

Upcoming first-person adventure Alien: Isolation has seen much praise because of its tight focus; a single Xenomorph that stalks you on a seemingly-abandoned ship, fought off not with weapons but a motion tracker, your wits and your surroundings.

It might come as a surprise, then, that humans and synthetics will also make an appearance as a supporting cast and deadly adversaries.

While they appear to go against the grain of that initial pitch of lonely survivor horror, not only do these new foes work, but they make for a more surprising and potentially better game.

Our first encounter with humans was seeing a lone looter slip off into the darkness at the end of a corridor while we paced around a hospital district.



Giving chase, we wildly pulled out our magnum at first sight and started firing off rounds.

Inaccurate aiming meant we missed every time, and as another looter joined in with the scuffle and began shooting us from cover, the Xenomorph arrived, taking down the looters with ease before leaping onto us swiftly after.

It becomes rapidly apparent this isn't meant to be played like a traditional first-person shooter. Ammunition is scarce, and moreover, it's actually difficult. Shooting felt unwieldy - there's no iron sights to direct your aim - and reloading isn't automatic.

Moreover, it creates a lot of noise, calling the Xenomorph to your position. But this can be used to your advantage, as instead of a means of attack - or even a last resort - firearms become part of your tool kit.



While you'll want to avoid the attention of humans, instead choosing to sneak in the shadows and monitoring their positions, there are times when they're right in the way, and that's when attracting our invincible alien friend comes in handy.

Firing off a few rounds , or making use of various crafted items - such as an ear-piercing noise emitter, which can be crafted together from scrap collected from around the ship - will have the Xenomorph come calling. Provided you get out the way, he'll pick apart the humans for you.

Like the Xenomorph's presence, human locations change on every respawn, paving the way for emergent, unpredictable moments.

A highlight from our playthrough was hastily laying waste to a human with a quick blast of a flamethrower, whose burning corpse acted as a beacon for the Xenomorph, quickly swooping in to take on his friend.



The next few minutes were witnessed from underneath a cramped hospital trolley, as a volley of human screams and alien screeches bounced off the walls, attracting even more looters to the area, continuing the slaughter until eventually there was silence, signalling the way ahead was clear.

Other journalists had similar encounters - planned and unplanned - and it's these watercooler moments that could make Alien: Isolation perfect fodder for excited conversation and video sharing.

Then there's synthetics, who act somewhere in-between humans and the Xenomorph. While humans will quickly scatter upon seeing you, ducking behind cover and taking pot shots, a synthetic isn't threatened by your presence, and instead will march towards you in a menacing manner, before crushing your throat or delivering a swift blow to the head.

While they can be killed - an electromagnetic bomb and a few headshots will do it - they're an intimidating foe that can be scarier than the Xenomorph itself, thanks to their dead eyes, robotic movements and relentless pursuits.



To make matters worse, the Xenomorph won't kill them. When the two square up, the synthetic will ask it innocent questions as to why it's on the ship, before turning their attention elsewhere. They will, however, apparently give chase to humans, throwing up even more encounters

Humans and synthetics appear to work perfectly with the slow pace and tense nature that the unpredictable Xenomorph has already established.

These are foes you'll want to avoid at all costs, forcing you into the shadows to carefully consider your next move, forcing your hand with limited resources with unpredictable results.

It makes Alien: Isolation not just an intriguing horror game, but one full of potential watercooler moments, and so has become one of our most anticipated games of the year.

Alien: Isolation will be available on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC from October 7 in Europe and October 4 in North America.

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