Image credit: Steam
Sci-fi and horror are a match made in heaven – or hell, depending on how easily you scare – with settings like lunar bases and abandoned space shuttles lending themselves perfectly to themes of isolation, hopelessness, and cosmic terror.
Two games that encapsulate this specific brand of fear are ROUTINE and Alien: Isolation, each iconic in its own right. Here’s a breakdown of the two, looking at which legendary sci-horror is scarier and what they have to offer players.
Is ROUTINE like Alien: Isolation?
ROUTINE is a sci-horror game with a retro-futuristic feel, developed by Lunar Software and published by Raw Fury. Initially announced in 2012, the game was met with an exceptionally positive response from critics and players in 2025 when it hit – including a shining review from yours truly.
Throughout ROUTINE’s lifespan, it’s been compared to Alien: Isolation on a regular basis across social media and gaming websites. Both games are tense and horrific, with a retrofuturistic brand of horror that revolves around stalker enemies and a gross imbalance of power.
Alien: Isolation came out in 2014, with Feral Interactive, SEGA, and Creative Assembly behind the wheel. Despite being 12 years old at the time of writing, it’s still a masterclass in sci-horror.
The 2014 iteration of the xenomorph still has an impact on horror games released to this day. The slavering beast with its many fangs is ridiculously smart, actively stalking its prey throughout the game, and it casts an imposing shadow.
Despite not being directly tied to Alien: Isolation, ROUTINE is similar to the iconic title in its visuals, style of gameplay, and minimalist approach to guiding players through its nightmarish set pieces.
Alien: Isolation is arguably more action-focused – not by much, mind, but more so than ROUTINE. There’s more of a chance to fight back or at least scare off an enemy in Alien: Isolation, while ROUTINE only offers a brief stun for one enemy type.
Alien: Isolation vs ROUTINE in 2026
ROUTINE and Alien: Isolation are similar in their visual direction, leaning on a retrofuturistic style of technology, hazy screens, and harsh, contrasting lighting. While Alien: Isolation might feel slightly less polished than its more modern counterpart, it’s still stunning and holds up nicely.
ROUTINE oozes style in comparison, though. With artistic cutscenes and elegant chapter screens interspersed with grotesque enemy designs and haunting hallways, ROUTINE has a stronger artistic direction, as much as it feels like heresy to write that as a diehard Alien geek.
In terms of gameplay, both are equally matched, largely focusing on exploration, surviving enemy attacks, and solving simple puzzles, restoring power or unlocking doors to access new areas of the map.
Neither games are ridiculously challenging, but they do require a decent eye for detail and level of patience from their players.
Horror-wise, both ROUTINE and Alien: Isolation are terrifying. The only other game that immediately springs to mind that could rival their horror levels is Visage, and even then, it might not be a fair comparison.
ROUTINE stands out as slightly scarier and more intense than Alien: Isolation, largely due to how helpless the player character feels. There’s almost no chance to fight back, despite the game making you feel like you might be able to at one point with the CAT introduction, compared to Alien: Isolation providing a few more tools.
ROUTINE’s story also feels scarier on a cosmic level, too. There’s an inevitability towards the path that the protagonist is on; no matter where you go in the lunar base, you’re always going to end up in the same place.
Alien: Isolation will resonate with you more if you enjoy hiding from monsters but still feeling like you’ve got a fighting chance. ROUTINE’s true horror is in its helplessness and the overwhelming sense of doom that permeates its echoing halls. Both games are stellar, but the 2025 release stands out as better by a margin.
FAQs
ROUTINE was developed by Lunar Software and published by Raw Fury.
The best survival horror games include Silent Hill 2, Resident Evil 2, Alien: Isolation, and the Silent Hill 2 remake.
The best sci-fi survival horror games vary from author to author, but these lists generally include ROUTINE, Alien: Isolation, Dead Space, and the Dead Space remake.
A straight-up Alien Isolation vs ROUTINE graphics comparison feels a little unfair due to the games being released with over a decade between them, but ROUTINE feels more polished in the visual department. Alien: Isolation’s art style still holds up beautifully, though.
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