A Quiet Place Game Could Learn from Alien: Isolation | CBR

John Krasinski's 2018 sleeper hit A Quiet Place surprised most with its success, even spawning a highly-anticipated sequel that is about to be released. Its premise is simple: if you make any noise, you die. In the world of A Quiet Place, lethal creatures have wreaked havoc, hunting purely on sound and killing countless people. This set-up of a an all-but unkillable monster stalking humans who have to remain quiet is similar to Sega's 2014 game Alien: Isolation.

Isolation was based on the iconic Alien film franchise, expanding the story of heroine Ellen Ripley. Regarded as one of the best video game adaptations of a movie, or series of movies, Alien: Isolation also provides a framework of gameplay that would be ideal for an A Quiet Place title.

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In Isolation, players must navigate a large space station that has been ravaged by a xenomorph, using stealth and crafting to find a way to kill the creature and flee to safety. The alien mainly hones in on the protagonist using sound, meaning players need to be cautious and thorough. This is a lot like, A Quiet Place which follows the struggles of a family trying to survive in a world where any sort of raised noise brings death. The extra-terrestrials are also revealed to be covered in some sort of organic armor, and cannot easily be brought down.

The parallels are pretty clear. A game based on A Quiet Place could be set in this post-apocalyptic world established by the films, but doesn't need to focus on existing characters. It could follow a completely new cast trying to carve out lives in this hellish setting.

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What A Quiet Place game could take from Alien: Isolation (beside the sheer dread of avoiding an invincible alien that can kill the player in an instant) is the game's outstanding use of sound. Not only do players need to be wary of the noises they're making, but they also need to pay attention to the sounds around them, as these signal nearby threats. The alien can be heard crawling through vents in the ceiling, and human enemies will talk to each other, indicating their position.

The gameplay should focus, not on fighting the aliens, but rather on completing tasks and missions to progress the story, all while avoiding confrontations. Like Isolation, the game could also include other types of enemies, most likely other humans who have formed factions in power vacuum created by the aliens' destruction.

Even in 2021, Alien: Isolation remains one of the best examples of how to leverage sound design and atmosphere in a video game. With A Quiet Place releasing soon and more universe-expanding content in the works, now would be a smart time to explore this world away from the big screen in a medium that allows people its tension and horror in a more immersive and hands-on way.

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