The Case for and Against Alien: Isolation Receiving a Remaster Before the Sequel (2025)

The Alien franchise has had some pretty memorable video game adaptations over the last four decades, from the classic Aliens side-scrolling arcade game from 1990, to the beloved Alien Trilogy for the PS1 and Sega Saturn, to the much more recent Aliens: Fireteam Elite. But while these games all have their merits, few have been able to capture the spirit of the original 1979 Ridley Scott movie quite like Alien: Isolation.

Released in 2014, Alien: Isolation arguably captured the essence and atmosphere of the original Alien movie better than any game that came before it, and to many, it still holds that crown a decade after its launch. On its 10th birthday, Creative Assembly's Al Hope took to Twitter to confirm that an Alien: Isolation sequel is officially being developed. But before that sequel eventually comes out, fans will probably want to play through the first game again. An Alien: Isolation remaster could give fans a new definitive way to play the game, but there are some sizable arguments for and against one.

The Case For Alien: Isolation Getting a Remaster Before The Sequel

Alien: Isolation's Environments Could Benefit From a Modern Makeover

Some of Alien: Isolation's greatest strengths are its environments and their ability to capture the unique retro-futuristic aesthetic of the Alien franchise. Abandoned hallways are illuminated by stark white lights, ventilation shafts line every walkway, and bulky computer monitors litter desktops around Sevastopol Station. These environmental details go a long way in making Alien: Isolation feel like an authentic Alien experience, and they could be made even better in a remaster.

10 years later, Alien: Isolation's graphics still look fairly remarkable, but they haven't avoided the hands of time completely. Though NPCs are a rarity in Alien: Isolation, their appearance is likely to jolt the player from their immersion in the otherwise atmospheric game, with their facial models lacking much of the detail players have become accustomed to in the last decade of gaming.

An Alien: Isolation remaster with improved lighting, shadows, visual effects, and fidelity could go a long way in making the decade-old game feel brand new.

Alien: Isolation's AI Could Use Some Modern Tweaks

Another major strength of Alien: Isolation upon its 2014 launch was its innovative enemy AI, which allowed the game's Xenomorph to finally behave like its cinematic counterpart. Completely unscripted for the most part, Alien: Isolation's Xenomorph can track the player throughout their journey on Sevastopol Station, hunting them relentlessly in the ultimate game of cat and mouse.

But Alien: Isolation's Xenomorph AI was far from perfect. When Alien: Isolation's AI worked, it could deliver some of the most intense stealth sequences in gaming, but when it didn't, it could quickly lead to frustration, with the Xenomorph being able to track and kill the player regardless of their cautious approach or their actions. Enemy AI has come a long way since Alien: Isolation's release a decade ago, especially in the world of horror games, and it's an area that an Alien: Isolation remaster could tweak to perfection.

The Case Against Alien: Isolation Getting a Remaster Before The Sequel

Alien: Isolation Is Already Available on Most Modern Platforms

One big argument against Alien: Isolation getting a modern-day remaster is that it's already available on the vast majority of modern platforms. Alien: Isolation can currently be found on Steam, the Xbox and PlayStation official stores, and even the Nintendo Switch eShop. While it still technically retails for around $40, Alien: Isolation is often included in most seasonal sales, usually dropping the price of the game to around $8. It might be hard to sell a remaster of Alien: Isolation at full price when fans can still pick up the original and play it on modern consoles for a fraction of the cost.

An Alien: Isolation Remaster Wouldn't Be Able to Fix The Game's Biggest Problem

The most common criticism levied at Alien: Isolation is that its final act is far too difficult and that it lasts far too long. The increased presence of the Xenomorph in Alien: Isolation's final few hours leads to frequent deaths, and due to the game's immersive yet awkward save system, those deaths can lead to some devastating moments of lost progress.

While an Alien: Isolation remaster might be able to make the game's graphics shine a bit brighter, make the Xenomorph's AI a bit more consistent, and offer fans the definitive way to play the modern horror classic, it wouldn't be able to fix the game's third act. That's the job of a fully-fledged remake, and that seems like a much less worthwhile venture for Creative Assembly and Sega.

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6/10

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9.8/10

Alien: Isolation

Discover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation, a survival horror set in an atmosphere of constant dread and mortal danger. Fifteen years after the events of Alien™, Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda enters a desperate battle for survival, on a mission to unravel the truth behind her mother's disappearance.

As Amanda, you will navigate through an increasingly volatile world as you find yourself confronted on all sides by a panicked, desperate population and an unpredictable, ruthless Alien.

Underpowered and underprepared, you must scavenge resources, improvise solutions and use your wits, not just to succeed in your mission, but to simply stay alive.

Survival Horror

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating:81/100 Critics Recommend:76%

Franchise

Alien

Platform(s)

PS4 , PS3 , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , Switch , PC , Android , iOS

Released

October 7, 2014

Developer(s)

Creative Assembly

Publisher(s)

Sega

Engine

Cathode

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

19 Hours

How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)

34 Hours

PS Plus Availability

N/A

OpenCritic Rating

Strong