I Am Alive

This week, I thought I'd review two downloadable games, seeing as I didn't do a thing during the Easter weekend. So let's start it off with Ubisoft's Survival Horror title, I Am Alive.

STORY
I Am Alive follows the journey of a lone man who has traveled across America, back to his hometown of Haventon, approximately 1 year after a cataclysmic disaster known only as the Event. As a result of the Event, massive quakes rock the city and have created massive chasms. The air is polluted with massive amounts of dust, making it near impossible to breathe at the worst of times, and obscuring vision like thick fog.

The survivor you play as has returned home in search of his wife and child, having not heard from them since (possibly) before the Event. He begins with few items to call his own, among which are a gun (with no ammo), some rope, a backpack and a video camera. It's with this video camera that we witness the "cutscenes" of the game, where the traveler leaves video diaries and records key moments in his journey. The playback of these moments are the framing device for this adventure, and it works quite well.

There's a large mystery surrounding both the details of The Event, and the whereabouts of the main character's family. It's intriguing to find out all these little bits of information as you play.

PRESENTATION
I Am Alive is a game that was in and out of development for quite a long time. Longer than the usual development time for a game (let alone a downloadable title). Normally, that would be a warning sign, but with I Am Alive, the effects of it's development cycle aren't quite as easy to see.

The graphics, for starters are quite noticeably dated, and for a full price retail release, that would be a massive problem. However, considering the price of the game and quality of it's other aspects, it's not so much of a dealbreaker here.

The game's music is haunting and ambient, which adds to the atmosphere of this run-down, dilapidated and lonely setting. On top of that, the majority of people you meet want to kill you; the remainder of which want you to give them your limited supplies. It's a harsh environment, a survivalist's paradise, and the music reflects that.

While the graphics aren't the best quality, the visuals aren't all bad. The environments are reminiscent of Silent Hill; desolate, deserted streets, obscured by a thick cloud of dust. The feeling of uncertainty is unmistakable as you try to figure out whether that shadow in the distance is an armed enemy, or an unarmed, injured survivor.

GAMEPLAY
The actual gameplay of I Am Alive all revolves around survival, however the basic mechanics switch between shooting and platforming regularly. The first thing you may notice is that your supplies are very low. Your character first states that he only has a few items, and the gun he carries doesn't have any ammunition. Supplies you find can recover your health and your stamina, as well as increase your stamina bar if it loses size.

While ensuring your survival, you'll often come up against other survivors who will kill you for your supplies. To avoid this, and stay alive, the game becomes kill or be kill. Limited ammo means that you'll want to avoid conflict if possible, and when firing your weapon, you'll have to take out the most dangerous foes first. In a one on one battle, it's easy enough to whip out the machete and perform a struggle kill on someone.

It's interesting to see, however, that even with no ammo, your gun can be used as a valuable weapon. When threatening opponents with it, you'll find that other survivors will freeze and put their hands above their heads in surrender. In this state, you can order them to back off, to the point where you may be able to knock them into a nearby hazard. It's an interesting mechanic, and it works well. The only problem I can see with it, is that your foes often forget that you have a gun the second you put it away.
Enemy types are pretty limited, but there are special variants with thick body armor that prefer a different approach.

The combat and scavenging is broken up with platforming which is somewhat reminiscent of Uncharted. However, the main character is no Nathan Drake or Ezio Auditore; his climbing does have limits. As he climbs, his stamina drops until the bar is empty. When the bar is empty, the length of it decreases until its gone entirely. With no stamina, the survivor will fall to his death. There are ways around this, such as using equipment to take a breather mid-climb, or using supplies to recover stamina.

As you can see, the careful management of supplies makes its way into all aspects of this game. However, your supplies may also buy information concerning the survivor's family. You have to make a choice, do you help these survivors and gain information, or do you keep the supplies just in case you get hurt or your stamina bar drops?

At it's core, I Am Alive is a survival game at its best. The things that I Am Alive does best work exceptionally well, while some of the basic mechanics (particularly climbing) can be frustrating do to a lack of polish.

REPLAYABILITY
While there are no multiple endings or multiplayer options, I feel that I Am Alive is worth more than just one playthrough. There are a number of supplies and survivors that need them, and the odds of you finding them all the first time through are very slim.
Finding out as much as you can about the survivor's family is interesting, and the unique approach to confrontations makes me want to play it over and over.

OVERVIEW
I Am Alive is an interesting game. It's long time in development is certainly noticeable with it's graphics, though the visual effects from the dust create an eerie, lonely atmosphere, that definitely makes up for it. The gameplay mechanics are mostly functional, while a little rough around the edges. Despite that, being able to threaten a thug with an unloaded gun is certainly a cool feeling.

While the game has some great ideas, if it was a full priced retail release, I'd have difficulty recommending it. As it is, however, I Am Alive is only $20, and I'd say that it's totally worth it.

Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow with my review of another downloadable review. See you next time!