This game drew my attention because of its story. I'm always a sucker for future, post-apocalyptic stories, so I had to get my hands on this one! I've just finished playing it, so I thought I should share my thoughts about ALTERNATIVA with you.
The game sends you some decades into the future. It's 2045, and you, as the main character have lost everything. You family is dead, you have just lost your job, and you live in the Slums, the poor district of the State. You live in a world destroyed by a world war, a world that is now led by big corporations and an oppressive government that uses robots (the cruel kind) to inforce its will to the population. The whole State is divided into areas -ghettos is more appropriate- and peoples' lives are destroyed for even the smallest deviation from government or corporate guidelines.
For all of you who have played "The Longest Journey", the setting will be quite familiar. You know what I'm talking about!! The robots, the poor and rich districts, the melancholic character..I think that when the developers were designing this game, they had little April and her Stark friends in mind. There is actually a scene where a reference is made to the "Longest Journey".
Anyway, at some point, you decide to try to find and join "The resistance" (I guess there is always one), to find answers, and destroy the oppressive state-corporation model of power.
THE REVIEW
Alternativa is a classic point and click game. Nothing new here. You find, you examine, you talk, that's it basically.
The overall story is great! Along the game you take a peek into the stories of some of the characters around you. All of these stories will eventually lead you to the final confrontation. Things have deeper interactions than they seem!!
The environments are also great! Dark alleys, decay, vendictive robots trying to catch you, or lying down in dark alleys left there to die. You'll have to visit different districts of the State, and travel abroard as well.
The Technical: The inventory system is simple and easy to handle. You never carry a lot of items with you. This is maybe because what you get, you can't always use immediately. Sometimes, you place an item somewhere and nothing happens. After you complete a certain task, the item can then be used. Actions are also basic. You can look, you talk to people, and you use items.
The puzzles: Only a few exist in the game, and they are generally easy. You won't be bothered much by them!
Dialogues: When you talk to people, depending on what you say to them, you get different responses. If you say the wrong thing, you DIE! When this happens, you can start the dialogue from the beginning (no harm done). But if you play the game on Hard Mode, you can only die 2 times. After that, you will have to start from your last save. So, if you play Alternativa, it's wiser to start with the Easy Mode.
The Ending: There is NO END. The story definitely continues..
Is this a good game?
Well, to be honest, it's up to the player. The story is as I said great! You will have to go back and forth a lot of times to find a solution, or use an item. What doesn't work now, will work after you complete a task. I personally thought it was a bit shallow in terms of complexity and depth of sites to visit, but it's just my opinion. Overall, it was a short, but worth playing effort. Enjoy!!
P.S. About crashes: The game has low minimum requirements (e.g. a 256 mb video card), but if you put it on a pc with this configuration, it will probably crash A LOT!! Before giving up, try lowering options like antialias and shadows, or update your video card with the latest drivers.
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