Game developers for years have struggled to create a video game worthy of this Alien franchise, one that instills both an engaging story and generally chilling scares. After the fallout behind 2013’s Aliens: Colonial Marines (which was developed by Gearbox Software), the license seemed like it would never gain a foothold in video games. That’s until Creative Assembly came out with Alien: Isolation and breath a life into the series again.

The story of Alien: Isolation picks up 15 years after the events of Alien, in which Amanda Ripley is brought to a Sevastopol Station with possible clues as to the disappearance of her mother, Ellen Ripley, after the flight recorder of the Nostromo is discovered. However, when she gets to the station she learns that there’s a creature on board that’s killing and leaving destruction in its wake. The series (which consists of seven episodes) follows Amanda who’s recapping her experiences in a broadcast while floating in space, hoping to be rescued.

The development team (Reverse Engineering Studios and DVgroup) behind this little project deserve praise for successfully taking a great video game and turning it into a watchable experience. Not only does the series look great but Andrea Deck’s performance as Amanda is just brilliant, capturing the deep emotions associated with dealing with such tragedy.

Perhaps the most standout feature is how the team has edited the series which is comprised of cutscenes, in-game segments, and modded sequences that change the 1st person view to third person to help showcase Amanda’s experiences and not the player’s. This blends the viewing experience keeping it fresh and for those who’ve played the game can possibly see certain parts in a different way or angle.

In the end, Alien: Isolation – The Digital Series is just a great overall experience not only for those who’ve played the game but for those who haven’t but like the franchise. There definitely needs to be a second season. It manages to capture the horror and desperation, Deck’s performance as Amanda is great, visually the graphics are just awesome, the sound is good, and just the presentation and setup of the story is great. Alien: Isolation – The Digital Series gets 5 out of 5.