intrigued by its deviations. The visuals absolutely blew me away, the gameplay kept me engaged, and, admittedly, the Xenomorph gave me a few good frights here and there, but that only made me want to play more. Sure, the game wasn’t perfect, with some sections stumping me (or boring me) and the Xenomorph itself unexpectedly glitching out on occassion, but on the whole, I couldn’t complain too much. After finishing Isolation, I set it down for quite a long time.

In the years since Isolation arrived and I completed it, I’ve only played it a handful of times, most recently doing so to reassess its legacy at a decade old. Surprisingly, now in my twenties, I feel much the same about Isolation as I did in my teens. The graphics, while still strong, do show their age in places. I can recognize that Amanda’s story has some imperfections and weak points, but it still draws me in. Also, even as I’ve become less adept at stealth, the gameplay mechanics still suffice. Of course, there were still a couple spots where the Xenomorph caught me off guard, and some areas I was swiftly reminded are a slog to get through. Nevertheless, to say that Isolation holds up would be an understatement. It may not be the best in its class, but for 10 years old, it’s still an excellent sci-fi horror title.

I’ll even go a step further. Considering how well Isolation has aged over the past 10 years and its lasting legacy, dare I say it deserves a place in the conversation of all-time horror game classics.

Isolation earned praise then, but what about now?

When Alien: Isolation dropped, I was far from the only one singing its praises. Upon release, most major gaming and entertainment publications awarded it high marks. In fact, at the time, Destructoid’s own Chris Carter was quite pleased with what it had to offer, ultimately awarding the game a commendable 8.5 out of 10. Simultaneously, when it came to horror games, the Alien franchise, and general video game fans, the positive remarks they made about it far outweighed the negative ones. That’s all well and good, but that was then and this is now, so what is the legacy of Isolation among today’s video game-playing masses? Well, it’s fair to say that it has remained an overwhelming fan favorite, and its fanbase continues to expand.

With its 10th anniversary rapidly approaching, Isolation is still gaining new players. Thanks to the release of Alien: Romulus and the hype surrounding it, Isolation saw an astounding 320% player count rise on Steam. Even without the aid of Romulus, though, the positive word of mouth coupled with the enduring love for the Alien saga has kept Isolation on the minds and tongues of gamers everywhere. Not only is there an active Isolation subreddit with around 28,000 members, but Reddit as a whole is full of Isolation-related chatter. Some threads are newcomers to the game debating giving it a go, others are mini-reviews applauding it. Evidently, the fandom that has rallied behind Isolation is extremely passionate, hence why the title remains so prevalent in the horror gaming world a decade on.

Of the numerous Alien-based video games to come out since Ridley Scott’s Alien premiered a staggering 45 years ago, none are quite like Isolation. It’s scary, visually stunning, and pays homage to the films it’s based on while carving out its own niche. Seeing as it’s still widely played and adored after a full decade, clearly, these elements and more comprised the recipe for success. Here’s to another 10 years.