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So empty

I found this insightful yet wished the story went for a more darker tone toward the end instead of a more hopeful one. I’m still uncertain if the story should have ended this way. I desire a Hellblade 3

The giants are definitely real, including the last one. There needs to be a minimum of consistency, if the lore has established that the giants are real, the third one must be. Sacrifices are offered, the bodies need to disappear and so on. The game would have to give a hint of some explanation for those things to be unreal (as it does clearly and obviously in the 1st game) but it doesn give us any alternatives. The 2nd giant could have been only a storm if it wasn't for the whole tribe having an actual battle tactic, throwing oil and fire and so on. The 2nd game ruins the game retroactively to the 1st one. All that makes the 1st game special is completely abandoned in the 2nd game. The solitude, the not so ambiguous reality x ilusion, her motivation very tied to her psycological problems. The 1st story is cohesive, the 2nd story is all over the place. Also, very superficial. It seems to me they wanted to do a 2nd game and also turn it into a long term franchise. In other words, money. This made them realize they wouldn't be able to do this continuing the story of the 1st game so they had to make a change and add other characters and make supernatural real. Her psycosis/schizophrenia is an accessory in this 2nd game, the voices in her head are unimportant. While in the 1st game it was the center of the lore. It completely ruined the game for me. The only way I can see Saga as a good game is if I had completely ignored the existence of the Sacrifice, which I can't and won't.

I think you COULD make a case for the giants not being flesh and blood physical beasts, though. In the lead up to the game, the director Tameem Antoniades said, "While Hellblade gave us a very personal insight into psychosis, this sequel builds on that to show how madness and suffering shapes myths, gods, and religion". I feel this implies the people of Iceland in HB2 have shared religious hallucinations (or shared reality) sprouting from their fears of the natural world and dire material conditions, in a similar way to the billions of people in our real life that claim to hear the Holy Spirit despite no evidence for such a creature existing, and believe that Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead and will return someday, and these beliefs are even at the center of law and policy in some countries. The game suggests that the Godi used their fears to create the giants, and Senua herself comes to the realization thay this may be true at the end of the game, saying, “There are no giants. It’s just you, Aleifr.” With this, I like to think of the game as more of a theatrical performance on these themes, rather than mythological fiction.

Hey I just want to say, this video inspired me to buy and play Alien isolation and I had a great time. And as a horror fan who is mostly immune to scares, I did find this game extremely anxiety inducing and it has also intruduced me to the franchise that I will now be getting into. So, thanks !

Alien: Isolation is the only game I've ever played that made me genuinely question if my heart would hold out.

Can I ask what songs you used as the background music for this video? They were excellent choices 👌 I just found your channel today and an enjoying your retrospectives. Cheers

Am bummed we didnt get to see the last giant

What a fantastic video

This is and will always be a masterpiece!! Unbelievable piece of art 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

This is and will always be a masterpiece!! Unbelievable piece of art 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I love Prometheus 2:42 So you’re telling me the movie game takes place between the movies that’s kinda funny😅 2:43

cool game story idea, shit game to play.

I love Alien Isolation-but the scariest game of all time is Dead Space.

Muscimol that basically a GABA deliriant that bit like a mix of Datura & LSD but only the euphoric parts, It much closer to having actual psychosis than Psychdelics. Still view psychosis can unmask some high strangeness wither from having a condation or doing a deliriant hallucinogen. They have Amanita muscaria in iceland which Is where Muscimol comes from.

would love to watch your playthrough!

Who is the streamer with the hilarious scream?

I so wish I could be a part of the creation of a Union of Progressive Peoples series.😢

8:09 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

One small correction: isolation takes place BEFORE Aliens, not after. This is because Ellen Ripley was revealed to have been in stasis for 57 years, at the beginning of the Original film's sequel. From her daughter's perspective, she had only been missing for 15 years. Also in Aliens, there was a deleted scene where the fact her daughter had passed away from cancer at the age of 66 was revealed to Ellen, showing a photo of Sigourney Weaver's late mother.

I just wanted to comment that I really appreciate your video style and quality. I was surprised to see you are such a small creator.

I hated the Working Joes. Ruined the game for me.

If you see this, a sequel has been officially announced! If you've been hiding in a locker for years (like me), this is our motivation to get out ❤️ x.com/AlienIsolation/status/1843305291322200488?t=nCVSIIYw4VGmcwthjel7Kg&s=19

Great video analysis! super underrated channel btw! :)

Where can I find the clip at 8:00 in

Wow, is this video really this new? It feels like it's popped up in my recommended videos for ages :D Anyways, really good video essay on the subject. I'm so glad Romulus has raised interest in Isolation recently. I noticed three things Fede hid as nods to the game in Romulus, but didn't spot the save station. I hope you'll make more gaming video essays. I like how this video was put together, very professional. It also brought up new ideas about the game, and I've watched a lot of Alien: Isolation content. This video and your channel deserve so much more views and subscribers!

Excellent observations and commentary on this spooky game. Liked and subscribed!

I'd hardly call this the scariest game ever made. PT likely still holds that title. And it was a demo. Comprised of only a couple gigs of storage iirc. That played out over an hour in total using nothing but a hallway and a bathroom. But even looking beyond that example there are much scarier games. Isolation was more of a puzzle game than a horror show imo.

Heart attack inducer.

Very good video, you explained the "are the giants and companions real?" better than I could ever manage.

Love this analysis! You inspected the story from the perspective of senua especially, which I quite liked because I usually struggle to immerse myself in as senua. Whenever she confronts her past I get thinking about myself and lose the plot a bit (in a good way for me but maybe not for my understanding of her specific plot details). I think there is quite a bit more to be said about the themes as they apply to a society of people, too. If you get outside Senua's head a little, there is messaging about reaching out (Ingunn), forgiveness (Saegirr), and mercy (Goði). There's a warning there, too. The Goði had no empathy and was made leader through his physical strength. He used his leadership position to protect his people the best way he knew, but lacked an understanding of emotional strength through empathy. He was emotionally isolated neglectful in his leadership and because of that, giants sprung across his country from people having traumatic breakdowns. The message of the three giants being that at an individual level, a village level, and a societal level, people should not neglect the emotions of people, especially those who are traumatized. Empathy and trust keep societies alive through the worst of disaster. And one should forgive themselves or others for actions taken from extreme distress such as starvation or the death of loved ones.

❤

So amazing that this has still stood the test of time

My first playthrough of Isolation took me nearly 50 hours lol. I get lost easily, am bad at puzzles, and was juggling college, raising a sick neonatal kitten*, AND getting the piss scared out of me by this game. But was so worth it. Picked it back up a few days ago for a replay one year later and it's still just as terrifying. Knowing how the AI works somehow doesn't break the immersion for me. It actually kinda amps it up to know this thing is THINKING. Really cool, always will be one of my favorite horror games! I wish we had the ability to connect a microphone on the PC version. My first run was on a laptop that overheated each time I booted up the game, and the sound was coming through its low-quality speaker. But now I'm on a beefy PC with some good headphones and good lord the atmosphere is SO MUCH MORE TENSE with directional audio. I was scared the first time, now I'm on the edge of my seat. I upped the difficulty this time around too. It's been an all around really fun experience. Isolation usually goes on sale for SUPER cheap in April. Felt like I got away with stealing. I'm not sure if the DLCs are worth checking out but I think I'll give 'em a try sometime. Every horror fan should play this. Every Alien fan should play this. (*the kitten's name is Ripley. I found him 4/24, just a few days before Alien Day ^_^. He's alive and well, now a fully grown and healthy cat.)

i now understand why this game wasn’t as commercially successful as it should have been. everyone was too scared to play it 😂

I love just walking around the station and taking in the architecture and aesthetic. Also hearing the sounds of the station.

So good, I’ve bought it four times. And the DLC. I’d give CA anything for a sequel.

Alien: Isolation is a masterpiece. It also becomes a lot easier if you've ever played the legendary Thief trilogy. Sound is a much better tool for detecting the creature than the motion tracker, just like in The Dark Project or The Metal Age.

I love how in the movies, in numerous scenes the Alien/s are hidden in plain sight. The first time you see them, you dont see them until you re watch them. So well done. Alien: Isolation - The best Alien game to date hands down.

You're right about the psychological aspect of the game. I picked up Isolation after Covenant came out. Loved the movie, picked up the game. Started in 2017 on Nightmare and it took me 3 years to finish because one section just got too stressful. Fast forward to Romulus and I reinstalled the game. Not even 5 seconds after you get to walk on Sevastapol and I already got tense and filled with anxiety. No game, not even non-horror like RDR ir Kingdom Hearts, has hit me that hard on a replay.

I absolutely love Alien: Isolation! I currently have 2,339.5hr play time with it on Steam.

Very very well written and you used so many great sources to expand your conversation. This deserves so many views!!

Amazing video! Subscribed

Only recently got around to restarting and finishing it (prompted by the release of Romulus) When I bought and played the game back in 2014, I could not make it more than a few missions in, not out of difficulty but because I was new to horror games and the game was just too scary for me to continue (hiding under a desk while the Alien looked for me, I was too stressed and just gave up)

Regarding Romulus.. the baby is called The Offspring.

Great video, my favorite part of the game is how it’s the complete opposite of a normal video game power fantasy. Even on the easiest difficulty the Alien can still instant kill you which means no matter what you have to learn to be patient. You get powerful weapons but they are useless against the alien, besides the flame thrower, which if used too much the alien will grow immune. You can’t run because you’ll be heard and the alien is much faster than you. You can’t even hide forever because the AI will eventually narrow down your location. The only thing you have on the Alien is that you are smarter. You have to learn how to avoid, track and listen for the alien. Use gadgets, the environment, or other people to distract it. The scariest part is the aliens unpredictably, you can play a level where the alien never shows up or won’t leave you alone. Another great horror game I think people don’t talk about enough is SOMA, which is scary for much different reasons.

This video explains really good why the Game is so terrifying and shows the reasons for why it is the best horror game ever made!

Bro Alien Isolation came out 10 YEARS AGO WHAT?! Ive sat here thinking it was like 4/5 years wtf this has ruined my night

It's much less scary if you play it without the music 😊

Try it in VR. I can only play for about 20 mins before stopping, in case I have a heart attack.