Alien: Isolation 2 is in the works. However, when it’ll come or what it’ll be about is anyone’s guess, given that CA hasn’t revealed any information yet. With Alien: Earth out and being so good, perhaps Creative Assembly could look at it for some extra juicy inspiration.
A more aggressive Xenomorph
Alien: Isolation is well-known for having one of the smartest video game horror antagonists to date, who learns and adapts to the player’s behavior and gameplay. You have to literally outwit it as it tries to outwit you, making this a true battle of intellect between yourself and CA’s fantastically made Alien menace.
In Alien: Earth, though we didn’t see too much of it, the Xenomorph appears to be a lot more aggressive than what we’re used to. It also seems to behave and look differently because it apparently didn’t evolve from a human host. We are shown later in the series that it is, in fact, possible for a Xenomorph or other alien species to combine with non-human entities and produce interesting results.
Creative Assembly thus has the perfect template for a potentially new, more aggressive, and more refined Xenomorph who will hunt the player down even more relentlessly. It could be something that has evolved from yet another alien creature, possessing unique abilities and behavior that we aren’t used to with a good ol’ fashioned Xenomorph.
What’s more, Alien: Earth implies there is a level of profound intellect and understanding among the Xenomorphs, which is an additional layer of characterization that could be introduced to Isolation 2, if CA decides to go for a more story-driven and narrative-heavy approach.
Philosophy, story, worldbuilding
The highlight for me in Alien: Earth is its incredible approach to worldbuilding, whereby we’re getting to see parts of the Alien universe that were never really explored before on screen. The dynamics between the “Big Five” corporations, post-democracy, the cost of human achievement, the moral conundrum of exploiting sentient creatures, and the haunting philosophical dilemmas of Synthetics and Hybrids.
A lot of the above we only saw glimpses of in most Alien games and movies, and CA has a chance to significantly expand on them now that Alien: Earth has begun scratching the surface. The grand mystery of the universe can be used to instigate a ton of existential dread in the player, alongside abject fear of imminent demise at the hands of a very hostile extraterrestrial creature.
Philosophical and moral dilemmas can elevate the story and enrich the overall narrative. While it’s fine to follow in the footsteps of Amanda Ripley or revisit other classic characters from the franchise, it’d be awesome to be put alongside a new cast and crew and dive straight into the cold depths of the cosmos.
Keep in mind that I’m willfully ignoring the plot of Prometheus, much like Alien: Earth is, which is yet another point for CA. Do not give us concrete answers to any of the questions asked in this potential new sequel, but let the mystery unfold and unravel and swell as we play through it, so that we can have even more ontological inquiries by the end.
All in all, there is a lot in Alien: Earth that CA should be mindful of, and I hope they take at least some pages out of its awesome book.
