Video Game: Impressions of the I Am Alive Demo

Truth be told, I got this game mixed up with The Last of Us, coming out this summer.  Regardless, I was certain I heard of I Am Alive before, and as a post-apocalyptic survivalist sim of sorts, I wanted to give it a try.

Playing this on the PS3, I thought the game looked pretty gaudy.  I'm sure the monochrome graphics are an artistic effect, which is neat, but doesn't hold a candle at all to games like Fallout 3.  The biggest issue I saw was that the shapes and textures seemed rather blocky and rough, and were not smooth at all.  You might think that would befit a game like this, but even a rough and gritty game can be smooth, highly-detailed, and well-rendered; this was not.

I may be alive, but how do I get down from here?!

As far as the gameplay goes, I was surprised to find that the game is not combat-intensive as I expected.  In fact, the game grounds itself heavily in reality, focusing more on how you actually move across the ruined city and deal with situations, rather than shooting your way through everything.  You probably spend most of your time climbing structures and traversing through perilous terrain.  As you do so, you spend stamina; the less you have, the more likely it is that you'll fall to your death or pass out or get yourself killed.  You recover by resting or eating.  I got to admit, that's a pretty handy mechanic for simultaneously gauging your physical progress and providing a basis for a more realistic health management.

When I finally came across bad guys, there was no real combat involved.  The character has a gun, but no bullets, so I had to rely on bluffing my way through.  Holding the gun up, attackers stop approaching, and I can push them off of ledges if I have to.  I acquired a machete, which I figured would allow me to pull off some decent melee moves on other enemies.  When confronted by a pair of blade-wielding bad guys, I found myself disappointingly powerless.  Combat moves proved to be clunky and slow; I was murdered quite quickly.

After this short exchange, I think I got the gist of the game.  It's a noble effort, for its artistic design, and the way it tries to put the player in the middle of a ruined city and make you feel like you're really struggling to get by.  The problem here is, it really is a struggle, and I imagine it could be nerve-wracking dealing with hard obstacles and enemies everywhere you go.  From the reviews I see, the levels are linear, checkpoints seems a little screwy, and the game seems to crash on occasion.  On the PS3, I thought the graphics and controls were merely passable.

Certain players might appreciate this game, but given its issues and the mundane (possibly annoying) gameplay, I'd only recommend trying the demo first.