The Epic Games Store’s latest freebie is Creative Assembly’s excellent survival horror title, Alien: Isolation. We’re pretty sure that any Xenomorph fan worth their salt have enjoyed this one already, but those of you who haven’t will definitely want to pick this up because it’s an ideal example of a film-based game done right.
As the daughter of franchise staple Ellen Ripley, players have to make their way through the Sevastopol space station to figure out what led to the iconic character’s disappearance between the events of Alien and Aliens. Stealth is of the essence, as Xenomorphs are just one bad step or loud noise away from killing you violently.
“When she left Earth, Ellen Ripley promised her daughter she would return home to celebrate her 11th birthday,” a synopsis reads. “She never made it. Fifteen years later, Amanda Ripley learns that the flight recorder from her mother’s ship has been recovered. Amanda enters Sevastopol space station to finally solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, only to confront an unknown menace.”
Alien: Isolation features numerous DLCs, but the most interesting ones are probably Last Survivor and Crew Expendable. That’s because they take place during the first Alien film and allow players to tackle the Xenomorph aboard the Nostromo with original crew members Dallas, Parker, and Ellen Ripley.
We’ll also point out that the flamethrower is very useful in the game. If a Xenomorph comes running at you, just shoot out a small burst of flame and it’ll typically scurry away. There are also mods that remove the aliens entirely for players who are lazy or scare easily.