It’s been a year since the event. Earthquakes destroyed the land, and what remains is desolate, filled with dust, rubble, and the remains of a once-great civilization. An unnamed man wanders across the barren landscape, and eventually reaches a city. That city is Haventon - his home. Will his family still be there, safe from the disasters that struck, or are they long dead? Can he be reunited, or will his journey end the way it began - with tragedy? These are the questions you’ll answer when you play I am Alive.
I am Alive is Ubisoft’s take on the survival horror genre. Released last month on Xbox Live Arcade, and out tomorrow on PlayStation Network, this downloadable title puts you into the shoes of the unnamed man, as you run, climb, and battle your way through the post-apocalyptic mess that was once your home.
The emphasis of the game is really on survival. You’re not a superhuman gunslinging type, who mows through waves of enemies using the vast stocks of ammo littered all around, but really more of a regular guy - good at climbing, but certainly no Nathan Drake or Lara Croft. Stamina plays a huge role, as does the lack of resources, so planning things out and rationing your supplies is essential if you wish to live another day. You’ll tire quickly while running or climbing, so if you don’t stop to rest, you won’t last long.
It’s an interesting idea, and adds plenty of tension to the exploration parts. Since resources are scarce (especially in the early stages), planning your route up buildings must be done efficiently or you’ll end up wasting your stamina-giving stocks, and find yourself screwed when you really need them later.
Food isn’t the only thing in short supply - you’ll also be extremely limited in the ammo department. Thankfully, a gun can be a powerful weapon even when it’s empty, and the vicious gang members you’ll encounter along the way will cower in fear at the very sight of your firearm, whether it’s loaded or not. Of course, you can’t hold them off this way indefinitely, which is where your trusty machete comes into play. As with the climbing, combat felt almost like a puzzle to me - figuring out which guys had guns (take them out first), then wasting those who seemed like they might start fighting back soon. By the time the weaker enemies are left all alone, they’ll most likely surrender and you can move on. I quickly found that engaging people in straight melee combat was a bad idea, so keeping some at bay while you dispatch the others is the best bet.
Not all survivors are out for your blood, though, and you’ll soon find victims of violence who are begging for your life-giving supplies. At first, I was unsure whether or not to hand over my goods, as I worried that I might need them myself later, but as the game progressed and my pack became full with foods and medicines, the decision became much easier. I’m sure not all who play will find themselves as well stocked as I eventually became, but I’ve always been a bit of a hoarder when it comes to videogames, and this was finally a title that rewarded me for my slightly obsessive compulsion not to use any items until I desperately need them. Maybe Survivor Mode, the game’s harder difficulty setting, will prove more of a challenge, resource-wise.
Graphically, I am Alive is certainly impressive for a downloadable title, but wouldn’t quite stand up against full retail games. The Unreal Engine is used nicely, but Ubisoft felt the need to keep everything in extremely dull tones - all greys and browns. It’s appropriate, and adds to the depressive feel of the world, but I think a splash of colour every now and then wouldn’t have ruined anything. The sound is also rather atmospheric - understated for the most part, but swelling whenever the situation becomes dire, such as when your stamina runs low or enemies are nearby.
If I haven’t made it clear so far, planning and preparation are essential to successfully make it through this title. So many of the elements will be familiar to gamers, but the limitations on stamina and resources add in interesting twist to I am Alive: Choosing the wrong path while climbing could result in a grisly death by falling, and wasting even a single bullet may leave you in trouble when you desperately need one. I understand that many may not find this fun, but if you enjoy the puzzle-like elements involved in planning out your next few moves, you’ll probably get the most out of this game. Don’t think you can just keep retrying until you get it right, either, as even checkpoint restarts are limited in number, and save points aren’t always close together.
Overall, I enjoyed I am Alive, but have found it quite difficult to write about. You see, I didn’t love it, necessitating paragraphs of praise, and I didn’t hate it, which would no doubt leave you reading endless streams of criticism. I enjoyed the atmosphere and resource management, and was interested to see how things turned out for the poor protagonist, but was equally aware that there wasn’t a lot of variety throughout the adventure. If this game had been full retail price, it definitely would have been trashed by the media, but for a cheap, downloadable title, I’ve certainly played worse. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, as some will find its somewhat slow nature to be boring, but if you’re looking for a survival horror title that does things a little differently from most, I am Alive could be right up your dusty, rubble-filled alley.
