1954: Alcatraz

 PC
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 24
  3. Negative: 3 out of 24
  1. Gameplanet
    Mar 12, 2014
    45
    1954 Alcatraz fails to deliver. There is a lot to like, the narrative and setting are exceptional, but the constant shortcomings of almost every other aspect of the game quickly saps enjoyment and replaces it with frustration and disappointment.
  2. Eurogamer Germany
    Jan 22, 2014
    40
    As much as I appreciate that Irresponsible Games an Daedalic are trying to capture the zeitgeist and the social conflicts of an era, I can't help but be utterly frustrated to see all the promise just go to waste on a startlingly conventional cock-and-bull story.
  3. Riot Pixels
    May 7, 2014
    36
    1954: Alcatraz is the worst game ever produced by Daedalic Entertainment. Thankfully, unlike professional video games reviewers, you can simply ignore this nightmare.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 44 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 44
  3. Negative: 8 out of 44
  1. BSim500
    Mar 10, 2015
    7
    I've no idea what all these "professional" reviews are about, crying because the GFX aren't like $50m Crysis 3. The GFX are fine, no differentI've no idea what all these "professional" reviews are about, crying because the GFX aren't like $50m Crysis 3. The GFX are fine, no different to other modern adventure games, far better than many "pixel art" Indie platformer's that are getting up to 80%, and better in general than Grim Fandango Remastered that scored 85%. The art style obviously isn't intended to be about photo-realism (neither is the point & click adventure genre in general).

    The escape from the world's most notorious prison fortress based plot is done quite well, the atmosphere and jazzy soundtrack are great and the switching between dual characters approach works well. Voice acting is good for the main 2 characters and average for the rest but by no means poor (I've heard a LOT worse even in big budget AAA games). Puzzles are OK-ish, maybe a little on the easy side but mostly logical. Demanding every single adventure game's puzzles be targeted towards MENSA members, have a plot that turns the player into an emotional train-wreck or be "totally unique" is just as silly as giving every single FPS game 30% score if it includes shooting or "surviving" something.

    1954 Alcatraz may not be the best adventure game out there (or even the best by Daedalic), but it certainly deserves more than the joke 35-40% scores some "professionals" are giving (especially when many of the same ones are giving 'infallibly perfect 100%' scores to half-broken AAA games that are still barely playable even after 3 months of patches...    … Full Review »
  2. akarnokd
    Sep 19, 2014
    7
    This is a fine Daedalic point&click game. The story and non-linearity was interesting. The puzzles were logical to my mind, but had to revertThis is a fine Daedalic point&click game. The story and non-linearity was interesting. The puzzles were logical to my mind, but had to revert to a guide a few times: one has to use the items in the inventory on persons as there are no talk option available for the same purpose as in some other games. There were some minor audio problems: the game or engine doesn't seem to like multi-core and had frequent audio stutter and pops until I changed the CPU affinity to a single core. In addition, some audio-skipping did not work. I bought the game on sale and played through twice; if you like more casual games and want to honor the developer for their good work with the Deponia series, its a worth buy.… Full Review »
  3. PonPon1996
    Jun 21, 2023
    5
    It's not a bad game, but most of the characters are cliche. Gay, dejected black person, independent woman and so on. Unfortunately, theseIt's not a bad game, but most of the characters are cliche. Gay, dejected black person, independent woman and so on. Unfortunately, these characters stand above the main plot.… Full Review »
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