By Christina Wade on Feb 08, 2016
In space, the xenomorph can hear you breathe.
At this point in time I am many hours, deaths, and quickened heart rates into Alien Isolation. And for that I am proud of myself. Really proud, actually.
I am two chapters into having the alien AI fully unleashed upon me. In the span of three hours, the distance I covered in the map would have equated to around a five minute walk in any other game. Hiding under tables for minutes at a time or praying the xenomorph doesn’t hear me breathing in that locker may sound boring, tedious, or just terrifying. Terrifying, it most certainly is. Boring and tedious it is not.
As the xenomorph hunted me, I felt myself becoming better at avoiding it. Alien Isolation is a learning experience as much as it is a game, one that demands to provide you with a more realistic brand of stealth. It requires you to think, adapt, and react.
And hide.
Before you decide to pick up Isolation, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Prepare to Die
You’re going to die. Accept that right now. There is no getting around it. You are going to die and die often. Let it happen.
Don’t let fear or fear of frustration keep you from ever crawling out from under that table you’ve been hiding under for ten minutes. Learn from your mistakes and misfortunes. Take a deep breath. Reload your save and get back out there.
Walk. Don’t Run.
I made this mistake a lot until I realized how much it was attracting the alien, even from across the map. As long as the alien and other NPCs are at a safe distance, feel free to walk if crouching is too slow for your tastes.
You shouldn’t have to run unless there’s no other choice. And at that point it’s probably too late.
Be Patient
Getting down a ten foot hallway and into a locker is going to feel like a great achievement in this game so don’t expect to get anywhere fast. While playing, I found myself hiding under a table for six minutes until the alien was gone long enough for me to save at a station ten feet from the table.
But the wait was worth it. Had I jumped out and desperately tried to save while the alien was even in the next room, I probably would have died and lost all of my progress. Don’t get impatient. Wait for the opportune moment.
Be Bold
Patience aside, sometimes you have to just go for it. The alien’s AI is designed to actively use clues in the environment to figure out where you’re hiding. Staying in one place for too long is a bad idea.
You might make a good amount of progress in the game by just waiting for the alien to go away and then walking calmly b-lining it towards the goal. But remember to keep an eye out for hiding places. It doesn’t take long for the alien to catch up.
Use Your Motion Tracker
The motion tracker is your only friend on Sevestapol so use it wisely. Keep an eye on your target’s distance as well as what direction it was last detected in. Generally wait for the distance to go to 0.90 or above before heading out. And if it drops anywhere near 0.60, get to a hiding spot fast.
The game also has a nifty feature where you can check the motion tracker while working in the crafting menu. You can even shift the depth of field. Keep it out while walking to keep tabs on your situation.
Motion trackers save lives.
Turn that Motion Tracker Off!
Motion trackers can also end lives.
Hear that beeping? So can the alien.
There’s really no reason to be using the motion tracker if the alien is 0.30 or closer so don’t or you’ll find yourself getting ripped out of lockers fast.
Play By Ear
When the motion tracker is no longer an option, you’re going to have to rely on your ears. Alien Isolation’s sound design is one of the strongest aspects of the game and it’s not just there to sound pretty. Or terrifying.
Listening to the soothing sounds of Sevestapol will tell you almost everything you need to know about your opponents.
Is the alien in the vents or on the ground? How close is it? Do you hear other NPCs talking? Do they sound friendly or hostile? Did they just get murdered by the alien?
Decide at your own peril.
Play in a Quiet Room
This was a hard lesson learned, but being unable to hear the game really is a huge handicap. I never realized how much my friends talk. They talk nonstop. They talk loudly. And when they are talking, I can’t hear the alien. But it can still hear Amanda Ripley breathing.
Isolation isn’t a game you can play with the sound off. You’ll need the in-game audio to find save points, to know when your tram has arrived, and, most importantly, keep tabs on that alien.
Save Your Game
This fairly obvious but worth noting all the same.
Save your game. Save it often. Even when you’ve only succeeded in opening a door in the next room over from the save point. Any progress is progress and you’ll appreciate not having redo that one task over and over.
There’s No Shame in Playing on Easy
This is the major one I had to grapple with. I don’t play on easy. Ever. And coming to the decision to turn the difficulty down on Isolation – after playing on medium for 40% of the game – was one that took quite a few forum searches just to let me validate the decision to myself. As well as my two best friends, also dedicated gamers, encouraging me to do so and that it was okay.
The thing is, on any other game, Isolation’s easy would be normal. Even after I turned the difficulty down, I still died. A lot. But that still being the case, I was able to enjoy the sights of Sevestapol much more. I felt like I could explore just a little more which is part of what I love about the game.
If you play the game, don’t be ashamed to turn the difficulty down. Alien Isolation is difficult and intense even on the lowest difficulty setting.
Pixl Eggs 