Perfect Organism – A Must-Read For Fans Of Alien: Isolation

Toward the beginning of Perfect Organism: An Alien: Isolation Companion, author Andy Kelly asks a question that, to an outsider, might seem particularly pertinent: why write an entire book about one game? However, to those who have ever held a deep passion for a piece of pop culture, whether it be a film, a book, or a game, there’s an innate sense of understanding right from the start. After all, who hasn’t felt a burning desire to harp on about their favourite game for hours on end to anybody willing to sit down and listen? It’s only natural that when we love something so completely, we want to talk about it.

This, ultimately, is what makes Perfect Organism such a pleasant read; it could only have been written by someone who loves Alien: Isolation from top to toe. I’ve experienced far too many books based on the world of video games that felt like they were written out of some begrudging obligation, but Andy Kelly’s exploration of Creative Assembly’s outstanding survival horror is simply overflowing with love and enthusiasm. As somebody who holds a similar passion for the game and the Alien franchise as a whole, it resonated with me deeply.

Regardless of whether you’ve played Alien: Isolation multiple times or are about to embark on your first terrifying jaunt through Sevastopol Station, Perfect Organism is a great insight into the game itself, its origin and development, how Ridley Scott’s original movie influenced it, and why it’s likely to stand the test of time in the decades to come. Clocking in at just over 200 pages in length, it never feels overwhelmingly exhaustive, but there’s nevertheless plenty here to sink your teeth into.

Kelly starts with an appropriately gushing introductory segment on why he felt the need to pursue such a project and what the game means to him, before leaping into a brief but informative history of the Alien games franchise up to this point. And Kelly doesn’t miss a beat, even including post-Isolation titles like Aliens: Fireteam Elite and Aliens: Dark Descent.

After this, things get a bit more in-depth as Kelly dives into the real nitty gritty. He explores how Creative Assembly won over both Fox and Sega with their exceptionally convincing pitch and tech demo, how the team immersed themselves into the world of Ridley Scott’s Alien (including playing the first film on a constant loop within the development office), and what technology went into making the titular Xenomorph such a terrifying, formidable force.

The real bulk of Perfect Organism lies within its ‘Mission Guide’ segment. Now, I admit to feeling a bit sceptical at this stage. Why would I, as someone who has played through the game multiple times and knows the Sevastopol space station like the back of my hand, need an exhaustive mission guide? Surely anybody who loves Alien: Isolation enough to read an entire book on the game would also be in the same boat?

Truth be told, though, the mission guide often reads more like a complimentary piece of commentary; almost like something you’d expect within the innards of a DVD’s special features. Yes, it’s effectively a walkthrough for the game, but it’s written in a more conversational style; a far cry from the SEO-friendly guides you might be used to seeing online. It’s also loaded with interesting anecdotes, observations, and background information alluding to the development of specific scenes. I found the best way to experience this section of the book was to play through a chapter of the game and then read through the corresponding segment within the mission guide. It works wonderfully, as you’d expect, as a handy companion piece.

In fact, comparing the whole of Perfect Organism to a DVD extra is perhaps the most apt way to describe it. If you’ve somehow managed to avoid playing Alien: Isolation since its 2014 release and aren’t planning on experiencing it anytime soon, nothing that I or anybody else can say will convince you to pick up Andy Kelly’s companion piece; it just isn’t for you. But if you’re a fan and fancy enhancing your experience with a bit of supplemental reading material, Perfect Organism is a fascinating dive into the development of the game and how it cemented its place as one of the greatest survival horrors of all time.

Touching on the book itself, I should note that this is effectively a novel in the most traditional sense. There are no images to speak of, and honestly, I would have loved it if there was a section of development photos jammed into the middle; kind of like how history books often have sections dedicated to images. Alas, there’s nothing like that here, but if you’re itching to get some visual aid, there are plenty of documentary style features on YouTube to peruse at your leisure. Otherwise, it’s a solid product, and I especially love the minimal design of the dust jacket. The lack of any Xenomorph iconography was no doubt to avoid any potential legal issues, but it works just as well without it.

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Thanks to publisher Unbound for providing an advance review copy of Perfect Organism. The book will launch in hardback and eBook formats on 28th August 2024.

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