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Once Alive

Once Alive Game Cover
81%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, replayability
81% User Score Based on 106 reviews

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PCWindows
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Once Alive Game Cover

About Once Alive

Once Alive is a single player open world simulation game with mystery, post-apocalyptic and science fiction themes. It was developed by Cem Boray Yıldırım and was released on November 18, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Part I: THE LAST SURVIVOR Sixteen years have passed since humanity's extinction due to a global virus outbreak. You play as James, who, along with his brother, believes they are the last survivors. However, this changes when he discovers an invitation to a survivors' base, HaustVille. Part II: WHATEVER IT TAKES Determined to find others, the brothers leave everything behind. After a few da…

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Reviews

81%Audience ScoreBased on 106 reviews
story48 positive mentions
optimization6 negative mentions
  • Impressive achievement for a solo developer with well-crafted visuals and engaging atmosphere.
  • Story is intriguing and emotionally resonant, successfully maintaining player interest throughout its short duration.
  • Smooth and simple gameplay mechanics with a well-paced narrative and enjoyable soundtrack that complement the experience.
  • The game is very short and highly linear, with limited interactivity and minimal puzzles, reducing replay value.
  • Technical issues such as graphical stuttering, texture pop-ins, optimization problems, and lack of customizable controls impact immersion.
  • Poor English dialogue and voice acting combined with uncanny facial animations disrupt the game's emotional impact and immersion.

  • story

    111 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 54% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions

    The game's story is generally praised for its emotional depth, engaging atmosphere, and compelling mystery that gradually unravels through exploration and environmental clues, reminiscent of narrative walking simulators like Firewatch. However, many reviewers note that the plot feels rushed or unsatisfying toward the end, with some character development and events lacking clarity or impact. Despite its brevity and occasional flaws, the story effectively immerses players and leaves a lingering emotional impression.

    • “The story resonates long after the credits roll, not because of plot twists or spectacle, but because of the universal feeling it captures—the ache of emptiness, the longing for connection, and the fragile persistence of hope even when the world has ended.”
    • “The story is where the game shines, and the tale is told very well with a nice build up and some tense moments.”
    • “This solo dev game is absolutely amazing, fantastic looking, smooth experience, absolutely amazing storytelling. I already want a sequel. I had such a great experience that lasted a little over 3 hours and it's so worth the price of admission, really good and immersive. Here's to hoping the dev gets the support so he can continue this or another project or both!”
    • “The story was so rushed in my opinion, and with the protagonist basically giving you all of the information instead of you trying to unpack the story for yourself through the notes and messages you were finding, really pulls you out of the immersion in the story.”
    • “The entire rest of the 'game' is just a walking simulator where you don't really uncover the story, you just listen to the main character's internal dialogue as they tell you what is going on.”
    • “The game keeps you on track, it doesn't really let you explore out from the story, it could do some work on more interactions and more things to pick up than just limited story objects.”

  • graphics

    35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    54% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions

    The game's graphics receive consistent praise for their beauty, atmosphere, and polish, especially considering its indie origins and use of Unreal Engine 5. However, some users note occasional stuttering, frame drops, lack of FOV settings, and texture loading issues, which affect performance on mid-range hardware. Overall, the visuals significantly enhance the immersive experience despite minor technical hiccups.

    • “Built using Unreal Engine 5, the game exhibits a level of graphical fidelity that belies its indie origins.”
    • “The graphics are truly remarkable; the attention to detail makes exploring the world a pleasure.”
    • “A nice walking simulator probably 2-3 hrs long on average, the graphics were really nice and had a great atmosphere throughout the game.”
    • “Ok, my biggest graphics gripe is not that the game hammers your GPU, but that it has no FOV setting.”
    • “The game can feel a little rough around the edges in places with some graphical stuttering and frame drops here and there.”
    • “I have a 6GB graphics card and even at medium settings the textures can't all load in at once and have to stream at lower resolutions.”

  • atmosphere

    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    67% positive mentions, 20% neutral mentions, 13% negative mentions

    The game is widely praised for its strong and immersive atmosphere, characterized by beautiful visuals, effective lighting, and a fitting soundtrack that evoke a mood of melancholy and introspection. Its quiet, contemplative pacing and environmental storytelling create a captivating experience typical of walking simulators, though some note a desire for more atmospheric sounds and deeper worldbuilding toward the end. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature that deeply engages players throughout the brief, emotional journey.

    • “This 2 hour long experience exceeded expectations, constantly providing a beautiful atmosphere through both interior and exterior scenes.”
    • “Rather than overwhelming the player with mechanics, Once Alive relies on its atmosphere, visuals, and gradual storytelling to evoke a lingering sense of melancholy and curiosity.”
    • “The environmental design and lighting significantly enhance the atmosphere, delivering a more immersive experience.”
    • “Story was sort of compelling at the beginning, because the premise is pretty interesting and it does build up a certain atmosphere, but there's no characterization, much description, or details.”
    • “This is a walking simulator, so the atmosphere is crucial.”
    • “But all in all, it's a solid walking simulator with an atmosphere similar to 'Everybody's Gone to the Rapture'.”

  • gameplay

    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    22% positive mentions, 61% neutral mentions, 17% negative mentions

    The gameplay is minimalist and slow-paced, focusing mainly on walking and light puzzles to support the story rather than providing mechanical depth. While some mechanics feel underdeveloped and basic, the smooth and simple gameplay effectively complements the game's strong atmosphere, visuals, and narrative. Overall, it offers an easy, immersive experience best appreciated for its mood and storytelling rather than complex gameplay.

    • “One final thing about the game I did like is the regular autosaving, taking one more interaction mechanic out of the way to let you just get on with playing.”
    • “The core gameplay of Once Alive is minimalist and deliberately slow-paced.”
    • “The mechanics are simple yet smooth, allowing the game to maintain its pacing seamlessly.”
    • “But then the QTE mechanic never gets re-used again!”
    • “Some of them feel underdeveloped, hinting at a larger gameplay system that never fully materializes.”
    • “Boring gameplay with no real problem solving.”

  • music

    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    76% positive mentions, 18% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions

    The music in the game is consistently praised for its atmospheric and soothing qualities, blending piano and ambient sounds to enhance the mood and narrative. The soundtrack effectively complements the visuals and voiceovers, creating an immersive and pleasant experience overall. Despite some technical issues reported by a few players, the music is considered a strong and enjoyable aspect of the game.

    • “The soundtrack complements this design beautifully, blending sparse piano notes with atmospheric drones that heighten both the sorrow and serenity of the experience.”
    • “The soundtrack is amazing and I loved the voice overs.”
    • “The cinematography, environments and music were a joy to be immersed in.”

  • emotional

    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers a deeply atmospheric and emotionally evocative narrative, using creative storytelling techniques like “speech echoes” and dynamic lighting to enhance its introspective tone. Its linear structure delivers a powerful, concentrated emotional impact centered on themes of family and brotherly love, making it a moving experience despite its simplicity.

    • “Ist is a deeply atmospheric first-person narrative experience that trades action and complexity for quiet introspection and emotional storytelling.”
    • “These ghostly traces, known as “speech echoes,” are used to reveal the emotional texture of the world—a creative way to communicate human presence in a space now devoid of life.”
    • “A short but emotional story about brotherly love and the importance of family.”

  • optimization

    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 75% negative mentions

    The game suffers from optimization issues, causing stuttering, frame drops, and occasional texture pop-ins, especially at higher graphics settings and specific areas like near the river. This leads to increased PC fan noise and potential overheating concerns, impacting overall performance and player experience.

    • “My only big issue is that for whatever reason this game's performance can be a little iffy, causing my computer fans to kick up to high and stay there regularly, making me worry about what the game is doing to my PC.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized and drops frames in some areas, particularly around the river.”
    • “The game exhibited stuttering at the epic graphics settings, so I slightly lowered the graphics settings.”

  • replayability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Once Alive offers a brief experience with limited replay value, focusing more on its atmospheric impact and thought-provoking narrative than on encouraging multiple playthroughs.

    • “Once Alive is not a long game, often taking just a few hours to complete, and it offers little in the way of replay value.”
    • “The game’s impact lies not in its replayability but in the atmosphere it creates and the lingering questions it leaves behind.”

  • stability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game shows promising visuals but suffers from severe stability issues, including crashes that lead to blue screen errors. While minor bugs are tolerable, these critical crashes significantly impact the overall experience and warrant caution.

    • “The game looked good, the soundtrack was okay, but after a few restarts it kept crashing my PC and causing the blue screen of death. I asked for a refund. I know only one person made the game and did a good job on the part I could play, but for now I have to give it a thumbs down. I can tolerate bugs and glitches, but the blue screen of death is a no-go for me. Sorry, wish the game worked; it looked good from what I could play.”
    • “It looks good in game as well apart from graphical glitches.”
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Play Times

3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Once Alive is a open world simulation game with mystery, post-apocalyptic and science fiction themes. Common tags for Once Alive include first-person, 3D, indie, exploration, emotional and others.

Once Alive is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Once Alive.

Once Alive was released on November 18, 2024.

Once Alive was developed by Cem Boray Yıldırım.

Once Alive has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Once Alive for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

Once Alive is a single player game.

Similar games include Investigator, The Station, Aporia: Beyond The Valley, The Descendant, Tacoma and others.