I Am Alive

A gripping survival adventure packed with solid puzzle design and meaningful decision-making.

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In "I Am Alive," a post-apocalyptic survival adventure, players traverse a devastated city, searching for resources and loved ones. Confronted with hostile survivors and dangerous terrain, players must make tough decisions and utilize their wits and scarce resources to stay alive. With a focus on exploration and survival, the game immerses players in a gritty, atmospheric setting.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,226 reviews

story165 positive mentions

stability29 negative mentions

Unique and interesting gameplay mechanics, particularly the intimidation system during combat.
Atmospheric setting that effectively conveys a post-apocalyptic world.
Challenging climbing mechanics that require careful stamina management.

Clunky controls and camera issues that can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Very short game length, often completed in around 5-6 hours with an abrupt ending.
Limited resources and a harsh retry system that can make progress feel tedious.

story
489 mentions
34 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lacking in depth and character development. While some appreciate the atmospheric setting and emotional undertones, others criticize the plot for being generic, linear, and abruptly concluded, leaving many questions unanswered. Overall, the narrative is seen as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a compelling journey, with a significant number of players expressing a desire for a more fleshed-out and cohesive storyline.
- “The story, the mood, the characters, the world - all make for an extremely fun gaming experience.”
- “The story is very compelling and the music adds a unique feel to it.”
- “Great story and fun gameplay though.”
- “Aside from the thought-provoking on the player's morality, the plot of the game lacks proper foreshadowing and development. The main characters are not well shaped, and the ending is extremely abrupt, with too much blank space.”
- “The story seems promising from the start but it ends with a cliffhanger and you never really see the proper end to it, which is a bummer.”
- “The story is very lacking. You learn practically nothing about what actually happened, and the story just seems to stop rather than end when you finish the game.”
gameplay
395 mentions
32 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "I Am Alive" is characterized by its unique mechanics, such as a stamina system that affects climbing and combat, and an innovative intimidation feature that allows players to bluff enemies. However, many players find the controls clunky and the gameplay repetitive, leading to frustration, especially with the limited ammo and harsh death penalties. While the atmosphere and survival elements are praised, the overall execution of the gameplay mechanics often detracts from the experience, making it a mixed bag for players.
- “There are small but interesting mechanics, such as threatening enemies to back off when aiming at them, kicking enemies into pits and fires, retrieving your arrows from downed enemies.”
- “Unique and strategic combat, tense and fun climbing mechanics, amazing world design and art style, interesting story.”
- “The gameplay feels fluid too.”
- “Unnecessarily complicated controls, boring story, and gameplay that feels like a chore.”
- “The gameplay is overall horrific with the exception of the climbing mechanic.”
- “Clunky controls, nonsensical mechanics (you lose stamina when climbing, even if you aren't moving), pointless drawn-out gameplay, poorly designed combat, bad graphics, and an uninteresting story.”
graphics
208 mentions
34 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The graphics of "I Am Alive," released in 2012, are widely regarded as dated and below average, often described as grainy and overly reliant on a monochrome palette that can strain the eyes. While some players appreciate the atmospheric and artistic choices that convey a sense of societal decay, many criticize the visuals for lacking detail and texture, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite the technical shortcomings, the game's unique aesthetic and emotional tone resonate with some players, though many feel it could benefit from a graphical overhaul.
- “The graphics are good (played in 4k), but seemed ahead of its time.”
- “The atmosphere and graphics are decent, the gameplay too.”
- “The graphics are good and it does succeed in giving the feeling of a dust-filled, apocalyptic world.”
- “The graphics are very very dated, lack textures, and I think that all the fog/dust was used to disguise the lackluster graphics.”
- “The graphics are barely passable and the game has an excessive amount of grey on purpose, even for this setting.”
- “The graphics are dark and moody; you can only see a few meters ahead which makes it difficult to differentiate friend from foe.”
atmosphere
167 mentions
61 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "I Am Alive" is widely praised for its heavy, oppressive tone that effectively conveys the fragility of human existence in a post-apocalyptic world. Reviewers note the game's use of muted colors, grainy visuals, and haunting sound design to create a tense and immersive environment, although some criticize the gameplay mechanics for detracting from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game's unique atmosphere and emotional depth resonate strongly with players, making it a standout feature.
- “The atmosphere is palpably tense, and every little encounter with other survivors of 'the event' feels like it could mean your death in moments.”
- “The atmosphere and graphics are decent, the gameplay too.”
- “The heavy and depressing atmosphere vividly reflects the fragility and helplessness of human beings in the face of natural disasters.”
- “Throughout the entire game of 'I Am Alive', there is an extremely depressing atmosphere and ubiquitous tension.”
- “To create a gloomy and depressing gaming atmosphere, the developer intentionally added a gray filter and massive image noise to all scenes.”
music
47 mentions
36 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The music in "I Am Alive" is noted for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, effectively building tension during gameplay, particularly when stamina is low. While many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the game's eerie ambiance, some find the repetitive intensity of the music during stamina depletion to be disruptive and irritating. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's emotional tone, though its execution can be polarizing among players.
- “The music in 'I Am Alive' was beautiful; I always remembered this game, not by its name, but by the music that played throughout and the overall black and white setting.”
- “The soundtrack is stunning, the gameplay is innovative, and the atmosphere is remarkable.”
- “The music and HUD elements really get your heart pumping as you make quick decisions in this post-apocalyptic city.”
- “The soundtrack is fairly disruptive to your mentality while playing; even though this is not so much a horror game, the music really helps to make this feel troubling.”
- “The game music pretty much tells you if there's an enemy nearby, which detracts from any need to be subtle, secret, or careful.”
- “I liked this approach, although the 'scary' music that starts playing when you are at 75% or lower stamina starts to get irritating.”
stability
30 mentions
10 % positive mentions
-7 % neutral mentions
97 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Issues such as freezes, audio desynchronization, and problematic camera controls are common, leading many to deem the game unplayable or frustratingly flawed. However, a few players noted that their experience was relatively smooth, suggesting that performance may vary depending on hardware.
- “I found no glitches or bugs.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes.”
- “I experienced consistent performance throughout my playtime.”
- “In addition to freezes and out-of-sync game audio and subtitles, the game is more likely to have errors when loading.”
- “It's extremely buggy and the camera system is bad, and that is when it works at all instead of jittering around like crazy.”
- “This game is buggy, it has ugly textures and it has so many glitches.”
emotional
26 mentions
85 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it deeply impactful and thought-provoking, particularly in its portrayal of survival and loss in a post-apocalyptic setting. While the story and character interactions can evoke strong feelings, many reviewers criticize the gameplay and controls, which detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game manages to create moments of emotional resonance that linger with players long after they finish it.
- “The overall story is powerful through emotionally engaging with characters, for example, Mei and her mother.”
- “I found this game thought-provoking and it left an emotional impact on me.”
- “A fun, short, and emotionally touching game about a man trying to reclaim everything he has lost in a post-apocalyptic world.”
- “Unnecessarily complicated controls, boring story, and gameplay that feels like a chore.”
- “Atrocious controls, a boring story, and uninteresting gameplay in general.”
- “Bad storytelling; unique gameplay could be good if you can stomach the boring story.”
optimization
18 mentions
17 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, low frame rates, and crashes, particularly for a title released in 2012. While a few users experienced stable performance, the overall consensus indicates that the game is poorly optimized, with controls and graphics needing considerable improvement. Players recommend caution, suggesting purchasing the game on sale due to its technical shortcomings.
- “I didn't have any problems with performance while I played it, and there were no crashes or game-breaking bugs.”
- “The one thing I didn't have was performance issues, but I'd recommend a controller because keyboard and mouse is awful for this game.”
- “Secondly, it's a console port with a weird control scheme. Sure, you can rebind the keys, but it still felt pretty weird. I think it's best played with a controller, although you'll most likely be fine with keyboard and mouse. I did not experience any performance issues with it at all; it ran at a constant 60fps all the way through.”
- “Terrible performance for a game that came out in 2012, averaged 40 fps with 6700xt.”
- “The game has some serious stuttering fps issues.”
- “Bad performance, tons of huge glitches, pop-in from a foot away, etc.”
grinding
17 mentions
6 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
94 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mix of tediousness and challenge. While some appreciate the sense of accomplishment that comes from overcoming monotonous tasks, many criticize the slow and repetitive mechanics, particularly in climbing and combat, which detract from the overall experience. The frequent cutscenes and exploration can also contribute to a feeling of tedium, making the gameplay feel drawn out at times.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This game takes what could've been an enticing atmospheric adventure and oversupplies it with monotonous gameplay and a tedious story.”
- “Stamina system is tedious and annoying; you lose stamina even in regions where you would not expect great effort, like in the ladders. This makes the climbing zones (and there are a lot of them) and dust zones too tedious if you don't know a priori what is the correct path.”
- “The climbing in this game is slow, but worse than that it is also tedious.”
replayability
16 mentions
25 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as inconsistent, with some players finding it enjoyable for a single playthrough while others note a lack of incentive to replay due to short length and weak story elements. While certain aspects, like arcade modes or challenges, offer some replay value, many reviews highlight that the game ultimately falls short in providing a compelling reason to revisit after completion.
- “It gives you a nice story, it's replayable, it is challenging, and the style is uncommon.”
- “It can be completed in around five hours but it does have a lot of replay value.”
- “'I Am Alive' offers great replay value with its arcade-based system.”
- “Probably not so much in the way of replayability though, especially since its servers are on Ubisoft's murdered servers list, which I guess impacts speedrunner leaderboards and the like.”
- “It's a mixed bag with a lot to like but also a lot to dislike; the game is short and lacks replayability.”
- “On the other hand, I got 8 and a half hours out of this title before completing it on normal and it does not offer much replayability.”
humor
7 mentions
86 % positive mentions
-29 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent, with some players finding amusement in certain easter eggs and nostalgic references, while others feel that the overall experience lacks genuine fun, particularly due to frustrating mechanics and linear gameplay. Some aspects, like the replay system and control quirks, are noted as amusing, but many reviewers suggest that the humor does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience.
- “There is a funny little easter egg of sorts; a nod to your typical post-apocalypse, in one section of the game.”
- “The funny thing is, I've spent far more time writing this review than such a game deserves.”
- “It's funny that I mentioned the NES, because this game actually reminded me of the old NES games... in all the worst ways.”
- “The humor in the game falls flat, making it feel more tedious than entertaining.”
- “I expected some laughs, but the jokes were stale and didn't land at all.”
- “The attempts at humor often felt forced and detracted from the overall experience.”
character development
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with players noting that the short gameplay duration (around four hours) limits opportunities for meaningful interactions and storytelling. Many expressed a desire for deeper character engagement and a more substantial narrative to enhance the overall experience.
- “The game only took me about 4 hours to play through, so there's no time for character development or any real story.”
- “I would've liked more in-depth interaction with survivors, a bigger story with some character development, and definitely at least a few more hours of meaningful gameplay.”
- “Characters don't know what to say; there is no character development. I don't even remember the main guy's name.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization model of "Might & Magic: Duel of Champions," a free-to-play game with microtransactions, faced criticism due to the game's abrupt closure, which not only removed it from stores but also erased player achievements and statistics, leaving users without access to significant personal data.
- “A more serious case was that of Might & Magic: Duel of Champions, a free-to-play game with microtransactions, whose closure not only removed the game from stores but also erased achievements and statistics from accounts, rendering important player information inaccessible.”
- “The monetization model feels exploitative, pushing players to spend money to enjoy basic features that should be included in the game.”
- “I was disappointed to find that progress in the game is heavily gated behind paywalls, making it frustrating for free-to-play users.”