The Alliance Alive HD Remastered

 Switch
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. Nintendo Life
    Oct 10, 2019
    90
    Nearly two years on from its initial release, The Alliance Alive HD Remastered proves to be a perfectly competent port of an already fantastic handheld game. A well-written story, a smartly interwoven and complex system of gameplay mechanics, and a distinctive visual style makes this a no-brainer for anybody looking for a consistently high-quality RPG experience on their Switch. It may feel a little simple, given its origins on the 3DS, but don’t make the mistake of passing up on The Alliance Alive HD Remastered, it’s well worth your time.
  2. Digitally Downloaded
    Oct 7, 2019
    90
    I love The Alliance Alive HD for so many reasons that the laughably simple gameplay was a non-issue. The characters are vibrant, the world is fascinating to explore, the aesthetics are gorgeous, and the game perfectly straddles that line between indulging in nostalgia and modernising what it needs to to retain relevance. It's the kind of game that looks like it would be easy to dismiss or overlook as being something too indebted to yesteryear, but in truth it deserves much greater respect than that.
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Dec 2, 2019
    85
    A great 3DS JRPG title gets a crispy clear remaster. Higher Definition simply asks for appreciation, as The Alliance Alive brilliantly implements its cute style into the game world. Great mechanics, music, and characters, make this a classic you should at least try now when it's available on more than one platform.
  5. RPG Fan
    Oct 14, 2019
    85
    With stellar combat, a nuanced story that keeps things interesting, stunning art design, and a killer soundtrack, The Alliance Alive HD Remastered is a worthy addition to the incredible line-up of Switch RPGs.
  6. Video Chums
    Oct 4, 2019
    84
    The Alliance Alive is a wonderful and easy to recommend JRPG. This Switch version offers updated graphics and a reworked menu but not much else to make it worth double-dipping if you already own it on 3DS.
  7. Nintenderos
    Oct 12, 2019
    80
    This classic JRPG receives a second life on Nintendo Switch with a high definition graphic section and improved menus that, although they will not bring anything new to those who have already enjoyed it, improve an experience that was already good on Nintendo 3DS, with an interesting story and an excellent artistic section.
  8. Cubed3
    Oct 4, 2019
    80
    Even accounting for the passage of time, and the contempt that familiarity brings, The Alliance Alive HD Remastered is still a class act. This traditional tale offers a unique blend of fun characters and engaging exploration. The battle-system is sufficiently deep, and caters to any style of play. There are times where this journey isn't as good as it could be, but absolutely nothing about it stands out as truly awful. All in all, it's a wonderful RPG that deserves to be checked out.
  9. Nintendo Enthusiast
    Oct 17, 2019
    75
    Despite the flaws in story and system, overall The Alliance Alive HD Remastered was compelling from start to finish, and I have a feeling I’m not done with it yet. Two separate new game plus modes let you keep trucking, but there’s plenty of content I had left untouched. While you can blast through the main story in under 30 hours, this is the kind of game where fanatics might double their playtime. Players looking for something classic, yet new, will love this game, but it won’t satisfy everyone. The Alliance Alive HD Remastered is just a few tweaks away from being amazing, but it’s the perfect example of a rainy day JRPG.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 33
  3. Negative: 7 out of 33
  1. sonicpulsar
    Oct 16, 2019
    10
    This remastered edition shines on the Nintendo Switch. Graphics are crisp and clean and especially the sound is remarkable. There is this auraThis remastered edition shines on the Nintendo Switch. Graphics are crisp and clean and especially the sound is remarkable. There is this aura around the whole game, that makes it all feel like a dream. Well recommended!… Full Review »
  2. danielscotth
    Dec 7, 2020
    10
    For the life of me, I honestly don’t get the average to low review scores for this game. It’s hands down one of my favorite JRPG’s and ranksFor the life of me, I honestly don’t get the average to low review scores for this game. It’s hands down one of my favorite JRPG’s and ranks right up there with Persona, Final Fantasy, Bravely Default, etc. I loved the characters, story, environments, combat, and music. I was hooked from the start and constantly impressed by every aspect of the game. The random nature of leveling up and gaining new skills was fresh and was never a problem for me. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure at first if I’d like it, but I quickly grew to love it and stat increases and new skills came frequently enough for me to begin to prefer this system. On top of that, the option to choose your parties combat formation added an extra layer of depth to strategy that I absolutely loved. This game literally made me, for the first time, appreciate using characters whose primary roles and weapons were shields and defending. Additionally, the combat and grinding could be sped up and was never an issue.

    There’s several difficulty spikes throughout and the lack of voice acting was admittedly strange during cutscenes — definitely felt lacking. But the OST, gorgeous art work and character design, and emotional and interesting story more than made up for that. I loved this game. I took my time with it and by the end felt super accomplished, sad to part ways with the characters I’d grown to love, and so happy I took a chance on it.    … Full Review »
  3. Hammer7
    Jul 3, 2020
    4
    I really wanted to like this game but there are just too many glaring flaws.

    Graphics - 7.0 Nice art design. Probably the best part of the    I really wanted to like this game but there are just too many glaring flaws.

    Graphics - 7.0

    Nice art design. Probably the best part of the game.

    Music - 5.0 Not one track that was memorable. Story- 6.0 Not bad by any means but nothing stood out as really well done either. I did enjoy the cast of characters.

    Gameplay - 3.0 the most important part of any game. Terrible design choices and one of the worst progression systems I've ever encountered. Too many enemies to wade thru when you're just trying to get from point a to point b. Lack of direction adds to this.

    Overall - 4.0 A highly forgettable RPG on a system that has plenty of excellent choices. Pass on this one.    … Full Review »
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