New 'Alien' mobile game looks like 'Five Nights at Freddy's' in space
In space, no one can hear you scream. Unless you're actually on a crowded subway playing a video game based on the Alien series.
The long-teased Alien: Blackout made its official debut on Monday. It stars Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen (Sigourney Weaver's character from the movies), as she works to help a space station crew escape a rampaging Xenomorph that has somehow made its way aboard.
Blackout is a mobile game, and it's coming to Google Play, the iOS App Store, and Amazon Appstore sometime in 2019. The bulk of what we know at this point comes directly from the game's publisher, thanks to a newly posted product page.
The description reads:
The terror of Alien is brought to life in Alien: Blackout. Try to stay alive while trapped aboard a crippled Weyland-Yutani space station carrying a deadly Xenomorph as it tirelessly hunts you and the crew. Outsmart the perfect hunter by making perilous choices. Players must rely on the damaged controls of the space station or risk sacrificing crew members to avoid deadly contact, permanently altering the outcome of the game. Survive seven fear-inducing levels by remotely guiding Amanda Ripley’s crew through increasingly challenging tasks using only the station’s emergency systems. The uncertainty and unpredictability of both the alien and her crew can impose total defeat for Amanda and the entire station.
There isn't a trailer, or video of any kind really, so it's hard to say for sure what the game looks like in action. But one image in a set of newly released screenshots suggests that the game could have more in common with the popular horror series Five Nights at Freddy's than it does with Alien: Isolation, the last major game release in the Alien franchise.
In Five Nights at Freddy's, players work to keep themselves safe from a pizza parlor's murderous animatronic monsters. They're trying to reach the security room where your in-game self is hiding out, and to survive you need to use the restaurant's cameras, automatic doors, and other security mechanisms. The catch is your power supply is limited, so you need to use those tools judiciously as you wait for the perfect moment.
It seems like Alien: Blackout aims to deliver a similar experience. The game's focus is a bit different: you're an eye-in-the-sky, guiding the space station's crew to safety. But similar to Freddy's (at least based on the above screenshot), you're giving most or all of that guidance from a central location, and managing a limited power resource as you work to keep your escaping humans at a safe distance from the Xenomorph.
The official description further supports the belief that Freddy's is the right template for a comparison here:
Using only the space station’s limited power supply to operate a holographic map, surveillance cameras, and motion tracker, attempt to remain hidden and protect your crew from the perfect hunter in seven fear-inducing levels.
It's not clear when Alien: Blackout will launch, but it's happening sometime in 2019.
Topics Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
