Reviews
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Alien: Isolation
A Nightmare Playthrough
If you’re looking for a heart-pumping, adrenaline-inducing gaming experience, look no further than Alien: Isolation. This survival-horror game, developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega, will have you on the edge of your seat as you navigate the treacherous space station Sevastopol, filled with both hostile humans and one deadly alien creature.
As fans of the Alien franchise since childhood, we decided to stream Alien: Isolation on our Twitch channel for the 4th time. My community loves to watch me get jump-scared, so they always enjoy me being tortured with this game. As this was my fourth playthrough of the game, I wanted to make it as challenging as possible.
In my previous playthroughs, I restricted myself in different ways, such as not being allowed to crouch or hide in cupboards. This time, I went all out. I removed the ability to use the map or motion scanner and added a mod called “Unpredictable Alien” to increase the alien’s difficulty. But that wasn’t enough – I also increased the difficulty to Nightmare.
To add an extra level of community interaction, I used Dixper, a system that allows viewers to buy skills and use them to provide extra jump scares. This added an element of unpredictability that kept the game fresh and exciting.
Playing on Nightmare difficulty was no joke. The xenomorph AI was set to easy at the start, but as I progressed, it got smarter and more willing to take risks. It was also more aware of my movements, making it difficult to avoid. The android enemies, Working Joes, were tough and unrelenting, and the other survivors were not afraid to shoot me if they felt threatened.
One of the best things about the game is the feeling of suspense it creates. Whenever the xenomorph was close, I could feel my heart rate increase. Certain sections required different approaches and attempts to get right, but I never felt like the gameplay got stale.
Of course, there were some frustrating moments. Sometimes it felt like the AI knew exactly where I was hiding and didn’t give me enough of a chance to escape. But that’s all part of the challenge.
Overall, Alien: Isolation is a must-play for horror and sci-fi fans alike. With its intense gameplay and thrilling storyline, it’s no wonder it has become a cult classic. If you’re feeling brave, give it a try – but be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart.
Next time I stream it, I’m not allowed to use weapons, and if I do, I must take a shot of hot sauce.I have not been paid by Dixper to mention it in this article.
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Among the Sleep: Review
As the protagonist of this horror game, you are a two-year-old child.
The game opens in the kitchen with your mother and yourself celebrating your second birthday.
While taking a bite of your birthday cake, there’s a knock at the door. Your mother is visibly disturbed and goes to answer it.
You are left to your own devices as she does. An argument then ensues in the distance, the camera shakes and adds a wobble effect to highlight your character’s feeling of fear.
As she returns, you calm down. She’s carrying a present for you.
Eventually, you’re brought up to your bedroom while mum goes to answer the phone.
This segment serves as a bit of a tutorial as you discover the controls and movement.
You eventually find the present that arrived, it was a teddy bear that acts as a guide for the rest of the game. The bear guides you to the closet, where it instructs you to get inside and close the door. In the dark you discover that hugging the bear makes it produce a warm glow, lighting your way.
You also discover that the closet appears to be considerably larger on the inside.
After making your way out of the massive closet, your mum finds you and brings you to bed.
From that moment on, the atmosphere of the game changes.
You’re woken from your slumber, your crib is on its side, and your mother is nowhere to be seen. It’s up to you and your teddy to find your mother and avoid the monster that seems to be stalking the house.Eventually, you find yourself in a playhouse with a doorway at the rear that leads into memories…
The game has four chapters. The first main chapter brings you to the playhouse, along with your first memory, which is used to unlock the path to the second memory.
The second chapter takes place in a dark playground, with a couple of puzzles to solve before completing the chapter and retrieving the memory needed for the next door.
If I’m being honest, this was the weakest of all four chapters.
Essentially you were following the path from one end to the other. Along the way, you were finding what was needed to get there.That aside, the rest of the game does a good job of enticing fear. Chapter three gave me my first proper view of the monster. It was here that I discovered that our character was in some kind of peril. We got cornered with nowhere to hide, and we got caught.
From this point on we start to question the origin of the monster and the entire premise of the game.
Without giving the story away, the rest of the game had me hooked. Right to the emotional ending.
You may be tempted to give up soon into this game. But I do recommend you keep going.
This review has not been promoted by the developer, other than providing the game for us free of charge. It is entirely my own opinion.