Simple Story: Alex

About

"Simple Story: Alex" is a narrative-driven adventure game where players help Alex, a young adult, navigate through personal and professional challenges. The game features choices that impact Alex's relationships, career, and overall well-being. With a simple art style and point-and-click mechanics, players explore various environments, engage in conversations, and make decisions that shape Alex's future. Note: The character count for this summary is 238, excluding spaces and punctuation.

Genres & Tags

Adventure

Play Modes

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

54%

Audience ScoreBased on 256 reviews

story26 positive mentions

gameplay9 negative mentions

The game features a short and simple story that can be completed in under 30 minutes, making it a quick play.
It offers easy achievements, which can be appealing for completionists looking to boost their profile.
The game attempts to tackle serious themes such as alcoholism and personal struggles, which some players found relatable.

The English translation is poorly executed, filled with grammatical errors and awkward phrasing that detracts from the experience.
Gameplay is repetitive and lacks depth, primarily consisting of interacting with objects to progress the story.
The overall execution feels lazy, with minimal effort put into the graphics and sound design, making it feel like a low-effort project.

story
173 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
76%
9%
The story of "Simple Story - Alex" is generally described as simplistic and somewhat predictable, focusing on the life of an alcoholic named Alex facing personal tragedies. While some players appreciate its emotional depth and the attempt at storytelling, many criticize the execution, noting issues with broken English translations, a lack of originality, and a rushed narrative. Overall, the game offers a brief, interactive experience that may resonate with some players but leaves others feeling underwhelmed.
- “The story is its strongest aspect and even then it's just okay.”
- “The story does tell a narrative that hits the heart and has some unfortunate truths in reality.”
- “A true masterpiece of story development and character writing.”
- “Poorly translated and the story is bland, boring, and unoriginal.”
- “A non-sensical story with an unlikable main character, barely any gameplay, and mediocre stock music.”
- “The gameplay is okay, not challenging, but it's the story that made this game.”
gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
52%
36%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for being repetitive and simplistic, often reduced to mindlessly clicking on objects and completing fetch quests. Many reviewers noted that the gameplay loop is tedious and lacks depth, overshadowed by a focus on the story rather than engaging mechanics. Overall, while some appreciated the narrative aspect, the gameplay itself was deemed uninteresting and lacking in challenge.
- “The gameplay is okay, not challenging, but it's the story that made this game.”
- “Quick and cute little game with simple yet engaging gameplay.”
- “I love short indie games with narrative-heavy, gameplay-light focus but this just wasn't it.”
- “Overall, cheap and okay story; gameplay is a very boring loop.”
- “The gameplay itself made me want to quit, but I knew beforehand the game was small, so I just went with it. Nothing special to do, simple tasks that take no effort or skill, completely repetitive.”
- “Gameplay consists almost entirely of poking every object on screen and the occasional fetch quest; with that said, it's a story-driven game, so the 'gameplay' isn't the focus.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The graphics are generally described as standard for RPG Maker titles, featuring basic 2D pixel art that some players find acceptable but lacking in resolution options. While the art style is considered decent by some, it is often criticized for being simplistic and reminiscent of retro graphics, with many reviewers noting issues like poor translation and overall visual quality. Overall, the visuals do not stand out and are seen as a typical representation of RPG Maker games.
- “Visuals: it's a standard affair pixel style, but props to the dev for making Alex actually look unhealthy and run down.”
- “The graphics were in the typical 2D RPG Maker style, which was fine.”
- “Graphics are standard for projects made on RPG Maker.”
- “The graphics are from RPG Maker, which isn't a problem; they're not bad at all. The issue is the resolution that can't be changed.”
- “The graphics, audio, controls, and menus are all similar to what you have seen before.”
- “RPG Maker asset flips, terrible retro pixel graphics, the clunky RPG Maker engine, and a poor story with an even worse English translation get you further proof that Valve really, really needs some quality control.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's music is largely limited to the launch screen, with minimal in-game audio, often described as typical RPG Maker-style beats. While some players found the soundtrack enjoyable for an indie title, others criticized it as generic and lacking depth, contributing to an overall sense of mediocrity in the game's presentation.
- “Well, for the super cheap price, it's a cool game. I do recommend it if you want to have fun for at least some couple of minutes; also, the music was so cool. As an indie game, I rate it a 7/10.”
- “Fun little game, with good writing and music.”
- “The bits of music and sound effects here and there are nice, but the ending was a bit unexpected for me.”
- “The game has music on the launch screen but no music at all during the rest of the game.”
- “A nonsensical story with an unlikable main character, barely any gameplay, and mediocre stock music.”
- “No music aside from a clock ticking.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
38%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding amusement in the poorly executed translations and awkward dialogue, which can lead to unintentional laughs. However, many reviews criticize the overall comedic attempts as lacking depth and coherence, often describing the humor as "terrible" or "joyless." While there are moments of genuine humor, they are overshadowed by the game's numerous flaws, leaving a sense of disappointment among players.
- “It has a nice atmosphere with a mediocre story and funny moments.”
- “The translation to English also adds some humor, as it's good enough to understand yet bad enough to be funny at times.”
- “I ended up chuckling at some of the deep parts of the plot due to the spelling errors.”
- “The attempts at fourth wall breaking are awful and unfunny.”
- “There are too many text boxes for even the simplest of actions, which makes the humor feel forced and tedious.”
- “The humor relies on broken English and default RPG Maker assets, which detracts from the overall experience.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The emotional impact of the game is largely criticized, with users finding the story boring and poorly written, leading to feelings of frustration rather than the intended emotional engagement. Despite potential for a meaningful experience, the lack of compelling narrative and trivial gameplay objectives detracts from any emotional resonance.
- “With a proper revamp, I could see this game being a nice emotional trip.”
- “The writing, on the other hand, really made me feel enraged.”
- “The story is supposed to be touching, although I don't feel anything after I read it.”
- “The story is broken and lacks depth, making it feel boring and unengaging.”
- “The narrative is dull, with meaningless gaming goals like collecting 10 coconuts, 8 boxes, and 15 flowers.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be minimal, with some tasks feeling senseless but not overly tedious. While the gameplay can become repetitive, the story improves as you progress, making the experience more engaging over time.
- “It's short; some of the tasks it throws at you are senseless but not grindy, and the story isn't particularly deep but gets better as you play.”
- “As for the gameplay, it was less play, and more tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It's short, some of the tasks it throws at you are senseless but not grindy.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for feeling like a cash grab, with a rushed story and simplistic design that detracts from the overall experience. Players express disappointment in the game's reliance on basic RPG Maker tools, suggesting a lack of depth and effort in its development.
- “A lot of the story - if we can call it that - is heavily rushed and overall the so-called 'game' just seems like a developer making a cash grab.”
- “Made using the godawful RPG Maker (so simple a child can use it... yes, that's their actual advertising), simple story - Alex isn't a JRPG despite using the engine.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a mixed experience with stability; while some found no bugs or glitches during extensive gameplay, others criticized the game as poorly written and buggy.
- “Simple story - Alex is a poorly written and buggy RPG.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The game offers minimal replayability, primarily limited to players seeking to complete missed achievements from their initial playthrough.
- “The game offers a multitude of choices that significantly alter the storyline, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
- “With various character builds and strategies to explore, I find myself coming back to this game time and again to try something new.”
- “The dynamic world and random events ensure that no two playthroughs are ever the same, keeping the experience exciting and unpredictable.”
- “There's no replayability in this game unless you miss some achievements during your first run.”
- “The game feels linear, and once you've completed it, there's little incentive to go back.”
- “After finishing the main story, I found no reason to replay the game; it lacks different paths or choices.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere is generally praised for its pleasantness, providing an enjoyable backdrop despite a mediocre story, complemented by humorous moments.
- “The atmosphere is captivating, drawing you into its immersive world.”
- “The game's ambiance perfectly complements the gameplay, creating a truly engaging experience.”
- “Every detail contributes to a rich atmosphere that keeps you invested in the story.”