I got a sense of this new approach from the game’s prologue, which served as an extended tutorial. As Blake, I had to maneuver through the dead forested area of the planet to reach the crashed module. Compared to the eerie silence of Sevastopol Station, the colony is noisy and chaotic, with limited visibility of the world beyond. With time running out to reach the module before a flood hit, I had to carefully maneuver through the debris field to reach the crash site.
Inside the module, my gaming memories Extraterrestrial: isolation came running back. Much like the original film and 2014 horror game, the interior was that familiar mix of low-fi/high-tech design with a working-class workspace. There was even a big scare with a destroyed Working Joe android giving one last bit of aggression before shutting down. As I searched for scrap metal to repair the electrical system, I noticed the powerful sound design, which captured the eerie calm of the ship and the storm outside. Once power was restored, I was able to activate that familiar slow-acting save station to record my progress. Once I entered the computer room, the alien appeared, which then triggered the cautious return to the exit.
Just like the original game, evading the alien requires patience and careful attention to your surroundings: one wrong move or ill-advised sprint can alert the beast and send it towards you. Hiding under desks and in crawl spaces to avoid his gaze as he prowled, I was able to reach the exit. At the end of the demo, the alien spotted me and went in for the kill, but I was saved by the ensuing flood, which hit the pod and sent it rolling down a hill. And that’s where the demo ended.
I found Blake to be a solid choice for a new protagonist, although I would like to know more about his motivations and background. Currently, the character is a little too similar to Amanda Ripley’s, so I hope the game offers a different spin on Blake’s story and experience.
According to the creative director, one of the main reasons for changing the protagonist was to create a perspective that gives the impression of a new “journey of discovery” in a completely new environment.
“So we obviously love Amanda; she’s very important to us as a character in Extraterrestrial: isolation“, Hope said. “But I think it was all about thinking about this opportunity to make a very high-level sequel. We were like, “Okay, we want to tell a story that is very closely tied to the first game, but we want to tell a new story in a new world that really lends itself to that horror experience. It was all about this journey of discovery and mystery for Blake, and so it felt like that was the right path to take with this sequel.”
This first look at Extraterrestrial: Isolation 2The opening offered the right amount of scares and tension that made the original game so memorable. But what intrigued me the most about this sequel was the new setting. Even though the demo was very familiar in terms of how the original played out, I really dug the new location, which was so different from Sevastopol Station. It still captured the same sense of dread as the original game, but with the added pressure of navigating a chaotic environment. The developers have unfortunately remained tight-lipped about how the structure of the game changes in a more open environment than the original. Yet the new atmosphere it offers offers a new way to experience this comprehensive blend of stealth action and survival horror. I’m a big admirer of the original game, and so far, Extraterrestrial: Isolation 2 has a great concept for a follow-up to one of the greatest horror games of all time.
Extraterrestrial: Isolation 2 is currently in active development and is scheduled for release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2.
