Red Alliance
- October 10, 2018
- 2ndUp Studios
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Red Alliance" is a tactical first-person shooter set in a Soviet-themed alternate reality. Players join elite military units and complete objective-based missions, utilizing a wide range of weapons and vehicles. Cooperative gameplay and strategic planning are key to success in this immersive, story-driven experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic old-school shooters, particularly Half-Life 2.
- Despite its rough edges, the game features solid gunplay, a variety of weapons, and engaging gameplay mechanics.
- The developer's passion is evident, and the game is well-optimized for an indie title, providing a fun experience overall.
- The voice acting is often poor and can detract from the overall experience, with many characters lacking lip-syncing.
- The game suffers from balance issues, including scarce ammo and health, making combat frustrating at times.
- The AI is simplistic and can lead to unchallenging gameplay, with enemies often behaving in predictable ways.
- story110 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it generic, cheesy, and poorly executed, often comparing it unfavorably to titles like Half-Life 2. While some appreciate the humor and atmosphere, others criticize the voice acting and dialogue as subpar, suggesting that the game would benefit from a stronger narrative focus. Overall, it seems that while the gameplay is enjoyable, the story is not a strong selling point and may detract from the overall experience for those seeking a compelling narrative.
“Although its polish could use some work, Red Alliance presents a captivating story and gameplay worth playing for any gamers interested in story-driven first-person shooters.”
“I loved the atmosphere of the game; the level design was spot on in increasing the narrative and pushing the player to the finale of the story.”
“Great story, really enjoyed playing this game; reminded me of Half-Life.”
“The story is not worth mentioning in my opinion and it mostly serves to give context to what is going on.”
“It needs a rewrite; in all honesty, the story isn't great and just doesn't work.”
“It was the most tired, played out story imaginable -- a mad doctor, creating zombies!”
- gameplay76 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of classic retro FPS mechanics reminiscent of early 2000s shooters, featuring maze-like levels and a variety of weapons, which some players found engaging despite its basic execution and occasional jankiness. While the game offers enjoyable shooting mechanics and a decent challenge, many reviewers noted that the visuals, animations, and overall polish could be improved, suggesting that more focus on these elements would elevate the experience. Overall, the gameplay is considered solid but could benefit from refinement to enhance immersion and enjoyment.
“Good gameplay, good rhythm and genuinely fun!”
“The gameplay immerses us in a stressful atmosphere and the handling of weapons is enjoyable.”
“Gameplay is simple and clean, nothing over the top, which makes this game less stressful to play and actually enjoyable.”
“However, I wish that the developer had focused more on improving the environment, game mechanics, and models themselves rather than wasting time and money on the story and in-game dialogue and voice acting.”
“Plot is simple as possible, gameplay is really poor, animations and models are really bad.”
“Unless the developers can provide decent gameplay without bullet sponges and crappy weapons, then my vote is thumbs down on this one.”
- graphics60 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the nostalgic and atmospheric visuals, particularly for an indie title, while others note inconsistencies and technical shortcomings, such as character models and NPC animations. Some players appreciate the lighting and reflections, highlighting that the graphics evoke a retro feel reminiscent of late 90s and early 2000s shooters. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good for the game's genre, they fall short of modern AAA standards.
“Nostalgic vibe with nice graphics and effects.”
“And still the game has a lot to offer; it has a nice environment, guns with decent shooting mechanics and animations, beautiful graphics for an indie game of this level, and much more.”
“After many years of development, this indie game reached the light; behind it is visible passion and sweat to crown the devs' dream of making a full game with storyline, stealth is surprisingly good, and after the snow level, the graphics are insane to say the least.”
“Graphics are not on par with 2018 one.”
“Story is bad, dialogs are super cheesy, voice acting is mediocre at best and graphics aren't great, especially character models, but the game is actually fun as an old school FPS.”
“However, it's effectively a terrible version of HL2 with flat level design, inconsistent visuals, mindless and soulless combat, boring cutscenes, and weak attempts at variety.”
- humor24 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its intentionally janky voice acting and corny lines, which many players found amusing rather than off-putting. The villain's humorous dialogue and the game's overall comedic tone, influenced by Russian humor, contribute to a nostalgic and entertaining experience reminiscent of classic shooters. While the humor may be unintentional at times, it adds charm to the low-budget title, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate its quirky style.
“It has super jank voice acting and story, but I thought it was funny, so I didn't mind as much.”
“The big bad guy has some funny lines.”
“This game has a lot of humor; it fills all the holes!”
- atmosphere24 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and suspenseful qualities, enhanced by strong visuals and sound design that contribute to a believable and engaging world. Players appreciate the level design and variety of gameplay approaches, which heighten the narrative experience, while elements of horror add depth to the atmosphere. Although it may not reach the heights of classics like Half-Life 2, it is considered a highly atmospheric experience with retro-futuristic charm and replay value.
“I loved the atmosphere of the game; the level design was spot on in increasing the narrative and pushing the player to the finale of the story.”
“The detailed mapping topped by all original assets, the subtle yet atmospheric lighting, and the clever usage of scripted sequences and in-game dialogues come together nicely to create a believable game world which is also highly pleasing to the eyes.”
“Very good game, reminds me of Half-Life 2; also, the game creates a fantastic horror atmosphere.”
“There are aspects of horror as well which add to the storyline and atmosphere of the game, although the test subjects look a bit strange and there aren't too many variations of them.”
- stability16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report it running well with only minor glitches, others find it buggy and lacking polish. A few users experienced significant issues that required restarts, but many believe these problems will be addressed in future updates.
“It's almost bug-free; I had to restart the game once.”
“It's pretty buggy, and it feels very amateur in some ways.”
“And -1 just because of some glitches but I assume soon they're gonna be fixed.”
“Anyways, aside from some outlandish glitches, the game was kinda fun.”
- music14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is frequently praised for its quality and atmospheric contribution, with standout tracks enhancing the overall experience. However, some reviewers noted a lack of cohesion in the soundtrack, suggesting that while individual pieces are enjoyable, they do not form a unified musical identity. Overall, the music complements the game's retro-futuristic aesthetic and adds to its immersive qualities.
“Top notch level design, superb music and a robust arsenal of beautiful guns has made this an easy recommendation.”
“The soundtrack was so damn good, the villain's death was hilariously bad (but I laughed at that and didn't see it as a terrible negative).”
“Highly atmospheric retro-futuristic old-school FPS with cool music and some small doses of horror and hidden secrets.”
“Similarly, though some of the tracks stand out, there is no cohesive soundtrack to speak of.”
“The sound design includes music and gunshots, which are decent for the most part, but the voice acting isn't very convincing.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance at max settings on mid-range hardware, others experience inconsistent performance and stuttering, requiring them to lower settings for a better experience. Overall, it is considered better optimized than many AAA titles, but issues like low FPS in certain areas and amateurish cutscenes detract from the experience. Despite these flaws, many still find it a worthwhile purchase for fans of indie games reminiscent of the Half-Life style.
“Even at full price it is worth getting, the story is okay but man the gunplay is really fun and some of the voice acting is actually decent. The game runs on Unity yet I could play at max settings with real-time reflections and it was smooth over 60fps. I have an RX 570 and an i7 2600, well optimized indeed. There is even an arcade mode which is purely action intended, loved the weapon models and the gunplay. It also has physics like Half-Life 2, you grab stuff and put boxes on top of each other to make stairs.”
“It even has better optimization than many 'triple A' games.”
“This is a decent low-budget Half-Life style title with bad but hilarious voice acting. My only real complaint is it isn't very well optimized and I had some low FPS in places, but not to the point where it ruined the game overall. If you're looking for something similar to Half-Life and aren't scared off by rough around the edges indie titles, this is a good purchase for the price.”
“Some other miscellaneous problems are the amateurish cutscenes, Deus Ex-tier voice acting, obligatory sloppy vehicle segment, and inconsistent performance.”
“Performance was mediocre at best, and I needed to turn the game down to medium settings for it to not stutter as much.”
“This is not bad or good, but some in-game moments show me that the level optimization is the same as the Source engine uses.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game offers decent replayability through additional modes, unlockable features, and achievements, with a typical playthrough lasting around 4 hours. Players appreciate the alternative modes and increased difficulty, though some express a desire for more content, such as a survival mode or versus mode, to enhance replay value further. Overall, while enjoyable, the game's short length and certain gameplay shortcomings may lead some to seek other options after completion.
“The game clocked in at around 4 hours for my first playthrough and has good replay value (unlockable features/modes, achievements, etc.).”
“Past those, it's an enjoyable game, with some replayability thanks to an alternative mode and harder difficulty.”
“Some big overhauls of the shortcomings could make Red Alliance more playable, in my opinion, but my impression after 1.5 hours was that my time could be better spent playing other games.”
“This is a very nice game actually, but I still hope something like a survival mode can come out in a future update to make this game more replayable. If there is a future update, and if this is a versus mode game, I think it would be much better.”
“Once you complete it, there are some additional game modes that extend the replay value, and the overall presentation is solid for what it is.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a "second life" to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
