Once Alive review — Those who die once
Once Alive is a short walking simulator by solo developer Cem Boray Yıldırım. The game took me about two and a half hours to beat at a leisurely pace, while also taking notes for the review. What the game lacks in length, it most certainly makes up for in intrigue and atmosphere. Let’s dive into the game.
We play as Jim, a man just trying to survive in a hostile world. A pandemic has swept through the world, killing the majority of the population and turning animals hyper-aggressive. Now, Jim and his younger brother, Daniel, must cope with the aftermath. The game opens up with a cutscene of the two walking along an abandoned stretch of highway, when they notice a large banner.
Cut forward, and we’re in a beautiful valley, following a train track as Jim. Alone. The terrain’s muted grey, green, and muddy brown color palette invokes a Source engine type of atmosphere, but visually sharper. Leaves blow gently in the wind, clouds roll overhead, and mist dots the nearby hills. It’s exceedingly clear that this will be a visually pleasant walking simulator. As we progress, the rail line we’re following comes to an abrupt end; with the bridge it used to glide over gone, the train’s boxcars dangle off the edge like exposed intestines. To the left of the bridge is a small encampment, where we find signs of previous life but no inhabitants. It’s here where we get a look at the game’s few mechanics, concentrating for a zoomed-in view, moving certain objects around, and interacting with some items. Looping back to go to the right of the bridge, we find a trail that takes us further.
While walking the trail, we get a cutscene showing Jim and Daniel in a house, discussing a banner they walked by in the intro. It proclaims that there’s a settlement of survivors, along with directions on how to get there. The younger, more hopeful Daniel wants to travel to the survivor camp, but an older, more cynical Jim thinks the risks outweigh the uncertain reward. It’s also brought up that the brothers are seemingly immune to the disease, and that they have a father—one Jim wants nothing to do with but Daniel wants to find. The debate between the two reaches a fever pitch when Daniel brings up their dead mother, causing the brothers to go separate ways.
The facial animations are quite stiff, as is the line delivery and some bits of dialogue. However, the cinematography and general body language excellently convey the emotion that the two are feeling. I would say the strength of the latter outweighs the shortcomings of the former. The last shot of Daniel staring out the window as his brother walks away is particularly telling. We don’t even get to see his face, but you can tell he has deep regrets over how he handled the situation.
Progressing, we encounter some crows scavenging a dead deer, and it’s clear that animals aren’t just rabid, they’re full-on bloodlusted. The moment they see us, they’re locked on. We have to run and take shelter in an old farmhouse and escape through the window. Upon checking if the coast is clear, I discovered that all three crows had killed themselves through their efforts to bust down the door. It becomes apparent that any and all encounters with animals are to be avoided.
Slightly beyond the house we take shelter in stands the massive cement gates of Haustville, a haven for survivors. One small problem: the gates are locked. We have to move some wood planks to overcome the side of the wall, where we end up in a guardless lookout tower, before moving down to ground level. There are houses, but no people. From here, the story of Haustville and what happened to its inhabitants begins.
Jim gets one glimpse inside the walls of Haustville and says that they’re a community that cares for one another, which is an odd assumption to make. At the same time, he’s just found a human settlement that was recently populated for the first time in about a decade, so it might just be awe and hope washing over him. What I find equally odd, however, is that when we walk into a house only to be greeted by shadow people talking about their “salvation day” where they’ll “return to the earth,” we don’t get a peep out of our protagonist. I feel like that’s a rather noteworthy event, but I could be the weird one here.
As we check the other houses, we get more and more visions of shadowy figures–imprints of those who once lived there–talking with their loved ones about the fear and uncertainty they have over their salvation day. They all seem to lament this society and the impact it will have on those they leave behind. It’s pretty obvious that those who reach a certain age either die or are culled, but the reason remains unclear. Soon enough, we reach the interior side of the gate, where we get an apparition of someone agreeing to some contract that binds those who stay in Haustville. The town officials who greet him really stress that he should understand what he’s getting himself into, and the newcomer hastily agrees. The man scrolled past the information and accepted the terms and conditions–we’ve all been there. Now that we have a lead on what might have happened to Daniel, all we can do is push forward.
I’ll go no further in explaining the story, as that’s spoiler territory. It might seem that I’ve revealed a lot, but I wouldn’t really say the ghosts and salvation day are spoilers, as they’re rather upfront with their apocalyptic dystopia angle. Let’s be honest here, when you walk into a nice town during the end of times, the inhabitants are usually doing one of two things: human sacrifices, or cannibalism.
I respect that the developer showed his hand with the story immediately, as it shifts the tension to the absence of the population, rather than trying to play on a cliche. We’re not uncovering a conspiracy here to prevent it from happening; we already know about it, and we’re just walking through the aftermath. We want to find our brother and discover how the people of Haustville responded to their situation, and that’s where the meat of Once Alive’s mystery lies.
I love all the little details in Once Alive, like the ghost imprints sparking a colorful aura when they speak, making it easier to track who’s talking and possibly giving a glimpse into their emotions. There’s also a time when we pass through a graveyard, with villagers’ names painted crudely on the headstones. If you look behind the graves, then you’ll see who the headstones originally belonged to, meaning the village is re-using them. After all, it’s the end of the world, and resources are scarce.
There are also hints that the game is a critique of capitalism or communism, depending on how you view certain clues. On various bookshelves, we can find a book titled “1867” in bold, red, almost Soviet-looking font. After doing some googling, it turns out that’s the year Karl Marx released the first volume of Das Kapital–a critique of capitalism. If you’ve ever seen one of those “Pyramid of Capitalism” images, then you’ll realize the layout of the town heavily resembles it. The lower classes are physically beneath a castle-like building, with the better-off inhabitants a little closer, the church immediately to the right, and security is kept close by. Heck, Jim even comments on the struggle of workers at one point. Even if I’m completely wrong, I love how the game enables my theories. Though some other book titles absolutely contain foreshadowing, so that lends some credence to my evidence. I’ll leave it at that.
However, one area where the game needs a bit more detail is the little puzzles. Once or twice while playing the game, I got stuck because I didn’t know how to complete a task, though these were mostly short growing pains. A little touch-up to the UI to highlight what’s interactable would do away with these concerns. Speaking of UI, I couldn’t find a manual save button, and I never noticed an auto-save indicator, so I rushed through the game in one sitting out of fear of losing my progress. The game is two hours long at most, but it would have been reassuring to know the game was auto-saving the whole time.
Before we wrap up, let’s talk about Once Alive’s visuals and sound design. Despite the majority of the game taking place in one settlement, it manages to stay visually varied and stimulating. As mentioned, from the moment you enter Haustville, a large, castle-like structure looms over the lower dwellings, implying some sort of societal split. There are all kinds of visual storytelling cues like that one, allowing for rich theory-crafting from the players. On a broader level, the game is just visually stunning, often showcasing grand, natural views. There’s a certain serenity in the apocalypse on display here. The sound design keeps a low profile, and that adds impact when Jim speaks and when the occasional piano music pipes up at key moments, really hammering home the emotional story beats and moments of intrigue.
My time with Once Alive was short and sweet. While there was definitely some jank to overcome, like rough mocap and awkward dialogue, those problems were overshadowed by the game’s better elements. The narrative was engaging, with the subversion of common post-apocalyptic tropes catalyzing a fresh sense of storytelling, which is backed up by strong visuals and impactful music. The game definitely has the potential for a second entry, and I would love to see where the World of Once Alive goes from here.
Review Guidelines
Great
Once Alive is a two-ish hour walking sim with a narratively rich story to tell. It might have some rough edges, but the love the developer put into it shines through. If you love games with a compelling story and atmosphere a-plenty, then pick this one up.
Pros
- Interesting world-building
- Strong emotional beats
- Visually and atmospherically excellent
Cons
- Some janky mocap
- No manual save system
- Unclear progression at times
This review is based on a copy provided by GamingTrend.
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