Left Alive

In concept, Left Alive could have had the potential to bring about the revival of Front Mission and fill the void left by the absence of Metal Gear at the same time, but none of its elements click to become a cohesive whole.

34%Game Brain Score

story, music

gameplay, graphics

28% User Score Based on 586 reviews

Critic Score 40%Based on 23 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $3.98

Buy NowGet on Steam€59.99

About

"Left Alive" is a survival action game set in a war-torn city, where players control three different protagonists trying to survive a devastating invasion in 2127. The Day One Edition includes a digital soundtrack sampler, wallpapers, and a destructive DLC pack. The game boasts contributions from experienced developers known for the Armored Core, Metal Gear Solid, and Ghost in the Shell series. Characteristics: Survival Action, Third-person shooter, War-torn setting, Multiple protagonists, DLC pack, Contributions from experienced developers.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+14

28%

Audience ScoreBased on 609 reviews

story60 positive mentions

gameplay44 negative mentions

Interesting story and characters that engage players
Crafting system adds depth to gameplay
Stylized graphics and effects create a unique atmosphere

Poor optimization leading to significant performance issues
Clunky controls and mechanics hinder gameplay experience
Frustrating AI behavior and lack of stealth mechanics diminish enjoyment

story
353 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
76%
7%
The story of "Left Alive" is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and rich in themes of survival and moral choices, while others criticize it for being poorly executed and lacking depth. Many appreciate the character development and emotional moments, but feel that the narrative is often overshadowed by gameplay issues and a lack of meaningful player agency. Overall, while the story has potential and interesting elements, it struggles to resonate due to the game's execution and mechanics.
- “Beneath the jank and unpolish is a confronting story of survival and decisions that share themes with world events currently unfolding right now... the three playable characters are all very captivating, charming, and relatable in their own way.”
- “The way their motives, circumstances, and personal stories of struggle collide with each other is woven in a creative manner.”
- “The story is largely on rails with the end goal being to survive the ongoing conflict, but you can achieve different and interesting outcomes for the characters based on dialogue options.”
- “The only problem is, the story is told by following characters who have little to no memorable qualities.”
- “This obfuscates the plot and makes it feel like all your gameplay and choices from previous chapters had no effect as the story progresses.”
- “But what kills it, is how poorly the story is told (not that the story told is any good).”
gameplay
234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
68%
19%
The gameplay of the game has been widely criticized for its numerous bugs, unresponsive controls, and poorly implemented mechanics, particularly in stealth and combat. Many players find the experience frustrating due to the lack of basic stealth functions, clunky AI, and a general feeling of unfinished design, leading to a gameplay experience that feels both tedious and unpolished. While some appreciate the story and crafting elements, the overall consensus is that the gameplay detracts significantly from the potential enjoyment of the game.
- “Although brought down by admittedly janky gameplay and a few bugs, the game is very much playable and rewarding.”
- “If you can look past its shortcomings, the survival-stealth-action hybrid gameplay is worth playing this game for.”
- “The gameplay so far is fun - a little crafting to make traps and gadgets and a lot of sneaking around to avoid unnecessary conflict.”
- “Gameplay is mid on console because the wanzers feel meh and turning feels unresponsive, slow, sluggish...”
- “The stealth mechanics are bare bones, the enemy AI is barely passable, and the combat is annoying - more so thanks to the ammo starvation.”
- “It's a stealth-action game with terrible stealth mechanics, boring combat system, and stupid AI (worst part is saving survivors).”
graphics
213 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
61%
20%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they feel outdated and reminiscent of last-generation titles, often comparing them to PS3-era visuals. While some appreciate the art style and character models, others criticize the poor optimization and frequent performance issues, leading to crashes and low frame rates even on high-end systems. Overall, the graphical quality is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's potential despite its interesting story and mechanics.
- “What we have here is the bare bones of a great game: got that stealth action, crafting traps and medical supplies, mech combat, really nice stylized graphics and effects, choices having consequences and interesting and adequately written characters.”
- “Graphics are really nice, the character models are top notch.”
- “The cutscenes, voice acting, and graphics is truly something everyone should experience.”
- “Every time I lowered the graphics, it hard crashed itself, even with default graphics settings. I went lower, capped the frame rate to 30 fps... crash... crash... crash... crash.”
- “The first thing you're going to notice is the PS3/360 era graphics, then the horrendous controls, then the disgusting UI, and lastly, you're going to see that the game simply isn't fun.”
- “Graphics feel like 2010, and that's with a 1080 Ti maxed out. There are also many occurrences of frame rate drops.”
optimization
154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
56%
36%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including long texture loading times, inconsistent frame rates, and frequent stuttering, even on high-end hardware. While some users managed to achieve decent performance by adjusting settings, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized for PC, often feeling like a rushed port from the PS4 version. Many reviewers express hope for future patches to address these issues, but currently, the game's optimization is considered one of its major flaws.
- “The performance is decent... I have a GTX 1080 inside a 3-year-old laptop and with everything nearly set to the max, it runs at 60 fps with a few dips.”
- “Bought this game last night and installed it; the game was pretty sluggish even on the lowest settings, but I fixed this by adding the game to my graphics card settings and turning off all the anti-aliasing settings. The game now runs smoothly.”
- “This game has the groundwork for something very good, but at the time of this review, the game runs really badly on very high-end hardware, which can only be concluded as poor optimization. Despite all the good stuff in the game, if the performance is bad, none of the good stuff really matters.”
- “It's a shame how badly optimized this game is.”
- “Game runs terribly, very poorly optimized.”
- “I want to like this game, but at the current level of optimization, the game is unplayable.”
music
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
50%
8%
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with many praising its emotional depth and ability to enhance the atmosphere, reminiscent of the Metal Gear series. Composed by Hidenori Iwasaki, the soundtrack effectively complements the game's narrative and moments, although some players noted that it is not always prominent during gameplay. Overall, while the music is appreciated, it is often overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and issues.
- “Amazing soundtrack written by Hidenori Iwasaki (composer of Front Mission 4 and 5), characters designed by Yoji Shinkawa, good story and cool mechs (wanzers).”
- “The soundtrack felt just right since the beginning.”
- “Some of the songs were really sad, which they were supposed to be, given the context where the characters are.”
- “It's just that I don't play games just to hear music.”
- “I did not put much time into the game, but I can tell you now, if I have to hear 'caution: the enemy is approaching' every single time I sneak past someone, then I'd sooner just turn some music on max and let it wash out everything else.”
- “I have had to run across areas quickly hoping not to be spotted or have to hide quickly because I was spotted, and other than the music, I have no way of knowing if I am being followed.”
humor
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
7%
The humor in the game is largely derived from its clunky mechanics and absurd AI behaviors, which many players find amusing despite the overall poor performance and design. While some aspects, like the dialogue and weapon animations, are unintentionally funny, the game's charm lies in its ability to entertain through its numerous glitches and ridiculous scenarios. Overall, players recommend enjoying the game for its comedic value, especially when purchased at a discount.
- “The game is clunky; the behavior of enemies is laughable. The game is bad, but in a funny way, so I'll keep it and play it for fun.”
- “Spawning enemies out of nowhere is also hilarious, and not to mention the (nonexistent) stealth system!”
- “It's all style over substance in the best possible way. The controls are awful and gimp you, but it's balanced by the hilarious AI. You know how they used to talk about stealth game villains having goldfish memories?”
- “I see that it is on sale, so I gave this a try, but this is so bad; it just is not funny.”
monetization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is heavily criticized for its excessive and poorly integrated advertisements, particularly for World of Tanks, which detracts from the overall experience. Players find the placement of these ads unrealistic and distracting, often feeling that they clutter the game environment rather than enhance it. While some ads can be disabled by uninstalling specific DLC, the overwhelming presence of advertisements remains a significant point of contention among users.
- “It's basically a janky Metal Gear wannabe that has its moments, though the game really falls short with its bugs and distracting advertisements.”
- “There are World of Tanks ads everywhere in the game to the point where it's comical.”
- “I don't like that they have World of Tanks content in here; this is a separate game. Why are they using it as advertisement?”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its poor stability, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and unoptimized performance leading to freezing and stuttering. Players have expressed frustration over the lack of support from the developers, contributing to a negative reception. Overall, the game's stability issues significantly detract from the experience.
- “It's a buggy, un-optimised mess of a game and it's sitting at negative reviews for a very good reason.”
- “So since there's no word from the publishers or even acknowledgement of the glitches nor Square Enix actually has a good track record for PC support, I may as well just refund this and move on.”
- “Has some issues with stability as the game freezes or stutters at times.”
character development
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The character development in the game is praised for its strong design, heavily influenced by the Metal Gear series, which enhances the overall atmosphere and tension. However, some reviewers feel that despite the excellent character design, it is underutilized within the game's narrative, suggesting a missed opportunity for deeper character exploration. Overall, the combination of compelling visuals and a gripping story contributes positively to the game's immersive experience.
- “The premise is excellent and good character design is wasted.”
- “Pros: character design, story, soundtrack, atmosphere, tension when you're surrounded by the enemy, it really feels like you're alone and you need to survive, crafting, difficulty, wanzer fights.”
- “While graphics is separate from gameplay, the mecha and a fair amount of character design is great.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its artwork, character design, and the tension it creates, particularly in survival scenarios. However, some reviewers feel that the writing and overall execution fail to convey the intended urgency and depth of the mecha-sci-fi war theme. Despite these shortcomings, the atmosphere remains a highlight for players who appreciate stealth and atmospheric role-playing elements.
- “People, if you enjoy stealth games, atmospheric role-playing, and using brains over bullets to survive, consider picking this hidden gem up!”
- “It's a shame it didn't deliver on its setup because I really dig the artwork and atmosphere.”
- “4/10 atmosphere was good and I liked the looting system.”
- “Pros: character design, story, soundtrack, atmosphere, tension when you're surrounded by the enemy; it really feels like you're alone and you need to survive.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is described as deeply impactful and heartbreaking, evoking strong feelings and a profound sense of place and time throughout the experience.
- “And it's truly heartbreaking.”
- “It made me feel every moment and have a sense of place and time.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unsatisfying, noting that despite a shift from a slow-paced crawler to a faster-paced shooter, the repetitive nature of gameplay and poor AI detract from the overall experience.
- “The AI is bad, and while you have some cool moves, it's just a tedious loop that gives no real satisfaction.”
- “The AI is bad, and while you have some cool moves, it's just a tedious loop that gives no real satisfaction.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express disappointment in the game's replayability, indicating that it does not meet their expectations for varied gameplay experiences.