Some time ago I postulated the possibility of a sequel to Alien: Isolation set within the fall of Hadley's Hope colony in 2179 following the discovery of the derelict Juggernaut by Anne and Russ Jorden. For fans of both Alien: Isolation and the 1986 movie Aliens, this game would have fleshed out the colonist's fate with the possibility of adding more conspiracy to the narrative of the movies (if viewed by the movie fans as canon). Subsequently, another fan Ilapagokc revealed their breathtaking work on a fan-made game called Aliens: Hope for the Future, which promises to be almost word for word what I proposed. While I encourage Alien fans to support Aliens: Hope for the Future I would also like to offer an alternative...
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Last seen in 2010's AvP video game by Rebellion and in the multiplayer aspect of 2013's highly controversial Aliens: Colonial Marines was the ability to play as everyone's favorite alien antagonist; the Xenomorph. Although each offered challenging gameplay, neither really utilized the opportunity to further stealth-based action within such video game titles. However, if a game was developed from the ground up with player control and survival as the Xenomorph as its primary focus, its core-gameplay, the result could if executed properly revitalize stealth-based gameplay beyond what is currently available in games such the Batman: Arkham series, Assassins Creed, Metal Gear V: Phantom Pain and Shadow of Mordor/War.
Each of the aforementioned games uses stealth as a secondary mechanic to its core gameplay. The core gameplay of Phantom Pain, for example, shares many similarities with Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, but its emphasis upon stealth with an NPC populated open world sees the player rely on silenced weapons to gain the upper hand. For a game in which the player would assume control of the iconic Xenomorph, no such options would be available, with the player only able to use its surroundings and limited attacks to survive. In this instance, one would imagine a variety of possibilities such as the inclusion Gears of War style executions available when a character is downed, the ability to cocoon incapacitated characters, and limited combat moves that allow the player to sprint, pounce, and scurry into and out of confrontations with well-scripted, computer-controlled characters.
As with Alien: Isolation before it, such a game would require that the characters populating the world to be a threat to the player, which would forego the chance of adapting Alien or Alien 3. Interestingly, despite criticism from some fans towards James Cameron's sequel, the Colonial Marines he created could prove to be the threat necessary to make such a game challenging and compelling. Using the visual aesthetic of Aliens together with an open world within which the Xenomorph is not ideally suited or camouflaged would further add to the game's challenge, forcing the player to constantly adapt and thrive to survive against overwhelming odds.
Imagine scurrying from shadow to shadow in an alien open world towards a well guarded colonial marine colony whereby the player must avoid surveillance turrets and patroling marines. Open combat would ensure death, as would a bloody trail of bodies, requiring stealth and patience. When coming across a possible victim do you kill, incapacitate or add to your numbers? For a similar experience imagine a DLC for Alien: Isolation whereby the player must single-handedly escape a thriving, swarming Xenomorph hive with no flamethrower or marker flares. Higher difficulty in a Xenomorph stealth game could also be attained by limiting the player to use a first-person perspective with an interpretation of what the Xenomorphs sightless senses make of its surroundings.
Narratively, with the player taking on the role of the Xenomorph one would imagine the goal of such a game to be linked to the characters survival. The predictable approach would be to have the marines having captured a Queen which you must free, whereas a much longer-term goal would be to instead subjugate the marines outpost colony with a hive of your own making, albeit with the inclusion of egg-morphing (see Alien: Directors Cut). Such an approach would inevitably lead to a force of NPC's being aware of and prepared for your arrival, which would only escalate the games difficulty curve accordingly as you become comfortable with the mechanics of the game up to that point. As such I suggest a simple name for such a game; Alien: Hive.
