I Am Alive Review

I Am Alive, developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and produced by Ubisoft, is a survival horror set in Haventon; a town ravaged by what is known as “the event”. The protagonist is on a mission to find his wife and daughter in the aftermath of “the event”, and the base of this involves climbing through the wreckage and fighting or ‘dealing’ with its inhabitants.


In development for nearly 6 years, I Am Alive came with high anticipation. The atmosphere and the NPC’s make for a interesting experience, with many people simply trying to get by. Approaching a shelter or alleyway can have you unexpectedly at gun point, with the shooter telling you to move on unless you want to be shot right in your ugly mutt. The great thing is that if you leave these people be, then they’ll leave you too, enforcing a survival first mentality throughout Haventon. The only thing that breaks this well crafted experience is that any and all thugs you encounter will have to die by your hands, as there is no option to allow one to escape once they’ve surrendered, which makes things a little ruthless and rudimentary. There is a lack of depth here with spoils the experience slightly.

Here is where another common criticism lays. The combat mechanics rely on tactical thinking on disposing of your enemies. Before getting the indispensable crossbows which allows you to recover each arrow you fire from their cold, dead bodies; you’re stuck with a machete and a handgun which has no bullets more often than not. The idea is that you hold certain thugs at gunpoint, keeping them at bay, while you figure out the best way to deal with a situation. This usually involves yelling at your new found buddies to back up to ledges or fires and then Sparta kicking them, surprise machete kills, or realising that those few bullets are worth popping off. While it gets slightly tedious at times, it feels unique and refreshing amongst the gung-ho “survival horrors” of today. occasions where the AI will call your bluff, assuming you have no bullets and going in for the kill, or where they’ll simply fall to their knees in anguish because you just ripped their leader a new breathing hole heighten the experience.

I Am Alive lacks a certain polished feel or refinement you get with high budget games. I give it a 4 out of 10.  Gamplay is clunky and graphics are poor at best.  No real technical achievements, but the feel and gritty style compensate.