
At long last, Ubisoft is offering an official update on the status of I Am Alive, a game that was announced all the way back in 2008 at E3. In a somewhat shocking twist, the planned winter release will be available as a downloadable title over Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Did any of you see that one coming?
It seems like the Ubisoft Shanghai-developed action/survival game, which opens in the aftermath of some cataclysmic happening, may not ever explain what caused the world to crumble as it has. The press release speaks vaguely of an “Event,” though the story itself follows an average Joe as he tries to find his lost wife and daughter in this new world. It’s always possible that details about this “Event” could emerge in the game’s text, but it seems more likely that the ambiguity will be maintained since the game’s focus seems to be on a much smaller, more personal story.
Seeing as no one’s really seen anything of I Am Alive, I’m going to go ahead and let the press release handle the breakdown of what kind of game we’re looking at here: In I Am Alive, players will be challenged by both their environment and their enemies. Stamina and resource management are key when being exposed to deadly atmospheres and scaling enormous buildings in search of supplies. The unique combat system requires players to utilize intimidation: cowards are easily swayed with an empty gun, while other enemies will put players to the test.