There are some video games that you just want to be amazing. From the first trailer for Alien:Isolation I was very much hopeful, that we’d finally get a true Alien game. Knowing that I would be on the floor at E3 2014, as a fan of the series of movies and a gaming journalist I knew I had to find out the truth and get some hands-on time with this title.
Simply getting hands-on time would have been enough. But having the Alien Isolation “Experience” was far more to my liking. I was lucky enough to have a behind the scenes look at the Oculus Rift demo of Alien Isolation.
Let me set the scene for you; first it should be noted that Alien (the first movie) as a child scared the !@#$ out of me. To the point that even seeing the Alien as an adult still shakes me a bit at my core. So seeing that as an option for a demo, despite me more then wanting to play it I was a tad nervous. Facing my fears, I placed the Oculus Rift on my face and stepped into the world of Alien.
The opening of the demo was a brief voice-over explaining the mechanics of the motion detector. What was a very nice touch is how it functions in the actual game. In order to use it you simply hold a button and your left hand brings it into your view. This was a very nice touch for the general atmosphere, adding to rather than breaking the tension with every small beep. I actually played the demo twice and what I noticed was how the device will go off even if you’re not holding it. Only adding a quick reminder that you’re being hunted.
The environment was so accurate down to the small details in the vents. When I first entered one of the rooms, they had those circular vents from the movies. I started to open one only to hear myself mutter “Oooo hell no!” Being a veteran of the films, I figured there would be something waiting to jump out at me.
It was a false alarm, as the door in the far off area of the room suddenly opened. I jumped as the air started to spew from various tubes, only to hear a faint beep go off in the motion detector. I quickly b-lined it for a nearby locker where I was hiding. The character started to breathe hard, as you could hear the Alien enter the room.
The Oculus Rift head tracking really added to the title’s realism. Once I leaned forward to look through the vents of the locker I was hiding in and spotted just a glimpse of the Alien. I quickly pulled back, only to see myself breathing harder, a button display showed how to cover my breath as I saw the Alien walk past the locker only to quickly stop. It then turned and tore the locker door off only to reveal me. The alien reached forward grabbing me to finish me off – and in the real world I threw up my hands as if to block the imaginary attack, naturally shuddering all over.
As the game faded to black, I started to laugh. “I’m surprised you didn’t scream,” commented the Oculus attendant.
Truth be told, I was terrified so much, so I had to have a second run through the demo. This time I was hell bent on surviving longer. Hiding in the air vents seemed like a good idea.
(While I did last a lot longer let’s just say those Aliens are pretty fast. I was dragged, hands flailing, to my doom, trying to grab hold of something.)
Safe to say, this was the highlight of my E3 experience. While truly scary, it was also a refreshing new direction for gaming to go. This is the Alien Game we are waiting for.