Has anybody tried a playthrough of this on the new "Novice" mode? I'm going to be playing the game for the first time and some of the information I've heard about this it has referenced some of the xenomorph encounters, issues with the save system, and the overall length of the game as problematic. Would playing through on an easier difficulty improve the experience or would it remove all sense of tension?

I'd say go with it. I started on novice mode just so I could enjoy the game more. The tension is still there, and I've still been caught by the alien numerous times.

I initially tried playing in Novice mode but found the overwhelming volume of crafting materials to be really offputting. I quickly changed to medium and felt much better about the item flow and never felt like I was wanting throughout the game.

I played through on normal, had tons of things left for crafting, mostly because I only crafted health packs. The save system is actually not a problem, they give you a save point every few rooms or so.

I played the game on hard and I found it to be fairly easy. I died about a dozen times but considering it's almost a 20 hour game, it's not that much.

Thanks, duders.