The next installment in the Amanda Ripley (protagonist of Alien: Isolation, and daughter to Alien lead Ellen Ripley) saga is going to be a mobile game. This comes as a bit of a shock, as most people thought that the game was going to be the shooter currently being worked on by Cold Iron Studios. It is, however, going to be a survival horror game published by D3 Go! and will be available on January 24th. In the description of the game the developer stated, “Alien: Blackout is a unique fear-inducing horror premium mobile game experience that will test the inner nerves of both Alien and horror fans alike, where life can end in an instant.”
In a level-based style of game, it looks like young Ripley will be guiding the crew of Mendel Station from a terminal whilst trying to avoid contact with the deadly Xenomorph. They are boasting a multiple outcome story, where decisions made can have drastic effects on the end of the game. The game will once again be set between the events of Alien and Aliens (duh, Lance), and will hopefully give some insight to the end of Alien: Isolation. *Spoiler* That game ended in a cliffhanger that left us wondering what will happen to Amanda Ripley. Fans of the franchise will note that in a deleted scene in Aliens it is noted that Amanda Ripley died of cancer at age 66 so they may not have been that worried about the actual outcome, but that information came from the Weyland-Utani Corporation who hasn’t been exactly been known for their honesty in the past. I’m not saying that the information isn’t true, but some developer some day may just get the idea that they want to change the story and will have an easy excuse to do so.
Back to the game! D3 goes on to explain, “Using only the space station’s limited power supply to operate a holographic map, surveillance cameras, and motion tracker, attempt to remain hidden and protect your crew from the perfect hunter in seven fear-inducing levels.” They give a bit of a sneak peak of these features in a Youtube trailer released, and they seem to give the game a Five Nights At Freddy’s vibe. I’m not going to say that this is a bad thing, because the comment section of the video and EVERYWHERE else on the internet have done that for me more times than I can count. What I CAN count are the dislikes on the video, which at the time of writing this are sitting at 16K.
Internet troll chagrin aside, will I play this game? I suppose that depends on how much it costs. I tend to be a glutton for punishment, and my love for Alien: Isolation may just be strong enough that I will ignore all the boos being heard across the internet right now. I also personally enjoyed Five Nights At Freddy’s and think the mechanics of that game could well provide an interesting new style of spooky to the Alien franchise, but I’ve been wrong before.
If you want to play seven levels at Xenomorph’s, Alien: Blackout will be available on the iOS App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon Appstore on January 24th.
