Alterium Shift
- July 5, 2023
- Mottzy
- 12h median play time
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Get on itch.io StoreAlterium Shift is a SNES JRPG inspired indie game developed by two friends (Mottzy and Drass_Ray) who want to share their love for games like Chrono Trigger and FFVI through their own games. In this game you will experience a story rich, living world, where choices and interactions matter! Story:Choose between three heroes in training; Pyra, Atlas, and Sage. Their teacher, Dolion, strives to mold …
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Reviews
- The game features gorgeous visuals and a charming art style that combines 3D and 2D elements, reminiscent of classic JRPGs.
- Each character has unique abilities and engaging dialogue, providing a fun and replayable experience with multiple storylines influenced by player choices.
- The developers are responsive and dedicated, actively engaging with the community and showing a commitment to improving the game based on player feedback.
- The game is currently plagued by bugs, including severe UI issues, crashes, and performance problems that hinder gameplay.
- Many players find the combat system to be simplistic and lacking depth, with some battles feeling repetitive and unchallenging.
- As an early access title, the game suffers from a lack of content and quality of life features, leading to frustration with navigation and quest tracking.
- story44 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is engaging and dynamic, featuring multiple characters with unique narratives that allow for varied playthroughs and choices, enhancing replayability. While still in development, the intriguing main storyline and character interactions are complemented by a mix of humor and depth, though some players noted a lack of quality-of-life features like a quest log. Overall, the story is well-received, with a rating of 4.5/5, indicating strong potential as it continues to evolve.
“Each character is unique, with engaging dialogue that adds depth to the story.”
“I love that there's the opportunity to replay the game over and over and experience new storylines each playthrough, even with replaying the same character and making different choices.”
“As the description says, there are three branching narratives - each centered around one of the three main characters, the game offers a wealth of content and storylines to explore.”
“No quest log or journal to keep track of what you’re doing or what side quests you’ve accepted.”
“A lot of quality of life features are lacking, my biggest one being that I could not find a main quest clue or tracker, so I found myself running in circles because I couldn't figure out where to go next.”
“The crystals that allow you to switch to a new character/story aren't explained, so it's possible to lose all the work you've done.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their stunning visuals and unique art style, blending 2D and 3D elements reminiscent of classic PSX and SNES titles. Reviewers appreciate the crisp pixel art and nostalgic feel, noting that it stands out from typical JRPG aesthetics. While the frame rate may not exceed 30fps, the overall presentation is considered a fresh and engaging take on retro-inspired design.
“The graphics are crisp, the nostalgia is high, and the systems have juuuust enough new and interesting stuff to make it feel like a fresh take.”
“The art style is fantastic and felt some flashbacks back to games such as Lufia 2 while doing some of the puzzle-related stuff.”
“Graphics are well done and don't look 'cookie cutter' style from other JRPGs that are out there.”
“I'm over 40 and the last gaming system I had was the original NES, so the graphics seem like a throwback to games like Zelda.”
“The graphics are crisp, the nostalgia is high, and the systems have just enough new and interesting stuff to make it feel like a fresh take.”
“If you are a fan of SNES RPGs or 2.5D graphics, then say no more, this is the game for you!”
- music20 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while many players appreciate its beauty and captivating quality, others find it overly repetitive, particularly during menial quests. Overall, the soundtrack is often described as pleasant and fitting, enhancing the game's visuals and gameplay experience.
“Love it, great music, visuals, gameplay.”
“The different story lines are very interesting and the music is very nice.”
“The art and music are totally captivating; exploring the game is a super relaxing dose of escapism.”
“It's a witty game (puns and clever jokes galore), however, the looping soundtrack drove me crazy.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its engaging mix of 3D and 2D art styles, solid battle mechanics, and a captivating story, complemented by a great soundtrack. Players appreciate the tough but fair challenge it presents, with around 8-12 hours of content available, including hidden secrets and character exploration. The developers are noted for their responsiveness and support, enhancing the overall experience.
“Tough but fair gameplay, amazing art design, and soundtrack.”
“Keep in mind, it's still early in development and if you're not being thorough or looking for hidden secrets that no one else has discovered yet, you've got a good 8-12 hours of gameplay currently (one good run on each character and then a bunch of cross-save persistent world discovery fun).”
“Fun game with a really good art style of a mix of 3D and 2D with a good story and battle mechanics.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is widely praised, featuring witty dialogue between the player character and NPCs, as well as playful interactions with objects that deliver amusing commentary and dad jokes. Reviewers find the humor to be a significant draw, enhancing the overall fun and nostalgic experience of the game.
“The game's sense of humor makes me want to leave no stone unturned for a bit of extra fun dialogue.”
“This game is fun, funny, and nostalgic for me.”
“Creativity and humor: 6/5 - objects make fun of you when you search them too many times + dad jokes, c'mon!”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization remains a significant issue, with persistent performance problems such as frame rate dips and lengthy loading times, particularly in town areas. Critical UI features are lacking, making combat visibility poor, and the overworld maps are described as bland and confusing, complicating navigation. Overall, players feel that the game struggles technically even a year after its release.
“However a year later, the game is still poorly optimized, still missing critical UI features (combat has virtually no visibility to speak of), and the game is really struggling on a technical side with constant frame rate dips, loading on every screen transition including entering the same cookie-cutter houses. The maps of the overworld are bland and uninteresting to the point that the game becomes hard to navigate, and it is very unclear where the map will transition until you step on the transition point and see a loading screen.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Alterium Shift is noted for its exceptional replayability, a rare quality that sets it apart in its genre. Players appreciate the game's adventure elements, which contribute to its high replay value.
“This level of replayability is rare, making Alterium Shift a standout title in the genre.”
“The game was an adventure with tons of replayability!”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its adventurous quality, creating an engaging environment that encourages exploration and enjoyment. Players consistently express their excitement about the immersive world they can discover.
“I'm loving the adventurous atmosphere and have been having a blast exploring the world.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits significant stability issues, including severe UI bugs when switching between character save files and unexplained game over scenarios, which may indicate incomplete development. While it has charming elements, the overall experience is marred by these technical problems and confusing mechanics.
“Has a lot of cute ideas and a certain amount of charm, but it's also really buggy. There are severe UI issues when switching between separate save files for characters, and some confusing concepts, particularly how multiple save files somehow interact. Additionally, it either gives you a sudden game over after a certain bandit-cave section without explanation, or that's just the game not being finished yet, especially since it hasn't received an update in over a year.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the character designs are visually appealing, suggesting a positive reception of the aesthetic aspect of character development. However, there is no mention of depth or growth in the characters themselves.
