Alternativa

 PC
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Gamers.at
    Jul 5, 2011
    75
    AlternativA is a diamond in the rough: the themes are grown up, the puzzles solveable but the presentation seems old and the story isn't consistent.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 7 out of 20
  1. hfffoman
    Nov 6, 2011
    3
    Despite some good features, Alternative fails as an adventure game experience. The biggest weakness was the clunky game design. For exampleDespite some good features, Alternative fails as an adventure game experience. The biggest weakness was the clunky game design. For example you are standing next to a large object and try to interact with it. The programmer has determined that the character must be not just next to it but in a particular location next to it. He therefore walks painstakingly slowly to that location, often for no purpose as there may be no interaction possible at that moment. This slows the game down and becomes very annoying. Most of the game time is spent watching him move slowly across the screen. You also have to do every little activity in the right order. Thus you are required to read a car numberplate and tell it to someone. You click on the numberplate to bring up the close-up screen, memorize it, cross several screens to meet your colleague, but there is no dialogue option. What you should have done was get to the close up screen and then click on the numberplate again, so the character realizes that he knows it. This sort of thing happens frequently and invariably means you have to go back and forth between locations, watching the hero walk slowly all the time.

    Another example. You are in a room with a friend. You have just acquired item A and you know you need item A and item B to achieve a task. You need your friend's help to get item B. Unfortunately, the right dialogue option does not appear until you have crossed town, tried using item A on its own, and heard your character say, "I need item B" Then you have to go back to your friend and the dialogue option will appear.

    Alternativa has some novel approaches to puzzles, for example a combination lock where, instead of searching for clues, you have to spend a minute testing all the combinations. That was neat. This is a clever example of a solution that is similar to what you would do in the real world. Some of the reality touches are just annoying. You hunt all over for a clever solution but the solution is just to go back to you friend and ask for the item you need. I could go on and on. There were plenty more little irritations. The graphics are very good. The animation, e.g. when your character performs an action, is appallingly poor. The English language voice overs are mediocre. The sound effects are reasonable. For the low price it would be just worth it if it wasn't so slow.    … Full Review »
  2. heime2003
    Nov 16, 2014
    5
    it has interesting setting but somewhat lacks of dynamic gameplay.
    graphic is not either good or bad and control is where it should be at but    it has interesting setting but somewhat lacks of dynamic gameplay.
    graphic is not either good or bad and control is where it should be at but general feeling after 1-2 hours is
    it doesnt have what great games have... innovation, inspired story(something that pushes u to play through) and strong characters
    with so many adventure games out this year, i exited the game and silently uninstalled the game
    pros:
    - decent overall mechanics and environments
    - the game doesnt suck outright
    cons:
    -nothing stands out as great in this game compared to other adventure games
    - feels very generic    … Full Review »
  3. I_Am_Turok
    Aug 22, 2014
    5
    While this is a solid point-and-click game, as of 2014 it is more advisable for fans of that genre only, not holding enough extras forWhile this is a solid point-and-click game, as of 2014 it is more advisable for fans of that genre only, not holding enough extras for newcomers. I would recommend this game with some of the positives such as:
    The graphics are basic "Secret Files" style (but I like that style and some parts are well done, but not all). The music in places can be nice (but too seldom). The story is overall a nice idea, and worth giving a go to see what happens. The mediocre score reflects the cons: Gameplay mechanics are frustrating (only being able to do something that is so obvious but needing to ask someone somewhere else about it first happens a lot. Makes the game quite plodding). More could have been done on the graphics and music. But most importantly, it simply not thought through enough, leaving many story lines hanging and unanswered, and not enough back story also. It leaves a slightly frustrated taste in the mouth. Overall, if you like this genre, give it a go. Keep a WT handy to avoid making the game longer than it should be. It is still quite a pleasant diversion, calm, easy, pleasant, simple even, it doesn't work overall, but it tries to get there. I still enjoyed it despite its flaws.    … Full Review »
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