Alien Isolation 2 is on its way, folks are already chomping at the bit for more details, and fortunately, its devs are happy to oblige. Alien Isolation 2 made its debut at Summer Game Fest and stirred up interest from the gaming community, who can’t wait to know more. Team leads James Green (lead designer) and Alistair “AI” Hope (creative director) spoke with PC Gamer, where they shared some details of what to expect from the long-awaited sequel, but first, a message from Sega, which wants you to know that just because you found a save point, it doesn’t mean you’re safe.
Before getting into some of the lighter details about the upcoming game, let’s get one thing out in the open, and that’s a question on just about everyone’s mind. Did they nerf the Alien AI for the second game? Answer: No.
“Well, we never nerf the alien. You know, it would be really easy for us to turn the dial right up and have it kill you instantly, but that’s that’s not fun. You need the tension and release, you need the ebb and flow. So I think the thing we’re going for with exteriors is that exposed vulnerable feeling.”
– James Green, lead designer
AI Hope adds that the fundamental core is the same, and the Alien is still tracking its prey, lurking and moving from cover point to cover point before making its move. As for a timeline or setting for the game, it takes place a few months after the end of the first game on another outpost, but this time as another character instead of continuing Amanda Ripley’s story. The following per Creative Assembly.
“The next chapter in the Alien: Isolation series, Alien: Isolation 2 will bring players face-to-face once more with cinema’s deadliest killer: Alien’s Xenomorph. With a brand-new setting, story and protagonist, players will embrace a whole new adventure, while experiencing the same deadly tension which established the original game as the ultimate survival-horror experience.”
– Creative Assembly
One of the key differences with Alien Isolation 2 is that players will have to face off with the Alien in exterior locales, vs the cramped hallways, rooms, and other small spaces of a decrepit space station. The developers have designed the Alien to behave differently in exterior environments, which means that players must adapt to being hunted in new ways while using skills learned in the previous game. The team shared that players shouldn’t expect predictable routine patrols by characters or humans in the game so that the game feels more natural. This strategy should present players with more choices vs picking a known fallback decision due to a known factor.
“The way I think about it is a survival sandbox. Our job is to create something that has all the features that we need for players to survive. We get the player to enter the sandbox at A, and they have to get to B, and what happens in between is down to the player.”
-AI Hope, Creative Director
The interview with the two team leads is a recommended read, so head over to PC Gamer to check it out. Meantime, VGC has also managed to get a short gameplay video posted. A release date has yet to be announced, but Creative Assembly has said that it will launch on PC, PlayStation and XBOX, and the Nintendo Switch 2. It can also be Wishlisted on Steam now.