I descend into the subway to escape the choking dust that permeates the city streets. In the ruins of the underground station, some survivors are taking shelter in groups of twos and threes. One survivor even gives me a tasty rat meat skewer before I turn and head down the subway tunnel.
The destruction from The Event was immense. Parts of the tunnel have collapsed completely, and subway cars are tossed about like children's toys. Crawling through some rubble, I sense movement ahead. Four thugs come out of the shadows, two holding guns and two wielding machetes.
I was armed myself, but one small problem – I only had one bullet. The leader of the group came towards me, yelling and waving his gun around. As he got close, I yanked the machete from my back and slashed his throat open. I pulled my pistol and quickly shot the other armed thug in the head. The other two thugs started to attack, then thought better of it and dropped their weapons and surrendered.
Welcome to I Am Alive, a haunting, poignant tale set in a lawless post-apocalyptic landscape filled with misery and despair. The game's nameless hero, a soft-spoken Tom Cruise lookalike, returns to his hometown a year after a massive disaster has destroyed the world as we know it and wiped out 90% of the population. The man falls in with a group of strangers and tries to help them out as he searches for clues to the location of his wife and daughter.
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Climb to Survive
The city is a bleak and unforgiving urban nightmare, and to get anywhere you have to climb over and through the wreckage. Unlike Lara Croft or Sam Fisher, however, you can't just hang off a six-inch ledge on the side of a building forever. As soon as you start climbing, your stamina meter begins decreasing. You can make longer jumps (if you have the stamina) to get to your destination, but once the meter runs dry you'll drop to your death.
The stamina meter makes long climbs tense and difficult. If you have one, you can use a piton as a temporary oasis to regain your stamina or use some of your precious provisions to refill it. You really need to plan your ascents and descents – look for small platforms or ledges where you can rest and restore your stamina.
The lower streets of the city are choked with dust, so even breathing takes a toll on your stamina meter. You'll find yourself periodically climbing above the haze to rest and refill your meter.
As you might imagine, food and water are difficult to come by, let alone ammo or medicine. There are other survivors scattered about the city. Many are just protecting their meager provisions and want to be left alone, while others need help and ask for provisions. Then there are the aggressive gangs that roam the streets looking for prey.
These violent confrontations are quick and brutal, and often require some bluffing on your part. You'll rarely have more than a couple bullets in your pistol, but you can back down unarmed enemies by just drawing your gun. Sometimes you'll have to quickly identify the leader and take him out, then the other thugs will surrender. Later you'll pick up a bow (with a reusable arrow) that can take enemies down silently from a distance.
Life During Wartime
The story unfolds in a series of chapters, each one introduced by some found footage on a video camera. You'll also get several precious continues that allow you to restart at certain points throughout the stage. You can get more continues by helping out survivors. The game's Survivor mode is much more difficult, with fewer continues and provisions.
Despite the grim unforgiving nature of the game, it's a surprisingly complex and emotional story. You really want to help the people you encounter, even if it means giving up some of the provisions you need to keep you alive. Making a difficult climb or surviving a violent encounter gives you a real sense of accomplishment. The haunting, ethereal score adds tension to even the simplest quests.
It's a somber tale of a destroyed world where humanity has been reduced to its lowest common denominator. There are some impressive set pieces to explore (such as a creepy shipwreck) and the game rarely gives you a chance to relax. If you're up for a challenging realistic quest for survival in a post-apocalyptic nightmare world, grab I Am Alive from Marketplace today for 1200 Microsoft Points.
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