Perfect Organism

An unofficial guide to the greatest horror game ever made.

I've been obsessed with Ridley Scott's horror masterpiece Alien for as long as I can remember—and I mean really obsessed. Most people watched the movie and moved on with their lives, but the dark, claustrophobic corridors of the USCSS Nostromo, and the shadowy extraterrestrial horror that haunted them, never left me. I've spent decades devouring books about its production, poring over behind the scenes photos, set blueprints, and interviews with the cast and crew, and digging out every new scrap of information I can find. I won't stop until I know everything there is to know about this movie.

I'm not alone. There's something about Alien that makes obsessives out of people—including The Creative Assembly, a British development studio who, in 2014, not only created the best horror game ever made, but the best Alien game ever made. Inspired by the distinctive retro-futuristic aesthetic and oppressive atmosphere of the 1979 original, Alien: Isolation is a game I always dreamed someone would make. It was created by a dedicated team of artists, writers, and engineers—and, crucially, Alien superfans—who were just as hopelessly enthralled by the source material as me.

But why write an entire book about it? I can't think of many games I could write tens of thousands of words about, but that's what makes Alien: Isolation so special. From the art direction, AI, audio, and music, to the level design, user interface, characters, and locations, this is a game of remarkable depth, complexity, and detail. After multiple playthroughs and countless hours spent researching it, I've amassed a huge amount of knowledge and insight about every aspect of the game—and I want to share that with you. I'm just as obsessed with it as I am with the film, and this will be evident on every page.