Left Alive

Left Alive is an action game with significant survival elements developed by Square Enix. Announced just before Tokyo Game Show 2017, the game is a work of a team consisting of some industry veterans: Yoji Shinkawa, former art director and character and mech designer in Konami’s subsidiary Kojima Productions, Toshifumi Nabeshima, who used to oversee the development of the Armored Core series, and Takayuki Yanase, known primarily for the anime seires Ghost in the Shell: Arise and Mobile Suit Gundam 00 as well as the game Xenoblade Chronicles X. Left Alive was designed with the view of PC and PS4.

Plot

Left Alive is set in a universe created for the Front Mission series. The title takes you on a journey into the year 2127 and features the events set between the stories of Front Mission 5 and Front Mission Evolved. The players take command of three heroes trapped within a war-torn Russian city. Although the narrative jumps between those characters, they are all bound by a common goal – survival in this hostile environment.

Although the story has only one ending, the way it unfolds as a hole is non-linear. For example, depending on the player’s actions and decisions, non-player characters may react differently toward the protagonists – some may welcome them with open arms and eagerly share some useful advice, others remain indifferent to their mission.

Mechanics

Released for PC and PS4, Left Alive presents the events in the third-person view. The game is divided into missions, consisting of various objectives. Regardless of what challenge is currently ahead of you, the key element is combat. On the battlefield you can make use of both firearms and various gadgets – such as traps – created with an expansive crafting system. As for opponents that cross your way, apart from infantry soldiers, from time to time you face the so-called Wanzers, i.e. powerful mechs, iconic for the Front Mission series. There are also moments in the game, in which you can command such a machine and strike fear into the enemies’ hearts. All that is complemented by stealth elements. Because there is usually more than one path to each goal, the game offers high replayability – frontal attack is not always the best solution – sometimes it is wiser to take a longer, but safer path.

Technical aspects

Left Alive features 3D graphics characterized by its high quality – the game catches the player’s eye with carefully designed environments and detailed models of characters and the aforementioned Wanzers.

Last updated on 19 September 2017