Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation is a claustrophobic survival horror game in which Amanda Ripley searches for the fate of her mother Ellen aboard the space station Sevastopol and soon discovers she isn't alone there - an indestructible alien prowls the station, one that can't be killed, only avoided. The mobile port from studio Feral Interactive carries over the same game that came out on consoles and PC, with all the same tension and pacing, where every sound of footsteps or the creak of a vent can signal danger nearby and forces the player to proceed with the utmost caution.

The game sticks to the visual aesthetic of the 1970s, as set out by the original Alien film - retro-futuristic screens, analog instruments, and dim lighting create an atmosphere that makes this horror game more of a slow game of hide-and-seek than an action shooter. The alien's artificial intelligence adapts to the player's behavior, so the same hiding tactic can't be repeated indefinitely, which keeps the tension high throughout the several-hour campaign and forces the player to change their approach from one chapter to the next.

On a touchscreen the game is controlled via a virtual stick and contextual buttons, which takes some getting used to at first but works precisely after a few chapters and doesn't spoil the game's carefully built pacing. It's an extensive, fully paid title with no ads, fairly demanding on both the phone's performance and its storage, so it suits newer and more powerful models better.

Why play it: Recommended for fans of horror and the Alien film who can handle a slow, nerve-wracking pace with no direct combat and don't mind paying full price for a large-scale mobile experience.