Alien: Isolation

> "Is there anywhere safe left on this station?"
>
> - Amanda Ripley

***Alien: Isolation*** is one of the three pinball tables in the *Aliens vs. Pinball* mini table pack, released in 2016 and available for *Zen Pinball 2*, *Pinball FX 2* and *Pinball FX 3*. It adapts the events of the 2014 first-person survival horror video game *Alien Isolation*, developed by Creative Assembly and published by SEGA in 2014, in which Amanda Ripley investigates the disappearance of her mother in between the events of the first two *Alien* films, while contending with a deadly Xenomorph aboard the *Sevastopol* space station.

## Table overview

### The upper half of the table

At the back end of the table, there is a walkway running along the width of the table with a large window overlooking outer space. To the right back corner of the table, there is an airlock door. The inner walls of the table are designed to resemble that of the space station, with part of the left wall lined with Xenomorph cocoon webbing. The table's large orbit travels beneath this walkway, and in front of its apex, there is a bumper area with each bumper shaped like the space station's reactors. There are three rollovers above this bumper area that spell the six-letter word MEDKIT, with two letters per rollover.

Near the left orbit, which is gated by a spinner and has the word HACKING, is an upper flipper at the left wall of the table. To the right of the left orbit are two targets: an emergency target resembling an emergency pull station and an ammunition standup target. To the right of that target are two ramps, a left ramp that spells the word STEALTH and leads down a habitrail to the middle-left inlane and a crossramp that spells SICK BAY and goes up to a diverter directly under the walkway that moves the ball either to the abovementioned left habitrail, or to a right habitrail that leads back to the right inlane. The diverter switches every time it is used, ensuring that balls do not travel down the same path twice. The entrances to the left ramp and crossramp form a 90 degree angle.

In front of the crossramp turn is a saucer that briefly captures and releases the ball, generally feeding the left flipper. To the right of it is another ramp with the word ANDROID that leads down the abovementioned right habitrail. To the right of that ramp is a small cabinet that can be opened to lock the ball inside, and behind it is a VUK that returns the ball down the right habitrail. To the right of the cabinet is the right orbit, marked with the word TORRENS. At each entrance to the orbit, there are two pop-up stationary rotating drop targets representing the android and human enemies Ripley may encounter aboard the *Sevastopol*.

### The lower half of the table and mini-playfield

At the left side of the table is a Sevastolink computer console used for communication. There is a barrier in front of it that can be struck to open and reveal a sinkhole where the ball can be locked to start a mission. At the other side is a target with a magnet in front of it, labeled NOISE. This is the Noisemaker target and will activate the device when it has been made available. Behind it is the one-way exit of the diagonal plunger that launches the ball into play. A flamethrower can be seen laid near the target. In between these two areas are more of the stationary, rotating pop-up drop targets.

Beneath the middle of the playfield is a mini-playfield that can be accessed during one mission and the HACKING side mode, where the ball is moved around as if it were in a brick-breaking game like *Breakout*. A paddle is positioned at the bottom end of the mini-playfield that can be moved horizontally to catch and deflect the ball as it moves, and at the top end of the mini-playfield, there are eight targets that can be hit with the ball, one for each of the possible callback code symbols that Ripley may encounter while hacking a computer system. In the space in-between is a reproduction of the scoring display that shows instructions that must be followed to win the hacking mini-game.

At the bottom of the table, there are five return lanes (three left and two right), with rollovers that spell the 10-letter name SEVASTOPOL, with each rollover representing two letters. A drinking bird toy sits on the left rebound. Near the right flipper are light-up indicators that gauge the current bonus multiplier level. There are two subway kickbacks, one installed in each outlane. A figure of Amanda Ripley typically stands on the left apron, watching for the Xenomorph as it stalks her from the walkway at the back of the table. She may escape through a hatch at the left wall and reappear to the right side of the table through another hatch during certain events. She can also use that particular hatch to return back to the left apron. The right apron also displays two meters gauging Ripley's health and ammunition supply.

### The plunger

The ball is shot into play with a diagonal plunger designed after one of the tools Ripley uses. If the player shoots it at a particular strength, the ball can be catapulted into either lit left inlane for a Skill Evade, scoring 1 million, increasing the amount of time allotted before the Xenomorph gets close to Ripley's area, and briefly opening the cabinet for a time-limited chance to shoot the ball inside it for a Skill Heal worth double the Skill Evade value and fully recovered health.

## Objective and Missions

The goal of the table is to help Amanda Ripley fend off the Xenomorph and escape the *Sevastopol* through six missions, culminating in the **Final Encounter** wizard mode. While dealing with the alien menace, Amanda will have to prioritize her health and weapon lineup. The subsections below discuss how these rules work, as well as the process for defeating enemies, followed by the descriptions for each mission.

### Health

Over the course of the story, the Xenomorph constantly terrorizes Ripley as it leaps across the table and attacks at certain times. The Xenomorph will attack her if the player 1) draws out the Xenomorph and fails to hide in time, 2) hits the Xenomorph tail during **Healing Taylor** or 3) fails a **mission** altogether. Ripley's health bar has three levels, and her health drops down one level every time she is attacked by the Xenomorph. It is not possible for Ripley to have zero health and die, but each health level missing will remove 1/3 of all scoring until health has been regained. The player will also have to contend with the visual annoyance of a red haze appearing on the edges of the screen if her health is low. Finding **medkits** by either spelling MEDKIT at the bumper rollovers or starting the **Sick Bay Multiball** will increase the current health by one level if it is lower than its maximum.

### Weapons

Ripley can also defend herself with weapons, but she only begins with a simple pistol. Completing 2 **missions** unlocks the shotgun, and completing 4 missions unlocks the flamethrower. Each new weapon deals more damage than the previous one, and requires ammunition to defeat enemies if the player hits the front of enemy drop targets. If the player runs out of ammunition, they can only defeat enemies with a stealth takedown by hitting the targets from behind, which will recover some ammunition if done successfully. Alternatively, ammunition can be fully replenished by hitting the ammunition target 5 times. If Ripley has the flamethrower, she can use it against the Xenomorph if it finds her to repel it and escape unharmed with a shot to either orbit; however, this requires 6 ammo and can make fighting enemies afterwards more difficult.

### Enemy encounters

The hostile enemies on the station seen during several missions and side modes are represented as two-sided drop targets; they cannot harm Ripley, but will interfere with her mission and must be dealt with. The damage dealt to an enemy depends on which side of the target the ball strikes. If it hits the front of the enemy target, Ripley shoots that enemy, consuming **ammo**. She will not be able to defeat enemies this way without sufficient ammo, and it may take multiple shots to defeat an enemy, depending on which weapon Ripley currently has. Conversely, hitting the rear of the enemy target allows Ripley to perform a **stealth takedown** that instantly defeats that enemy, grants some ammo, and progresses towards increasing the **bonus multiplier**. The health of an enemy is represented by the color of the target's outline: green means full health, yellow means medium health and red means low health.

### Missions

To start a mission, the player must shoot the computer terminal saucer at the left side of the table, which needs to be opened by hitting it once (shots to the target to qualify missions increase by one every time Final Encounter has been started). Once the ball is locked in the terminal, the player can choose to start any of the six missions that haven't been previously attempted. For the first playthrough of the missions, each attempted mission cannot be played again until Final Encounter has been played.

Each mission has a timer of 60 seconds. Completed missions score a 10 million bonus in addition to any points scored from the mission, and briefly light the lock for Emergency Multiball at the Emergency target for about 10 seconds. After Final Encounter has been played, all six missions will have to be completed rather than simply started to activate Final Encounter again.

* **First Friend**: Separated from the search party sent to investigate the *Sevastopol*, Ripley must find a way to safely communicate and reunite with them while sneaking past hostile entities aboard the station. The player must shoot a total of five lit lanes, without allowing the ball to touch any of the random drop targets that block the way 10 times.
* **Healing Taylor**: Nina Taylor, one of the individuals who were part of the team sent to investigate the *Sevastopol*, is injured and Ripley must find medical supplies in the station to help her recover. The player must shoot the Stealth ramp and Android ramp twice each to find the medkit, while avoiding the Xenomorph tail that periodically blocks off either ramp. A shot to the computer terminal will draw it away for 10 seconds. After both ramps have been shot twice, the medkit will spawn in the middle of the table and must be collected by rolling over it with the ball. *(If the tail is hit with the ball, the Xenomorph will attack Ripley, removing one level of health, and disappear for a while. Hitting the tail twice will result in mission failure.)*
* **Fire Hazard**: When Ripley discovers that the Alien is blocking a potential exit, she must create a Molotov cocktail to fend it off. Ignite the flames by hitting the spinner at the left orbit 30 times to fill up a bar on the scoring display. Once it's full, the player must find the Alien by shooting a randomly selected lane (any of the orbits or ramps). When the Alien is found, the player must hit the ammunition target to drive it out with the Molotov.
* **The Lure**: Ripley attempts to get rid of the Alien by using herself as the bait, then hiding when it attempts to chase her. The player accomplishes this by shooting the left orbit or ramp twice, then shooting the open cabinet, then shooting the side ramp or right ramp a total of three times and shooting the ball into the cabinet once more. With the Alien at the airlock, the player hits the Emergency target to open it and try to flush it out.
* **Special Order 939**: The androids aboard the station go hostile after they are issued Special Order 939 - to protect the Alien at all costs. Ripley must defeat them all and hack them to disobey the order. The player must defeat all drop targets with whatever reserve of ammunition is available. Then, once all drop targets are eliminated, the player must hack the androids by bringing the ball into the bumper area where it will travel to the mini-playfield. To complete the hacking procedure, all seven of the symbols must be hit to open the hole behind them, then the ball must be brought there. If the ball drains on the mini-playfield, the timer will reset and the player will be given one last chance to defeat another wave of android drop targets and try the hacking operation again before the mission fails.
* **Anesidora**: Henry Marlow plans to finally kill the Alien by overloading the reactors of the USCSS *Anesidora* and crashing it into the *Sevastopol*. Ripley realizes that this would be too dangerous and attempts to shut down the reactors. The scoring display will show a temperature percentage that slowly increases, resulting in the destruction of the ship if it reaches 100%. Ripley can temporarily stop the overheating if the player shoots either orbit, the left ramp or the right ramp, and the temperature can be lowered by 2% per bumper hit by shooting the orbits. Hitting the ammunition target by mistake will increase the heat percentage by 20% and make the mode tougher to finish.

### Final Encounter

Once all six missions are attempted, **Final Encounter** is unlocked and is started the same way as the other missions. This final mission begins with a four-ball multiball (and a ball saver) where the player must hit any orbit or ramp a total of ten times, with each hit awarding a jackpot, to lure the Alien to the airlock one last time. After that, the player must hit the bumpers 20 times to open the airlock while the Alien is there. Finally, as the airlock opens and the Alien is sucked into space, the player must dispose of all balls through the right ramp where the open airlock is located, which will then launch the balls into deep space out of the space station, resulting in a final victory over the Alien. Each shot into the airlock scores a big value determined by how many balls were in play before the airlock was opened (12.5 million for 4 balls in play!). If the player fails the mission by draining too many balls, all missions must be restarted if at least one of them was completed unsuccessfully.

## Side modes

The following side modes can be activated during play. Hacking, Stealth, and Android all award bonuses of 5 million increasing by 1 million each time they have been completed:

* **Xenomorph Attack**: The Xenomorph is constantly searching the station, hunting for Ripley. If it comes close to Ripley, it will appear on the walkway at the back of the table. During this time, shooting a lit lane near where it stands on the walkway will expose Ripley's position to the Xenomorph, beginning a hurry up mode where the player must get Ripley to hide from it before it closes in on her and attacks. Within 15 seconds, the player must accomplish this by shooting the cabinet twice. The first hit opens the cabinet and the second hit locks the ball inside. If the player fails to do this in time, the Xenomorph will advance on Ripley and attack her, decreasing her health by one level. Evading the Xenomorph 3 times will light an extra ball. *(If Ripley has the Flamethrower or Noisemaker, she can use the items against the Xenomorph as an alternate, valid method of escape by shooting either orbit or hitting the Noisemaker target respectively. The Noisemaker will disappear after being used this way, however, and the Flamethrower will waste half of its ammo if used this way.)*
* **Enemy Encounter**: A 15-second hurry up mode will start randomly during play if 2 minutes have passed and nothing else is active, where Ripley encounters a hostile enemy aboard the station. A random enemy drop target will activate, and can be defeated within 15 seconds if the player hits the target with the ball enough times or performs a stealth takedown. No penalty is granted for failing the side mode.
* **Sevastopol Frenzy**: If the player spells SEVASTOPOL on the return lane rollovers, a 30 second timer will start with an opportunity to earn big scores at either the spinner (50,000 per spin), bumpers (50,000 per bumper), or Emergency target (100,000 per hit plus 100,000 for subsequent hits). This mode prevents other modes from starting.
* **Hacking Mini-Game**: Hacking is an essential skill Ripley must master to access parts of the station and escape danger. If the player shoots the spinner in front of the left orbit about 40 times to fully light up the word "HACKING", the next shot to the bumper area within 10 seconds will send the ball to the mini-playfield and activate the hacking mini-game. The player must move a paddle to bounce the ball across the mini-playfield and hit four randomly chosen drop targets in order to enter a callback code and complete the hacking operation. After the code is entered correctly, the player must bounce the ball into the hole behind the targets to win and earn 5 million. Completing this procedure twice in a game lights an **extra ball**.
* **Stealth**: Ripley must master stealth skills to subdue opponents quickly and stay one step ahead of the Alien. If the player shoots the left ramp 7 times to spell STEALTH, a side mode will begin where the player is challenged to defeat 5 human enemies, one after another, within a time limit by using only stealth takedowns. 5 failed stealth takedowns will cause the mode to fail. The score for an enemy takedown increases by 25,000 for every shot to the left ramp during the mode.
* **Android**: Ripley encounters many waves of Working Joes, hostile androids that interfere with the mission. If the player shoots the right ramp 7 times to spell ANDROID, a side mode will begin where Ripley must defeat two waves of Working Joes as enemy drop targets in 60 seconds. Shooting the right ramp during the mode will increase the score for defeating one by 25,000.
* **Torrens**: During the investigation, word gets out that Ripley's team is in trouble and help is dispatched through the USCSS *Torrens*. If the player shoots the right orbit 7 times to spell TORRENS, a hurry-up mode will start where the side ramp is lit to score a hurry-up value starting at 2.5 million and decreasing to 100,000. Shooting the right orbit will boost the value by 100,000 points, and every time the side ramp is shot until the value fully decreases, the hurry-up value will be scored.

### Multiball

The following multiball modes can be activated, and can only be played one at a time:

* **Emergency Multiball**: At the end of each mission, the player will have 10 seconds to lock the ball at the Emergency target. Locking three balls this way starts a 3-ball multiball where the player can shoot the five lit ramps and orbits for jackpots worth 500,000, followed by the Emergency target for a super jackpot worth 4x the value. Each collected super jackpot increases the jackpots by 50,000 for the rest of the current Emergency Multiball.
* **Sick Bay Multiball**: If the player shoots the side ramp 3 times to spell BAY, the next shot to the bumper area will lock a ball. When 3 balls are locked this way, a 3-ball multiball will start where medkits and health supplies can be collected. The player can shoot jackpot lanes for 50,000, and earn super jackpots worth 300,000 and +1 bar of health by collecting medkits across the playfield.
* **Rewire Multiball**: This is a quick 2-ball multiball that starts after 6 shots to the Rewire saucer. During this mode, the player collects jackpots by defeating the android enemies that spawn during the mode, which can be increased by 20,000 per bumper hit with a shot to the side ramp or a weak shot to either orbit that feeds the bumpers. Once a wave of enemies are defeated, the player can shoot the Rewire saucer for a super jackpot worth 500,000 before another wave of enemies spawn.

## Perks

The following perks can be earned during play:

* **Ball Save**: A 15-second ball saver is activated at the start of any new ball or multiball mode. It cannot be reactivated unless one of the random **cabinet awards** is collected.
* **Kickbacks**: Ripley can use the emergency systems aboard the station to stay out of trouble for some time. 5 shots to the Emergency target will turn on the left subway kickback, followed by the right subway kickback, to save the ball from draining there. Once used, a kickback will safely and reliably bring the ball to the nearest habitrail via a subway system. If both kickbacks are available, hitting the emergency target 5 times will score a flat “Emergency Bonus” of 100,000. Kickbacks stay on until they are used.
* **Medkits**: Ripley will need to tend to her wounds to survive against the Xenomorph and can craft a medkit to heal herself. This can be done by spelling MEDKIT on the bumper rollovers, which will spawn a medkit that will replenish her health by one level and cleanse score penalties. Medkits can also be collected during **Sick Bay Multiball**.
* **Ammo**: Ammunition is limited and must be replenished to ensure that Ripley is effective in combat survival. Ammunition can be recovered if the player executes stealth takedowns or hits the ammunition target 5 times. Maxing out the ammunition supply three times will light an **extra ball**.
* **Noisemaker**: Out of the various useful tools that Ripley can use is a noisemaker that can distract her adversaries for an easy escape. If the player hits the noisemaker target at the right side of the table 5 times to spell NOISE, a 15-second hurry-up will start where the player has a chance to find a noisemaker by shooting a lit lane chosen randomly out of the ramps or orbits. Once a noisemaker is found, the player can use it during a mission to reset the timer or escape from the Xenomorph if it finds her by hitting the noisemaker target. After the noisemaker is used once, it will have to be collected again by spelling NOISE and completing the hurry-up.
* **Cabinet Award**: Some of Ripley’s hiding spots have useful tools. 4 shots to the Cabinet during normal play will open it, and the next shot will score a random award: activating either **kickback**, **ball save**, increasing the bumper or spinner scores, 1 million, or lighting an **extra ball**.
* **Bonus Multiplier**: The better Ripley is at stealth, the greater her chances are for survival. Performing 4 stealth takedowns will increase the bonus multiplier by +2x up to 10x, which is only good for the current ball.
* **Extra Ball**: Extra balls can be lit at the ammunition target from **evading the Xenomorph** 3 times, completing 2 **hacking mini-games** successfully, maxing out the **ammunition count** three times, attempting half of the **main missions**, or lighting one from the **Cabinet Award**.

## Tips

* The Rewire saucer will consistently drop the ball down to the left flipper. If you want the ball on the left flipper, you can raise it as the ball drops there to trap it. Conversely, you can use the dead flipper pass and let the ball bounce off the left flipper if you want it at the right flipper. You will need to bring the ball to the right flipper in order to reach for the computer terminal at the left side of the table to start missions.
* Kickbacks are easy to activate - just hit the Emergency target several times. They will persist across balls until they are used or the game is over, and since the kickbacks are subway kickbacks, they will reliably bring the ball to a habitrail so you can always be assured that an instant drain won't happen from using one.
* If you are trying to hit drop targets, try to hit them from behind so that you get extra ammo and instantly defeat them with a stealth takedown. Also, when hitting drop targets, be careful, as the ball may bounce straight down between the flippers or into an outlane at such a speed too fast for you to make a corrective nudge, if you hit one at particular angles and/or amounts of force.
* After lighting the extra ball from 3 successful Xenomorph evasions, ignore the mode for the rest of the game. 100,000 for completing the mode isn’t worth the stress.

## External links

* Official table trailer
* Table walkthrough by ShoryukenToTheChin (PDF)