ONCE ALIVE REVIEW: WHEN SOLO DEV DREAMS MEET POST-APOCALYPTIC REALITY
Ever wondered what would happen if one person tried to make their own The Last of Us meets What Remains of Edith Finch? Well, Once Alive is here to show us the ambitious results of that exact fever dream, Turkish dubbing included.
WALKING AND TALKING (MOSTLY TALKING)
First off, let's address the elephant in the abandoned room: this is a walking simulator that's not afraid to wear its influences on its tattered sleeve. The game follows a pretty straightforward formula of "walk here, find note, listen to protagonist monologue about said note before you've even read it," which is about as subtle as a zombie at a vegan buffet.
PRETTY AS A POST-APOCALYPTIC PICTURE
The Unreal Engine 5-powered visuals are like that friend who dresses really well but trips over their own feet. When it works, it's genuinely beautiful – the environments are detailed and atmospheric. But then you'll run into textures loading slower than a government bureaucrat after lunch, or frame drops that hit harder than the apocalypse itself.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BUGGY
The Turkish voice acting deserves a standing ovation – it's professional, well-delivered, and adds a unique flavor to the experience. However, the dialogue itself often feels like it was written in English, run through Google Translate, then back again for good measure. Characters sometimes react to information they should already know, making them seem more confused than the players.
OPTIMIZATION BLUES
Performance issues are about as common as abandoned buildings in this world. Frame drops during area transitions, texture loading delays, and the occasional bug that sends you into the shadow realm (sometimes literally with those silhouette mechanics that never quite get explained) make this feel like a game that could've used a few more months in the oven.
CONCLUSION
Once Alive is like that indie film with great cinematography but a script that needed another draft. For a solo developer's first attempt, it's genuinely impressive in some areas – the atmosphere, the Turkish voice acting, and some genuinely intriguing story elements show real promise. However, the technical issues, awkward dialogue pacing, and various small bugs keep it from reaching its full potential.
Is it worth your time? If you're into walking simulators and want to support an indie developer with an interesting vision (and don't mind some rough edges), then yes. Just don't expect the next What Remains of Edith Finch, and maybe wait for a few patches.
Score: 6.5/10 - Like a promising first draft that needed a few more rewrites, but shows genuine heart.
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way. Though we might need therapy after trying to read documents while the protagonist spoils them for us.