GAME OF THE DAY: I Am Alive

In the first of a new daily feature on MCVuk.com, we recommend a recent or upcoming title – be it on console, PC, browser or smartphone – that we reckon is worthy of your time and money.

I Am Alive was once notable for being a digital-only release. But as an increasing number of titles skip a retail release altogether, I Am Live remains relevant for daring to be different form its contemporaries.

That’s not to say it doesn’t draw from recognisable releases. Indeed, even early on the experienced player will recognise influences including Assassin’s Creed, Uncharted and, perhaps most directly, Irem’s PS2 title SOS: The Final Escape.

The setting sees players struggling for survival in an increasingly dystopian world that is attempting to reconcile the aftermath of what is referred to as The Event”. The mysterious events have left the fictional town of Haventon in tatters.

The remaining residents are largely scavengers, who will shoot a stranger as soon as speak to them. Gameplay focuses both on traversing the battered landscape and fending off potential attackers – no mean feat considering the sparseness of ammo.

What’s interesting about the game is how it approaches now standard situations with a slightly different approach. For instance, players are encouraged to refrain from drawing their weapon if faced by multiple enemies. After all, shoot one and his friend will likely take you down.

By the same token, an unloaded pistol is effective as a deterrent against lone adversaries, who can be spooked into submission before being subdued by hand.

The story, too, is more involved than you’d perhaps expect. It’s not afraid to use emotion either, be that the protagonist’s longing to find his lost family or the need to protect a lost and scared child.

I Am Alive was released in April, so why mention it now? Well, as of around 5pm tonight the game is being cut in price on PSN as part of Sony’s Summer Sale, dropping from 11.99 to 6.49.

Have you got a game you think we might be interested in covering in Game Of the Day? If so then we’d be delighted to hear from you.