Alien Isolation hands-on: A fantastic example of how to properly port a console game to mobile - Android Police

Last month we learned that Feral Interactive would be bringing Alien: Isolation to mobile on December 16th. Well, that's today, and so this popular horror survival game is indeed available on the Google Play Store. Seeing that Feral's Nintendo Switch port of Creative Assembly's Alien: Isolation was exceptional, I'm sure many of you are wondering if today's mobile release stacks up, so I've gone ahead and tested the game to report my findings so that everyone can decide whether or not the $15 price tag is justified. Let's dig in.

The above trailer offers a quick glimpse of Alien: Isolation's gameplay. This is a survival horror game where the goal is to avoid an Alien that's hunting the crew of a debilitated space station.

You play the part of Ellen Ripley's daughter, searching out what happened to her mother after the events of Alien (the first film in the series). This quickly sees you trapped on a space station that, of course, contains an Alien, and so you'll spend your time figuring out what happened, all the while avoiding the Alien hunting you down. It's a familiar setup, and it works exceptionally well with the lore of the Alien franchise. While some complain the game is a little too long, wearing out its welcome, I'd say that's hardly a concern on mobile, where most games tend to offer bite-seized experiences. Make no mistake, the mobile port of Alien: Isolation is the full game that includes all seven DLCs.

Since this is the full game, it's large and demanding. You have to be on Android 10 or later, and you will need at least 11 GB of storage, with 22 GB recommended. This is why Feral only offers a small list of supported devices. While devices not on Feral's list may be able to run the game, the studio does not have the capabilities to test across the vast swathes of Android phones and tablets on the market, which leaves the testing to us, the users. Thankfully the Play Store has a solid return policy, so there's no actual harm in taking a look since you have 48 hours to enact a return if you don't like what you see.

ASUS ROG Phone II
Google Pixel 3 / 3XL / 6 / 6 Pro
Motorola Moto G100
OnePlus 6T / 7 / 8 / 8T / 9
Samsung Galaxy S10 / S10+ / S10e / S20 / S21 5G
Samsung Galaxy Note10 / Note10+ / Note20 5G
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 / S7
Sony Xperia 1 / XZ2 Compact
Xiaomi Mi 9
Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro
Xiaomi Pocophone F1

With the support list out of the way, let's dive into performance. There are three graphic defaults; Battery Saver, Graphics, and Performance. I've tested the game on the Red Magic 6S Pro, and all three modes offer a little over 30 FPS (which means the framerate isn't capped). There does appear to be resolution differences between the three modes, where the Graphics mode offers the clearest image. To say these graphics are superb is an understatement. It's a miracle Feral was able to get the game to run so well on the Nintendo Switch, and this performance has carried over to mobile beautifully. While it would have been nice to see a 60 FPS mode, the majority of Alien: Isolation's gameplay is slow and methodical, so not having access to a high framerate isn't a big deal.

Image Gallery (3 Images)

Of course, controls often make or break a mobile port, and thankfully there's controller support out of the box. My trusty Stratus Duo worked like a charm over bluetooth. But seeing that not everyone will have a controller handy, touch controls are included, and Feral offers tons of settings to tweak them however you like. I've tested the default settings, and the touch controls work well, perhaps better than expected. The screen is mostly clutter-free, with a virtual thumbstick on the left and a crouch button on the right. To interact with objects, simply look at them and tap on the screen. These controls are intuitive and stay out of the way, which is honestly the best anyone can hope for.

I also went ahead and tested if the game could be played offline by putting my phone into Airplane mode. I am able to boot up the game just fine, so it does appear there is offline play support, which is great to see. Cloud saves are also in the mix, and you can sync these saves to Google Drive.

Like many mobile ports, Alien: Isolation isn't cheap. Both the Android and iOS versions retail for $14.99, but that's not really that bad. The Steam version retails for $19.99, and the Switch version for $34.99. So the brand-new mobile port is actually the cheapest option currently available, and seeing that this is the full game that includes all DLC, it's the whole experience at a fraction of the price, with performance that's comparable (and even slightly better, depending on your phone) than the twice-as-expensive Switch version. Flat out, the mobile price is a steal.

So there you have it, Feral Interactive has hit another mobile port out of the park. Not only does Alien: Isolation run great, it looks great, and since it's the full game, there are hours upon hours of fear-inducing survival horror gameplay to work through. Yes, the game can be demanding, and yes, it takes up a ton of storage, but if you're constantly on the hunt for full-fledged games to play on mobile, Alien: Isolation is hands-down one of the best ports we've seen this year. Make sure you don't miss out.

Alien Isolation mobile port anouncement hero

The best Alien game is coming to mobile, thanks to Feral Interactive

Alien: Isolation is set to launch on Android and iOS on December 16th

Related Topics

About The Author

Matthew Sholtz (1744 Articles Published)

Matthew is a furious nitpicker and something of a (albeit amusing) curmudgeon. A person who holds an oddly deep interest in Android and advancing the state of gaming on the platform. Some may say a ridiculous task, but it is one he is willing to take on from the comfort of his armchair.