I Am Alive

We can’t remember a game that has garnered quite so much attention from so little information as I Am Alive, after the release of one (fairly impressive) trailer last summer, Ubisoft’s lips have remained watertight on the survival/disaster game. In fact, with reports that its developer Darkworks has been removed from the project and development duties switched to Ubi’s own Shanghai Studios it seems to be a case of life imitating art as I Am Alive struggles to prove just that.

Perhaps concerned that this title would be perceived as another Alan Wake – a game that built a decent amount of excitement only to fall off the gaming radar for years – Ubisoft has recently assured gamers that I Am Alive is still in production and according to leaked financial reports will most probably be with us in Late 2010.

So we might have to wait a bit, but it looks like we’ll definitely get to play it – so what exactly will be waiting for us among the charred remains of Chicago? If launch accounts are anything to go by, I Am Alive is the publisher’s response to requests for a more ‘realistic’ type of survival game. You play as a young man who has survived a devastating earthquake, and with resources depleting it’s not zombies or monsters that provide the threat this time, it’s your fellow man.

A little trite perhaps, but this scenario does open the door for a kind of moral no-man’s-land that doesn’t necessarily require protagonist Adam Collins to be a hero, but merely to survive. While this might sound straightforward enough, the developer has hinted at having a huge cityscape to explore where anything could be waiting for you in the shadows or buried under the rumble. It might not only be warring inhabitants that you have to worry about either, because due to the seismic activity there is sure to be plenty of environmental hazards to contend with, such as falling debris and toppling structures as you navigate your way through the Windy City in search of your girlfriend.

While it does appear that Adam will come up against his fair share of disgruntled residents, he will at least have some company in the form of a travelling party that will no doubt both help and hinder him along the way, but who possess skills that just happen to be extremely useful in a disaster situation. Currently divulged members of the crew include a doctor, a soldier and a wheelchair-bound fire captain who are sure to be involved in some big decision-making moments. Just how much of an involvement these peripheral characters will have is unknown, but it’s highly unlikely that all of them will make it through.

As this game is not touting any obvious rewards for violent behaviour, it could well usher in a new style of play where kudos is garnered from scrambling your way out of a confrontation rather than blasting your way through it. Judging by what we’ve seen so far, other strategic elements will be implemented as you balance water and rations. As is often the way after a war or major disaster, items like water or food can be used as both currency and commodity.

Whether this mysterious IP turns out to be an Uncharted-esque adventure game that sees you conquering huge environmental obstacles, a straight-up survival adventure or an RPG where you use your party’s strengths to survive it is certainly managing to keep our interest Alive.