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Whether people are returning to Alien: Isolation because they enjoyed the new Alien: Romulus movie and want to keep the hype train going, or because they didn’t think much of the new movie and want to get a ‘proper’ Alien experience isn’t clear, but the 2014 game is having a moment.
Of course, the recent peak of nearly 2,000 players isn’t close to the game’s all-time high of 10,870 players, but it’s a spike and impressive for an almost-ten-year-old game.
Alien: Isolation is a first-person horror game set on the decaying space station Sevastopol. Players take on the role of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, star of the original Alien movies. The game is highly regarded as an intense thriller worthy of carrying the Alien name.
In fact, during an interview with GamesRadar+ and Inside Total Film, director Fede Alvarez, said the game was a key influence in his decision to make an Alien film.
“Alien: Isolation was kind of what made me see that Alien could truly be terrifying and done well [today],” he said, adding “I played a few years after it came out. Don’t Breathe was coming out. Or was I waiting for Don’t Breathe to come out, and I was playing the game.
“That’s why, at the time, I was like, ‘F*ck, if I could do anything, I would love to do Alien and scare the audience again with that creature and those environments.’ I was playing, and realizing how terrifying Alien could be if you take it back to that tone.”
Alien Isolation easter egg in Alien: Romulus
With the game being such a key source of inspiration for Alvarez, it shouldn’t surprise fans to learn that there’s an easter egg scattered throughout the movie that will be extremely recognizable to game fans.
If while watching #AlienRomulus , you see one of these (and there are many…) what do you think it means? pic.twitter.com/Paq6NCizsZ
— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) July 20, 2024
The Emergency Phone acts as a point where players can save the game in Alien: Isolation and is often indicative of something about to happen, and Alvarez has recreated this in the film. “The movie is set up in a way [that] every time something bad is about to happen, you will see a phone,” said Alvarez.
Even nearly 10 years later, Alien: Isolation is a stellar entry into the pantheon of Alien material, but it’s not the only bone-chilling game to bear the Alien name. Alien: Rogue Incursion brings abject fear to VR, and includes Romulus-themed bonuses for pre-ordering.
Featured image credit: Creative Assembly/Sega
