Past attempts to adapt Ridley Scott or James Cameron's interpretation of Dan O'Bannon's Xenomorph have been pretty mixed, with some Alien games being met with borderline contempt. Then Creative Assembly released Alien: Isolation in 2014 and it was a triumphant recreation of the long-running sci-fi franchise. With it being one of the most difficult horror games ever, fans were scared witless, hiding in lockers and generally cowering at cinema's most vicious antagonist. Of course, there are those out there who feel the game could stand to be even harder.
That's where modder Jeff Cat comes into the picture. As spotted by PCGamesN, an add-on has been unleashed for Alien: Isolation, which aims to really test the nerve of players. Called "Kitty Isolation," this mod is actually aimed at speedrunners, with it tweaking the gameplay in numerous ways, including making it "unrelentingly difficult." One such example is the increased sensitivity of the Xenomorph, android, and human enemies that are scattered throughout Sevastopol. It also changes enemy placements, as well as adding some more in during certain missions.
It does also give the player a few advantages, such as decreasing the speed at which the flamethrower uses up fuel, as well as making revolver shots stun the titular alien. However, it also increases enemy health, and makes it, so shotguns do less damage against androids. As previously mentioned, this is intended largely for those in the speedrunning community, but that's not to say casual players shouldn't check it out either. Blasting through a horror game as quickly as possible is an entertaining thing to watch, as the recent speedrun of Phasmophobia done at SGDQ 2022 shows.
Alien: Isolation is not only a masterclass in how to create a terrifying game, but it's also a love letter to the original film. In fact, as far as the story is concerned, it canonically fits the universe. With Aliens: Dark Descent announced at this year's Summer Game Fest, there's a chance that subsequent adaptations could help build on the legacy Creative Assembly left behind, but it will take some beating.
With the studio now working on a new IP, hopes of a sequel to Alien: Isolation may be fading quickly. It's entirely possible that it was a "lightning in a bottle" situation, but many fans would love to see the series have a new entry. There may still be an Isolation 2 that will see the light of day at some point, but at least for now, more ruthless players may be interested in trying out Jeff Cat's mod.
Alien: Isolation is available now for Mobile, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Source: PCGamesN, Nexus Mods