Gorgeous New Alien: Isolation Companion Book Nears Funding Goal

The Alien series has had many video game adaptations. Some good (Alien vs Predator for the Atari Jaguar). Some bad (Aliens: Colonial Marines). And some that are frankly kind of baffling in hindsight (Alien for the Atari 2600). But in recent years, there's one, in particular, that seems to top most lists whenever anyone talks about the Xenomorph in games — Alien: Isolation.

Creative Assembly's faithful follow-up to Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi classic nailed the film's retro-futuristic setting and did what many others have failed to before or since: making the xenomorph a tangible threat. It's arguably because of this expert handling of the source material that the game has won over so many fans in recent years. And chief among them is the former PC Gamer writer Andy Kelly.

Kelly has written about Alien: Isolation on several occasions, both online and in print, but recently he announced that he was crowdfunding a new companion book for the game with the publisher Unbound Books. Perfect Organism intends to not only look at the development of the popular sci-fi horror game but also includes a brief history of Alien video games, as well as a look at its active modding community.

Kelly writes on the publisher's site about the book:

"I can't think of many games I could write tens of thousands of words about, but that's what makes Alien: Isolation so special. From the art direction, AI, audio, and music, to the level design, user interface, characters, and locations, this is a game of remarkable depth, complexity, and detail.

"After multiple playthroughs and countless hours spent researching it, I've amassed a huge amount of knowledge and insight about every aspect of the game—and I want to share that with you. I'm just as obsessed with it as I am with the film, and this will be evident on every page."

Right now, the companion is extremely close to reaching its funding goal. If you want to help out, you can go to Unbound books to support the project directly. For a limited time only, you'll also be able to get a promotional discount of 10% off by sticking in JULY22ALMOST at the checkout.

There are nine reward tiers in total, which range from a £10 digital ebook all the way through to becoming a patron and having your name listed at the front of the book for £150. Some of the optional rewards along the way include getting access to a bonus podcast and additional digital chapters on other Alien-related material, like the game's tie-in novel.

Hopefully, the book manages to reach its funding goal soon, so we won't have to wait too long to get hold of a copy ourselves.