Alum

About

Alum is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Crashable Studios and was released on May 15, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Alum is a single-player role-playing point-and-click adventure that guides you through the icy Land of Tide. Uncover the truth about the city of Kosmos and a mysterious epidemic in a wholesome, Christian allegory-inspired story with beautiful visuals, a captivating soundtrack, and engaging puzzles. The game offers 7-10 hours of immersive, nostalgic yet modern gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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70%

Audience ScoreBased on 120 reviews

story53 positive mentions

character development3 negative mentions

The game features beautiful pixel art and a charming soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere.
Puzzles are engaging and well-integrated into the story, providing a satisfying challenge without being overly frustrating.
The narrative, while heavily influenced by Christian themes, offers an interesting and emotional journey that resonates with players who appreciate such storytelling.

The voice acting is inconsistent, with some performances feeling flat or amateurish, detracting from the immersion.
The religious themes are often presented in a heavy-handed manner, which may alienate players who do not share the same beliefs or prefer more subtle storytelling.
Certain puzzles can be overly simplistic or illogical, leading to moments of frustration, especially when the hint system fails to provide adequate guidance.

story
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
56%
4%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging narrative and interesting characters, while others criticize its heavy-handed religious themes and lack of polish. Many found the initial chapters compelling, but felt that the plot deteriorated as it progressed, becoming overly simplistic and preachy. Overall, while the game offers a unique take on faith and morality, its execution may not resonate with all players, particularly those sensitive to its overt Christian messaging.
- “The story in alum is phenomenal.”
- “The story managed to surprise me several times, and also made me smile a lot.”
- “The art and story are beautiful and the puzzles are fun and challenging.”
- “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
49%
45%
6%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel art style that enhances its unique and atmospheric setting, drawing comparisons to classic adventure games. While many players appreciate the polished visuals and how they complement the narrative, some note inconsistencies in quality and resolution. Overall, the artwork is well-received, contributing positively to the game's immersive experience, despite a few critiques regarding detail and resolution.
- “Varying locations, each with its unique and often even charming art style.”
- “The pixelated graphics, the art style, are beautiful, even though it runs at a low resolution.”
- “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
44 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 appeal, making it a 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%
55%
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%
8%
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 the combination of stylish retro graphics and well-crafted puzzles that enhance the overall ambiance, although some note that the game's religious themes can detract from the experience. Overall, the atmosphere is a significant draw, keeping players engaged throughout each chapter.
- “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!”
- “Very atmospheric, with all the music and sounds, nicely crafted puzzles that (in my opinion) get a bit too hard as you went along the game, and the graphics set the game up to be really good and well-fitting with the music.”
- “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.”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as charming and memorable, with clever dialogue and funny voice acting that enhance the overall experience. While some players found the humor to be well-integrated and enjoyable, others felt it occasionally felt forced or overshadowed by more serious themes. Overall, the game balances lighthearted moments with emotional depth, providing a mix of humor that appeals to various tastes.
- “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.”
- “Plus, there are several moments of clever humor and witty dialogue.”
- “The story changes from lighthearted moments to shocking scenes but does not miss the funny, enjoyable scenes either.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
8%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its engaging narrative and character journey, which evoke a strong connection through humor and poignant moments, enhanced by a fitting soundtrack. While some players find the story's emotional depth compelling, others criticize it for becoming tedious and overly reliant on a perceived religious message that feels manipulative. Overall, the game successfully balances lightheartedness with impactful emotional scenes, leaving players invested in the experience despite some frustrations.
- “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.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development has been a point of concern among users, indicating that it may not meet expectations or lacks depth in certain areas.
- “The other concern is the character development.”
- “Character development feels shallow and lacks depth.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired.”
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 unfun, but thankfully if you mess them up enough times, they're skippable.”