Dead by Daylighthas been somewhat of an unexpected success. Developed by Behavior Interactive and released in 2016 to lukewarm reviews that criticized its technical shortcomings, the game has since evolved into a fully functional celebration of horror media. Collaborating with high-profile IPs,Dead by Daylighthas now become something akin to theSuper Smash Bros.of horror. Almost every horror icon is included, but there remains a glaring omission: Ripley and the Xenomorph fromAlien.
Ripley and the Xenomorph may seem like just another couple of horror characters, but there’s more to them than that. To this day,Alienremains one of the highest-ranked horror movies of all time. In a game that celebrates such a wide variety of different horror subsets (zombies, fantasy, psychological), the likes ofAlien’ssci-fi are absent. Adding Ripley, theXenomorph, and maybe even other characters would add value to the already boastful roster of characters.
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Alien’s Gradual Success Over the Years
The firstAlienfilm was released in May 1979. A collaboration between Ridley Scott and Dan O’Bannon, the film received mixed reviews (not dissimilar toDead by Daylight), with some praising its imagination and others calling it uninspired. Over the years, however, many reviewers have revised their claims, andAlienhas taken its place as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time. It’s become so popular that references to it are scattered throughout pop culture. It’s only fitting, then, that its protagonist and antagonist get to appear alongside other titans of the genre inDead by Daylight.
Dead by Daylighthosts multiple iconic horror symbols: Freddy Kreuger, Ghostface, and Sadako Yamamura, to name a few. Most of the game’s crossovers have stayed comfortably within the canon of classic, slasher horror movies. With theStranger Thingsexpansion, however, Behavior Interactive ventured outside the box and dipped its toes into more fantastical elements. The world ofStranger Thingsdeals with alternate dimensions, government conspiracy, and monsters, as opposed to ghosts and serial killers. This departure from the constraints of slasher pics, in a way, paved the way for an even harder sci-fi film likeAlien.
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The developers ofDead by Daylighthave done great work keeping the game’s formula fresh over its numerous seasons and expansions. Adding Ripley, the Xenomorph alien, and a Nostromo level would maintain this streak. Unlike other, frequently rural realms inDead by Daylight, the Nostromo is a metallic, industrial setting that hasn’t been seen yet. What the aesthetic might lack in cohesiveness it would more than make up for in level design; its tight, claustrophobic hallways would be perfect for squeezing players through.
Moreover, though, it would provide the perfect backdrop forRipley’s design, whichFortnitefeatured last year. Killers could navigate through the ship’s walls, much like the antagonist of the originalAlien. Already the subject of multiple Reddit threads, the Xenomorph’s abilities would range from exposing survivors to utilizing stage-generated Ovomorphs (a fancy way of referring to the alien’s eggs).
Arguably, there have been few online multiplayer games of note recently. For this reason and more,Dead by Daylightstands out in a crowd of shooters, sequels, and reboots. Its distinct horror aesthetic is in part to thank for this, and adding theAlienIP to its mash-up of scary movie franchises could only add to its appeal. Introducing the sci-fi take on horror would not only make for engaging gameplay, but also broadenDead by Daylight’sappeal.
Dead By Daylightis available now for the Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
