Left Alone

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 738 reviews
  • story
  • atmosphere
  • graphics
Left Alone Game Cover
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"Left Alone" is a story-driven first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world. Players take on the role of private investigator John McLane, navigating a desolate city and unraveling a mystery surrounding a powerful corporation. The game features volumetric lighting and weather effects, creating a unique and immersive atmosphere. Combat is strategic, with limited ammo and a focus on stealth and cover. Exploration and puzzle-solving also play a significant role in the gameplay.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 738 reviews
story136 positive mentions
stability24 negative mentions
  • The game delivers a refreshing take on psychological horror, focusing on atmosphere and storytelling rather than jump scares.
  • The sound design and eerie music significantly contribute to the immersive atmosphere, creating a sense of dread throughout the game.
  • The narrative is well-crafted, with engaging puzzles that enhance the overall experience, making it a worthwhile play for fans of the genre.
  • The save system is frustrating, with infrequent checkpoints that can lead to losing significant progress if the game is exited.
  • Some puzzles can feel tedious and require excessive backtracking, which may detract from the overall enjoyment.
  • The ending is abrupt and leaves many questions unanswered, which can be disappointing for players seeking closure.
  • story378 mentions

    The story of *Left Alone* is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its atmospheric and engaging narrative that unfolds organically, while others criticize it for being clichéd or poorly executed, particularly in its ending. Some found the plot intriguing and filled with suspense, but many felt that the twists were either predictable or left them confused, detracting from the overall experience. Despite its shortcomings, the game is noted for its unique approach to psychological horror, relying on atmosphere rather than jump scares, which some players found refreshing.

    • “The story is well-crafted and unfolds organically, maintaining cohesion throughout without spoon-feeding its underlying themes.”
    • “The story is a fascinating and clever one and as this progresses you cannot put this game down without finishing it.”
    • “The story has an interesting twist and it makes 'Left Alone' stand out from the ocean of horror games out there at the moment and it's a fantastic game as a whole.”
    • “The 'story' is near non-existent; I won't put any spoilers here, but this is the main reason I got the game and was massively disappointed.”
    • “The initial story of the game, about some terrible goings-on in a high school, was pretty intriguing and went into some disturbing depths, but the ending just left me confused and disappointed.”
    • “The whole story is nonsensically told through scattered notes... the game has such an unrealistic feel to it; it all feels so scripted, so artificial.”
  • atmosphere268 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Left Alone" is widely praised for its immersive and unsettling qualities, effectively building tension through exceptional sound design and eerie music rather than relying on jump scares. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a sense of dread and suspense, with many noting that the atmospheric elements significantly enhance the overall experience, making it a compelling choice for fans of psychological horror. Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics and story clarity, the game's haunting ambiance and engaging puzzles leave a lasting impression.

    • “The unsettling audio effects and eerie music contribute significantly to the immersive atmosphere, creating a sense of dread that lingers throughout.”
    • “The atmosphere, sounds, level design all are perfect.”
    • “It does a great job relying on building an atmosphere of unease to scare you, rather than constant jump scares.”
    • “No suspense, no atmosphere and no character lead to zero immersion.”
    • “Tldr? - trash gameplay mechanics, trash 'story', no scares at all, no atmosphere, no immersion and no imagination or originality.”
    • “These last two points are the real issue with the game, an unsettling atmosphere becomes mundane/boring if you make someone walk around the same environment for an extended period of time with nothing really changing up as you search for what will push the game forward.”
  • graphics148 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the crisp visuals and atmospheric design, particularly in certain environments like the school, while others criticize them as dated or lacking depth. Many reviewers note that while the graphics are decent and contribute to the eerie atmosphere, they are not groundbreaking and can suffer from glitches or poor optimization. Overall, the visuals are seen as a strong point for some, but a letdown for others, reflecting a range of experiences from impressive to mediocre.

    • “The graphics were fantastic - visually this game is beautiful to look at.”
    • “Environments are absolutely beautiful, and the textures through all the different areas are wonderfully worn and dilapidated, giving it that haunting age and depth.”
    • “From the minute I began, I noticed the visuals/graphics were crisp and extremely well detailed and this persisted throughout the playthrough.”
    • “Graphically, the game is awful; glitches are plentiful and the lighting looks like a bad PS1 game.”
    • “It plays like a high school freshman's computer project in terms of graphics, gameplay, immersion, and depth.”
    • “The long version: yes, the start might be a bit pale, the graphics might look quite outdated, the sound effects are far below the level of Outlast or Soma.”
  • gameplay98 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the clever puzzles and atmospheric elements, while others criticize the mechanics as clunky and buggy. The flashlight and battery system adds tension but can also frustrate due to its execution, and the overall experience is marred by repetitive backtracking and a lack of meaningful consequences. Despite these issues, many find the game worth the price for its engaging story and immersive atmosphere, albeit with a few shortcomings in execution.

    • “I love the story and how the gameplay has been set out to give you creeps without depending purely on jumpscares.”
    • “Clever puzzles and problem solving made the gameplay effective and a great experience.”
    • “The sound effects, lighting, and the flashlight/battery mechanic kept my heart racing for much of the time, but not so much as to interfere with my ability to solve the rewarding puzzles/riddles.”
    • “It plays like a high school freshman's computer project in terms of graphics, gameplay, immersion, and depth.”
    • “Base gameplay is absolute trash; the movement is terrible and clunky, and movement is all you will be doing as backtrack after backtrack after backtrack in the same environment over and over again. Also, there is an invisible stamina bar, so you have to walk most of the time instead of run, obviously added in to make the game take longer.”
    • “This game shirks decades of basic UI and gameplay development in its genre.”
  • music52 mentions

    The music and sound design in the game are widely praised for their ability to create an immersive and unsettling atmosphere, enhancing the overall sense of dread. Many reviewers noted that the ambient sounds and eerie music effectively contribute to the game's tension, often feeling more like a haunted house soundtrack than traditional music. While some found the audio elements to be beautifully atmospheric, others felt that the game ultimately fell short in its conclusion, despite the strong audio experience.

    • “The sound in this game is absolutely fantastic, with the sound effects and music being on point.”
    • “The scary and amazing atmosphere is more or less entirely built on sound and music, respectively on light and darkness.”
    • “This was also followed by stunning sound effects and music which were clear and fit the tone of the game perfectly.”
    • “Basically just a bunch of running around with spooky music and suddenly appearing easels with cryptic 'scary' messages on them... just when it was getting good they end it with a very boring ending... serious let down.”
    • “It's honestly more of a haunted house soundtrack than actual music most of the time, but this aids in wrapping up the game's already haunting and tense atmosphere together.”
    • “It's not scary at all, just the music.”
  • stability24 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of bugs that disrupt gameplay, including broken mechanics, graphical glitches, and frustrating auto-save issues. Players frequently encounter nonsensical puzzles and get stuck in areas due to these glitches, leading to significant time loss and immersion-breaking experiences. While a few users noted minimal issues, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial polish to improve its stability.

    • “Game mechanics are incredibly buggy and at certain points stop working entirely.”
    • “Graphically, the game is awful; glitches are plentiful and the lighting looks like a bad PS1 game.”
    • “Unfortunately, a series of glitches caused me to spend nearly 7 hours on a game I should have been able to beat in around 3.5 hours tops.”
  • grinding20 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious, particularly due to repetitive puzzle-solving and prolonged interactions that disrupt the flow. While some players find the initial segments and certain puzzles frustrating, others note that the game improves significantly once players reach the school, filled with jump scares and engaging events. Overall, the experience is marred by a sense of monotony, especially in the early stages.

    • “Most of the time I was forced to wait for an interaction to finish, which was very tedious.”
    • “Puzzles were not logically thought out, and combined with the required 'wait for the scary thing to happen', it got pretty tedious.”
    • “Well, ok... the word is that the game gets good once you get into the school, but after an hour of really tedious walking around the woods, I couldn't be bothered.”
  • humor12 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of dark and self-aware moments, with some players appreciating the stalker's quirky messages and a few laugh-out-loud instances. However, the overall comedic tone is often overshadowed by a sense of disappointment and confusion regarding the plot's explanations, leading to a jarring experience that fluctuates between humor and frustration.

    • “The stalker even had a sense of humor as he was leaving messages written on whiteboards.”
    • “One borderline-hilarious 'look-behind-you' moment was a jarring shift of tone halfway through, but thankfully the game got back on rails again after that.”
    • “The game also had a few funny, self-aware moments that I appreciated.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    The game effectively explores themes of reality and the impact of physical and emotional trauma, creating a pervasive sense of unease through well-placed scares. While some puzzles can be frustrating, the overall experience is enjoyable and thought-provoking, making it a worthwhile purchase for players seeking an emotional journey.

    • “It could've been an interesting exploration of 'what is reality?' and how physical and emotional trauma can screw with that.”
    • “Really good game, a few nice scares made me feel generally uneasy at all times, worth a buy for sure!”
    • “Pretty enjoyable game, even if it made me feel like an idiot on occasions.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization receives mixed reviews; while many players appreciate the smooth performance and captivating story, some report issues such as subpar graphics on lower-end hardware and occasional frame stuttering. There are indications that optimization could be improved in certain areas.

    • “Great ambience and sound, runs smoothly, story is fairly captivating.”
    • “Optimization is not good; even with my GTX 960M, the game is only playable on medium settings, and the graphics are not good.”
    • “The whole time I played, the only glitch I ran into was frame stuttering, and it happened only a few times.”
    • “There are a spot or two where optimization could have been better.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    The game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with users noting that it is entirely scripted and offers no achievements or incentives to replay beyond the initial experience. Most players feel that there is little to no value in revisiting the game after completing it.

    • “There is no sense of urgency, as everything is 100% scripted, so there is no replay value.”
    • “I also don't see much replay value in this beyond the first level.”
    • “There is no replay value or achievements.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

3hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
3-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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