Alum

About

"Alum" is a single-player, point-and-click role-playing game with an intriguing Christian allegory story, masterful visuals, and a good soundtrack. Embark on a spiritual journey with Alum, exploring the dangerous icy "Land of Tide" and uncovering the truth about his city, Kosmos, and the epidemic "The Vague". The game offers 7-10 hours of gameplay, over 70 hand-drawn backgrounds, and a full original soundtrack, providing a nostalgic feel of 90's classics with modern game-play elements.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 120 reviews

story52 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The game features beautiful pixel art and a charming retro aesthetic that appeals to fans of classic point-and-click adventures.
The story is engaging and offers a unique blend of fantasy and religious themes, providing an interesting narrative experience.
Puzzles are generally well-designed, with a good mix of challenge and logic that keeps players engaged throughout the game.

The voice acting is inconsistent and often lacks emotion, detracting from the overall immersion of the game.
The religious themes are presented in a heavy-handed manner, which may alienate players who prefer more subtle storytelling.
Some puzzles can be overly simplistic or frustrating, leading to moments where players may feel stuck or confused.

story
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
57%
4%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging narrative and interesting characters, while others criticize it for being overly heavy-handed with religious themes and lacking polish. Many found the initial chapters compelling, but felt that the plot deteriorated in the latter half, becoming predictable and overly simplistic in its good vs. evil portrayal. Overall, while some players enjoyed the story's depth and emotional resonance, others felt it was marred by clumsy execution and a lack of subtlety.
- “The story in alum is phenomenal.”
- “The writing of the story and the voices of all the characters is very nice, the story is structured really well and the words they use just grab you into the game.”
- “The story managed to surprise me several times, and also made me smile a lot.”
- “The puzzles and setting are pretty interesting and well done, but the voice acting and story being told is so clumsily handled that it becomes increasingly annoying to endure.”
- “The story simply doesn't unfold naturally; instead, it feels heavily guided.”
- “The game turns into a creepy religious tract towards the end, and the story became borderline incoherent.”
graphics
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
6%
The graphics of the game are predominantly praised for their charming pixel art style, which effectively complements the narrative and atmosphere. While many reviewers appreciate the unique and polished visuals, some note that the resolution can be limiting and that the art may lack detail compared to contemporary titles. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, enhancing the game's retro adventure experience.
- “Varying locations, each with its unique and often even charming art style.”
- “The pixel graphics in Alum are beautiful, and the music is nice.”
- “Everything fits together perfectly here, from the retro-pixel art style characters and foreground elements, to the hand-drawn painted backgrounds, to the well-done voice acting, to the beautiful original music.”
- “The artwork swings back and forth between 'hey that's kind of a pretty background' and 'wow an actual toddler drew this'.”
- “The good parts of the early game were lost as it progressed, and the only so-so graphics and terrible voice acting all combine to make me say don't waste your money on this.”
- “-the graphics and art style feel a bit barren and aren't as detailed as other contemporary adventures.”
music
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
38%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its emotional impact during key moments. The soundtrack is described as pleasant and well-integrated with the gameplay, although some players expressed a desire for more variation in the background music. Overall, the combination of music, sound design, and art direction contributes significantly to the game's memorable experience.
- “The journey of the title character, delivery man Alum Descry, is an intense and addictive emotional roller coaster, with all the eccentricities of its chosen art style, and set to a splendid soundtrack.”
- “Very nice artwork, marvelous music, rich and diverse plot, and a set of interesting puzzles.”
- “Everything fits together perfectly here, from the retro-pixel art style characters and foreground elements, to the hand-drawn painted backgrounds, to the well-done voice acting, to the beautiful original music.”
- “The problem I have with this game is the same that I have with certain branches of Christian music; it's like drinking tea that has been steeping for approximately 38 years.”
- “Locales are not particularly interesting nor does any of the art draw much wonder, but the music is fairly passable.”
- “Although I would like to hear a little more variation for the background music, but that's just a little thing.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
56%
17%
The gameplay is a mixed bag, with some players finding it charming and reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic, tedious, and at times unintuitive. The inclusion of minigames has received mixed reactions, with some enjoying the variety they bring, while others find them poorly executed and frustrating. Overall, the game offers a decent experience with a nostalgic feel, but it may not appeal to everyone due to its occasional awkward mechanics and challenging puzzles.
- “Some people might not like the included minigames, but in my subjective opinion they were a nice alteration to the traditional gameplay.”
- “Pretty good story and gameplay for a retro game.”
- “Gameplay is very much like the old Sierra and LucasArts adventures, with the controls updated for a modern age: you can toggle between the (few, smart) actions with right-clicking, and scroll through your inventory items with the mouse wheel, so there is no need to constantly refer to the hotbar.”
- “As for the actual gameplay, for the most part it's childishly simple and tedious, but occasionally utterly confusing and unintuitive.”
- “It also particularly annoyed me that at one point in the game there was a pixel hunt, which was a mechanic the developers expressly mentioned was not going to be in the game.”
- “I myself decided to skip these mini-games (which are part of the story, by the way) because the gameplay of them was sloppy and most of the bugs I've found in this game were in these mini-games.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
7%
21%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique setting, relatable characters, and effective use of music and sound, which together create a cozy and immersive experience. Players appreciate how each chapter builds tension and intrigue, enhancing engagement with the story. However, some critiques mention that the atmosphere is occasionally overshadowed by heavy-handed themes, which may detract from the overall experience.
- “It provides an incredibly cozy atmosphere.”
- “That really hooked me into each chapter that I played; this, combined with some really intense moments in the game, really sets it up to be a brilliant atmospheric game!”
- “In my opinion, the music and sounds make the whole game how atmospheric it really is.”
- “Each chapter of the game sets an atmosphere, or a question that you don't know the answer to.”
- “I feel like this game works really well with these graphics, and the whole atmosphere you keep with you throughout the entire game.”
- “What I liked the most about this game is the whole atmosphere.”
emotional
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
91%
9%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a compelling journey that blends humor with intense, touching moments, creating an engaging experience for players. While many find themselves deeply invested in the narrative and characters, some critiques highlight a decline in story quality and a perceived manipulative undertone related to its Christian themes. Overall, the game effectively uses music and art to enhance emotional impact, leading to both lighthearted and profoundly moving scenes.
- “The journey of the title character, delivery man Alum Descry, is an intense and addictive emotional roller coaster, with all the eccentricities of its chosen art style, and set to a splendid soundtrack.”
- “It really makes you feel like you are in the game, and then when it gets to the emotional parts the music and sounds set in just right to get the most out of the game.”
- “Lighthearted moments lead to emotionally shocking scenes where you really feel the loss... fortunately there is a happy ending, for those who can make it that far.”
- “The first two chapters of the game were amazing, but they soon rolled down the hill into a thin and extremely boring story.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as charming and memorable, enhanced by funny voice acting and a mix of lighthearted and touching moments. While some players found the humor to be successful and enjoyable, others felt it was inconsistent or forced, particularly in contrast to the game's more serious themes. Overall, the humor adds a unique flavor to the experience, though opinions on its effectiveness vary.
- “The art direction, music, funny voice acting, and the ridiculous nature of so much of it makes this game incredibly charming and memorable, despite the gameplay and puzzles being infuriating at times.”
- “At the positive is the voice of the main character, the game is quite touching in some places, successful humor in some dialogues.”
- “The story changes from lighthearted moments to shocking scenes but does not miss the funny, enjoyable scenes either.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, including frequent crashes and bugs, particularly related to the game's exits. The aging Adventure Game Studio engine requires specific settings adjustments, such as disabling windowed mode and altering resolution options, to improve performance.
- “However, the exits were buggy and my game crashed multiple times.”
- “Troubleshooting note: this uses the Adventure Game Studio engine, which is aging. To get this game to run, I had to uncheck windowed mode, choose side borders on widescreen monitors, smooth scaled sprites, and run it at 640x400 with a 2x neighbor filter.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be largely tedious and simplistic, often leading to frustration due to its confusing mechanics. While some action sequences can be challenging and unenjoyable, the option to skip them after repeated failures offers a small relief.
- “As for the actual gameplay, for the most part it's childishly simple and tedious, but occasionally utterly confusing and unintuitive.”
- “Action sequences are tedious, difficult, and un-fun, but thankfully if you mess them up enough times, they're skippable.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development has been a point of concern among users, indicating that it may lack depth or progression in the game. Many feel that the characters do not evolve meaningfully throughout the story, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth.”
- “I was disappointed with how the characters evolved throughout the game.”
- “There seems to be little to no growth in the characters' arcs.”