Don’t forget to check out our interview with Byron Bullock and Sam Cooper, Sound Designers for Alien: Isolation: Alien: Isolation Audio Interview with Sam Cooper & Byron Bullock!
Sam Hughes from The Sound Architect and Becky Hirst (Dark Cleo) Horror Reviewer from Dark Cleo Productions, amongst a few select other, were invited down to Creative Assembly on the 19th September, experience their upcoming survival horror release Alien: Isolation.
Sam Hughes and Becky Hirst speak to Al Hope, Creative Leads, Jon McKellan, Lead UI Art/Design and Gary Napper, Lead Designer.
Before we let Sam go into his review of the day, listen to the full interview below:
Preview Section
The first part of the day we had the fantastic opportunity to try out a section of the campaign. Don’t panic, NO SPOILERS throughout this article! Throughout Alien: Isolation, you can tell they took the audio heavily into consideration as they said in the interview above. The atmosphere instantly instils nostalgia from the 1979 classic, especially hearing almost all the sounds associated with the Nostromo.
Progressing through as Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, was an interesting concept and actress Andrea Deck, really does bring Amanda’s character to life and provide a strong character.
The audio in this game is so prominent it’s great! With the motion tracker, the beeps are brilliant. They send cold chills up your spine as they speed up and you reminisce about “that time in the vent” in the movie…. and we all know how that went.
The sound design and music soundtrack really have been intelligently and creatively implemented. The amount of times I was in a locker and wondering whether the footsteps were close, or if he was in the vent, listening carefully whilst I bide my time and debate whether I’ll ever leave the locker. Sometimes the music will hit a sting, even when nothing is nearby leaving with doubt and preventing you relying on the music to help you.
Another feature, which is a nice rarity, is the amount of reaction to the diegetic audio in game. You make a noise the Alien will hear you and come for you. If you sprint, knock something over, shoot, anything loud, it’s on you. (The Noisemaker item, I found to be extremely useful).
Survivor Mode
Now THIS mode is intense! The aim is to escape as quickly as possible while it’s just you and the alien, one on one……Yeah. We had the chance to try one map, The Basement, and it’s full on as soon as you leave the first room.
Personally I don’t think I did too bad time-wise with this score:
However, I was beaten massively by a couple of the other attendees…… Still I’m proud! The audio in this type of scenario is vital. You can hear the Alien’s footsteps and have to plan your route carefully.
Check out this livestream from Two Angry Gamers who were there with us:
My Top tips: The flamethrower is your best friend! Don’t shoot it!
Overall
After a fantastic day at Creative Assembly, it’s safe to say that I will definitely be getting a copy of this game! I can’t wait to finally experience the full story in it’s entirety. I also cannot wait to hear the voices of the original crew in the DLC!
I know it’s not audio related, but I couldn’t resist getting a picture of this for you all:
It’s an Alien egg, fully made of white chocolate! What an incredible replication, as well as an extreme amount of chocolate.
So all the above added together to mean that in the evening, Dark Cleo and I couldn’t help but watch (and listen to) the original…
If you love games with audio that keep the adrenaline level high and provide a challenge, then get this game! You won’t regret it, so let us know what you think. Also we’d love to hear your favourite sound moments with so just drop us a line at many of the links in the top right.
For a less audio based horror review check out Becky’s article here (Link Coming Soon): Unlike Space, At Creative Assembly, Everyone Can Hear You Scream
Stay up to date with everyone involved at the following links:
Creative Lead – Al Hope – @wannaneeda
Lead Designer – Gary Napper – @xopsx
UI Designer/Artist – Jon McKellan – @allornothing_jm
Sam Hughes – Twitter: @samhughes88
Becky Hirst – Twitter: @DarkCleo
Two Angry Gamers: @2AngryGamers
Dark Cleo Productions – Twitter: @DarkCleoPro Official Site: www.darkcleoproductions.com
We hope you enjoyed the article!
The Sound Architect
Article by Sam Hughes
Uploaded 21/09/14