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Over the Alps

Over the Alps is more for those who enjoy reading and watching a story unfold than those seeking good mystery gameplay. Go in with that in mind, and its fun interface, quality writing, and unique art will carry you through.
Over the Alps Game Cover
86%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
replayability, grinding
93% User Score Based on 135 reviews
Critic Score 68%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

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Over the Alps Game Cover

About

Over the Alps is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Stave Studios and was released on March 31, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

In Over the Alps, players assume the role of a British spy in the 1930s, navigating through the Swiss Alps to complete missions and avoid detection. The game features a choose-your-own-adventure style narrative with multiple endings, and allows players to travel by train, boat, and on foot. With stunning hand-drawn art and a focus on stealth and strategy, Over the Alps offers a unique and engaging spy experience.

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Over the Alps screenshot
Over the Alps screenshot
Over the Alps screenshot
Over the Alps screenshot
Over the Alps screenshot
Over the Alps screenshot
Over the Alps screenshot
Over the Alps screenshot
Over the Alps screenshot
Over the Alps screenshot
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93%
Audience ScoreBased on 135 reviews
story42 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful artwork and a charming postcard aesthetic that enhances the storytelling experience.
  • The writing is engaging and well-crafted, providing a fun and immersive narrative that keeps players interested.
  • The game offers multiple choices that can lead to different outcomes, allowing for replayability and exploration of various character traits.
  • The game suffers from pacing issues, with climaxes occurring too early and leading to a second half that feels drawn out and less engaging.
  • There is a lack of a tutorial or clear instructions, making it difficult for players to understand the mechanics and choices at the start.
  • The promised third story has not been released, leaving players feeling that the game is incomplete and potentially disappointing for those who expected more content.
  • story
    141 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging writing and charming presentation, while others criticize its pacing and predictability. The first story is noted for its more generic spy plot but better pacing, while the second story introduces a more intriguing plot that ultimately falls flat due to an anticlimactic mid-point climax and a reliance on repetitive chase scenarios. Overall, while the narrative offers some replayability and player agency, many feel that the choices made do not significantly alter the outcome, leading to a sense of linearity in the storytelling.

    • “It was a fantastic game with a captivating storyline, and the choices were challenging at times.”
    • “A well-written, engaging, and possibly even romantic spy story.”
    • “The story really feels like yours to follow as you please, and could go any number of ways, all set against the tense and beautiful backdrop of the Swiss Alps at the start of the war...”
    • “Unfortunately, the game tends to reveal the climax of plot points way too early, dedicating the rest of your playtime to scenarios where 'you have to chase person x, but person y is also chasing them, get there first.'”
    • “The story climaxes not at the ending, but at the very middle, leaving a second half that is yet another chase scenario without really anything exciting to anticipate.”
    • “Both stories had pacing issues and an over-reliance on scenarios where 'you have to chase person x, but person y is also chasing them, get there first,' but your progress wouldn’t ultimately matter due to the linearity of the story.”
  • graphics
    62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game are widely praised for their charming, postcard-like aesthetic, which effectively complements the storytelling and atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the beautiful, simplistic art style and its ability to evoke the 1930s setting, creating an immersive experience. While some note that the graphics are not overly complex, they are described as stylish and fitting, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “The aesthetics and visual presentation are top-notch, with everything taking the form of art deco postcards and travel posters.”
    • “The graphics give a wonderful charm to an enthralling story in which the player has an impressive amount of agency.”
    • “Over the Alps is an expertly written espionage adventure that completely embodies its theme and setting in every way possible, from the beautifully illustrated postcard-like graphics through to the pleasingly authentic sound and music.”
    • “The cut-scene graphics are cute but add little to the experience.”
    • “Pretty but graphically a bit simplistic, atmospheric choose-your-own-adventure.”
    • “The graphics are cute and atmospheric, and although simple, they have an effective way of complementing the story and dialogue.”
  • music
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting that it complements the visuals and storytelling effectively. While some found the sparse use of music to be a missed opportunity, those who appreciated it highlighted the quality of the tracks and ambient sounds, which evoke a strong sense of immersion. Overall, the soundtrack is described as well-crafted, though some players wished for more frequent musical elements to heighten tension and drama.

    • “The art style and music are perfect at setting the tone of the situations and stories.”
    • “The music and art are stunning!”
    • “The graphics and the soundtrack create a truly unique and immersive ambiance.”
    • “The soundtrack: mostly ambient noise (inns, street, train...) and not much music.”
    • “I would have liked to have heard more music, creating tension and drama where applicable.”
    • “It’s a shame that there wasn’t more soundtrack in the game.”
  • gameplay
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by a charming postcard writing mechanic that encourages player choice within a polished narrative framework, though it lacks a tutorial, leading to a learning curve through trial and error. While the mechanics are simple and the art is stunning, some players find the interface initially confusing and the supplemental mechanics somewhat underwhelming. Overall, the game excels in storytelling and atmosphere, appealing more to those who appreciate narrative depth than traditional gameplay challenges.

    • “Lovely, quick to play narrative game with simple mechanics and a pitch-perfect tone.”
    • “The mechanics of the game are deceptively simple on first blush, what is essentially a linear narrative with some subtle branching allowing for player choice and expression are built on top of a perfectly crafted set of mechanics that feel as though they have been hewn from a long-running board game series.”
    • “Beautiful soundtrack, lovely graphics and intriguing gameplay :)”
    • “Absence of a tutorial or hover labels meant learning this game mechanic through trial and error.”
    • “The only annoying thing is that you might find it hard at first to figure out the interface, for example, how to advance stuff, since there's no gameplay UI or tutorial, but nothing too bad.”
    • “The game begins by thrusting you into the middle of a quite complex plot with no real understanding of the key players or the mechanical constraints you're working with.”
  • atmosphere
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its evocative representation of the 1930s Alps, enhanced by charming visuals, immersive sound design, and a compelling art style. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of audio and visual elements that create a captivating experience, particularly in the context of espionage and historical settings. While some note the graphics are simplistic, they still contribute positively to the overall atmospheric experience, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The overall presentation, visuals, and atmosphere are charming and scenic.”
    • “The combination of sounds and ideas can feel very atmospheric; for example, maybe you're hopping off a train and in the background you can faintly hear the steam engine cooling down, or maybe you hear the bustle of a small alpine cafe in which you find yourself.”
    • “Great atmosphere, great audio that underlines the atmosphere and the background theme of espionage in Switzerland during WWII, or right before, is great.”
    • “While it doesn't quite reach those heights, the presentation is lovely, the story simple but touching, and the atmosphere very evocative of mittelleuropa on the eve of war.”
    • “The atmosphere, situations, and art are all done right.”
    • “The overall presentation, visuals, and atmosphere is charming and scenic.”
  • emotional
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its touching story and evocative presentation, which effectively captures the atmosphere of pre-war Europe. While the dialogue choices may occasionally lack emotional resonance, the well-crafted characterizations and meaningful consequences of player decisions contribute to a rich emotional experience, allowing for diverse role-playing opportunities and deepening relationships with other characters. Overall, the game successfully evokes a range of emotional highs and lows, enhancing player engagement.

    • “The presentation is lovely, the story simple but touching.”
    • “Extremely well written, packed full of interesting choices and meaningful consequences, peppered with emotional highs and lows.”
    • “Your choice affects the character's emotional transformation, his relationship with others, and helps to more deeply reveal the story.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers good replayability, particularly due to its multiple endings and the opportunity to explore different story paths, although the main events remain consistent. Players appreciate the well-written narrative that encourages revisiting the game to experience alternative outcomes. Overall, while some uncertainty exists regarding the extent of replay value, many find it worthwhile to replay.

    • “Each has between 3 to 5 acts, and I think replayability is good, especially if you are interested in seeing how the story would unfold if you played a bit differently.”
    • “I have encountered more of the story than just going through the first time, so I definitely think that there is some replay value to this game.”
    • “I just don't know how replayable it is.”
    • “+ Multiple endings available for some replay value—please keep in mind the main events do not change.”
    • “Short and sweet, but replayable, and very well written.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by charming writing that blends wit and warmth, reminiscent of classic adventure stories. Players appreciate the well-crafted dialogue and the comedic elements woven throughout the narrative, enhancing the overall experience of the choose-your-adventure format.

    • “The writing reads like the best old adventure classic you've never read and manages to pack punch, warmth, humor, and pathos in short paragraphs and postcard-length mini-episodes.”
    • “As any choose-your-adventure story goes, the writing is the most important, and playing through, you can tell that the story is crafted in detail and is quite funny to read through.”
    • “The dialogue is funny and well written; for a text-based adventure, this is a must.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly when it leads to choosing "wrong" paths that necessitate restarting the game to explore alternative outcomes. This frustration is amplified by the availability of numerous other engaging games, making the grinding feel outdated and unnecessary.

    • “It suffers from the same problems as those books, where you can end up choosing the 'wrong' path, suggesting you should restart the whole thing just to see how it could otherwise go. This is entirely tedious and not worth it in the 21st century when hundreds of other great games exist.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
    • “I found myself spending hours on tasks that felt meaningless, which really detracted from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is highlighted through interactive relationship building, where players engage with characters via dialogue and action choices, allowing for a nuanced exploration of their personalities and growth.

    • “The game is an exploration in iterative relationship building and character development through little snippets of dialogue and action options that you pick as the player.”
    • “The depth of character development is impressive, allowing players to form meaningful connections and witness the growth of each character throughout the story.”
    • “I love how the choices I make influence the characters' development, making each playthrough feel unique and personal.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, leaving me wanting more complexity.”
    • “The choices you make in dialogue seem to have little impact on character growth, which is disappointing.”
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68%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Over the Alps is a role playing game.

Over the Alps is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Phone and others.

Over the Alps was released on March 31, 2020.

Over the Alps was developed by Stave Studios.

Over the Alps has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Over the Alps is a single player game.

Similar games include Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos, Subsurface Circular, Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York, Omen Exitio: Plague, The Detail and others.