METAL GEAR FLACC!D.

I am sure every video game player at some point has said that they can make a better game than a developer. To some extent, when I review games I am doing just that. However, most of us don’t actually get the opportunity to make a better game and that’s likely for the better. Left Alive feels like someone playing Metal Gear Solid, feeling like they can do better, and then failing at every opportunity.

To start off, my expectations for Left Alive was a mediocre to good third person shooter based upon the trailers shown. I knew it took place in the Front Mission universe but I never thought I would ride in a Wanzer (the large piloted robots in the Front Mission series). My expectations were low. However, very quickly Left Alive made it clear that this was a stealth/survival game to which I was alright with because I enjoy a good stealth game.

Because I think this game is terrible, I am breaking format a bit and simply sharing with everyone my experience with Left Alive from the start to when I give up and switch from Normal to Easy,

This game immediately throws the first playable character into an area where he is shot by soldiers coming to look for his crash site. Not a slight timed arrival to give players some experience with the controls. They immediately start firing upon the character even on the lowest difficulty setting. If for some reason a player has the nerve to turn around and fire back they are quickly greeted with the fact that shooting is terrible and does next to no damage to enemies.

Great.

PLATFORMS: PC, PS4
MSRP: $59.99
PRICE I’D PAY: DO NOT ENTERTAIN THE THOUGHT OF BUYING THIS

So I moved on and explored the controls and menus only to realize that not only the gameplay, but the menus give off Metal Gear vibes. I forgot to mention that Yoji Shinkawa, the artist of the Metal Gear Solid games, designed the characters of Left Alive and his name is plastered on the title screen. Next to his name, in brackets, is “Kojima Productions” because it is where he works (like when a musician shows up on someone else’s album, they have to say what label the musician is on). In a world where Metal Gear Survive exists and frankly isn’t good, I’m impressed that a game like Left Alive would be so brazen to attempt to usurp the title of worst Metal Gear ripoff.

At the first large area with patrolling troops the game introduces some of the basic stealth mechanics. There is no going prone, but walking in a crouch reduces visibility, enemies have some visible vision cone via their flashlight (however it is hard to tell how far they can see or what they can hear), and gadget use is necessary as is cover. These are fairly standard aspects, but they also give me a steel pipe to use a melee weapon. I would expect there to be some sort of stealth takedown, but there isn’t and I end up bashing the enemy in the head three times and then finishing him while he is on the ground. This attempt at a silent takedown alerts all his nearby troops who then proceed to murder me despite my attempt at trying to fight back or escape.

Obviously I am to use the gadgets. I throw a can and the guard walks over to where it is and I press on more. A wounded soldier gives me some munitions, the game tells me dialog choices matter, and then a cutscene after shows the same soldier getting murdered by the bad guys. My communications system comes back online and it seems to only serve to annoy me as anytime I am near an enemy it says “CAUTION: THE ENEMY IS APPROACHING” even if I am approaching the enemy. That is such a counterproductive concept, as it should only tell me if an enemy is coming towards me if it is not in my direct line of sight. This game has no minimap radar like Metal Gear Solid, so a device that would allow me to keep some idea of my surroundings while focusing on other things would be helpful. This mechanic is simply annoying and makes me paranoid more than anything.

Eventually I made my way to a set of sewers after moving through some war torn city streets, and the game tells me I can turn on my flashlight to immediate tell me that enemies will see it. While accurate, it is weird to have a game send such mixed messages. Should I turn the flashlight on? Is there a real benefit? The answer to both is no because enemies all have lights and the sewers are fairly lit anyways.

Body armor is introduced in the sewers and it allows temporary damage reduction to bullets, but more importantly the game makes it clear that gadget creation is integral to success. This is probably the most functional part of the game, and by that I mean it just works exactly like I expect a crafting system to work. I select an item I want to make from a menu and as long as I have the components to make it, I’m good. I craft a couple of remote detonated exploding cans. I move on through the sewers to a spot with two paths, both have enemies blocking the way.

This is where I have to deviate for a moment. The worst thing a stealth game can do is force the player into confrontation. Generally stealth games put more emphasis on avoiding full frontal combat because that is exactly what stealth is. Even Metal Gear bosses were generally more puzzle based than purely combat focused. In a game where bullets barely work and stealth takedowns are non-existent, Left Alive takes its mediocre stealth mechanics and throws them out to force me into confrontation with six enemy soldiers. Sure I can throw cans but both the paths are blocked with no way around once the guards are distracted. I decide to finally use the crafted remote bombs. I throw one, the enemies walk over to it. I make sure to get my money’s worth and detonate as the fourth dumb idiot soldier walks over to it and I knock them all down… only for them to get back up. I have to do this twice to kill them. That is a lot of resources wasted on one encounter. It says I can set up traps, but if an explosion doesn’t kill the guys I doubt a trip wire will. Setting up traps also puts me into the soldiers’ view.

This is where I stopped playing on Normal and redid it on Easy. The only thing Easy mode does it make it so enemies can be killed with the handgun (thanks I suppose). It’s weird to play a game that is unfair to the point where I have to lower the difficulty. That being said, this game becomes a lot more playable when the difficulty isn’t raised by poor game design.

The overall problem with this game is each part of it expects another part of it to pick up the slack. The poor combat expects the stealth to allow the player to avoid. The poor stealth expects the gadgets to make sneaking around easier. The gadgets then expect the combat to finish the job when the gadgets work poorly. It is a horrible game of rock paper scissors where the player always loses.

I should also note that this game isn’t pretty. It looks like a late generation PS3/360 game. That’s not to say it looks bad, but that it looks dated and this game is the $60. At a lower price this may slide, but this Square Enix. Disappointment is too small of a word for my feelings on the quality of this game.

So let me just share the positives. Like I said, the crafting works just like it should, but the gadgets I can make are really varied. The health system, while confusing at first, definitely makes it feel more like survival: a first aid kit will heal while a painkiller will temporarily help cover damage received (think of it as temporary HP). There are points where Wanzers are usable, but the enemy Wanzers that walk the street are intimidating and make the on foot sections far more intimidating than just sneaking around a bunch of humans. Levels are fairly large and allow some exploration, but most of that is limited by the fact that enemies litter the streets and combat is bad. There are also multiple characters to play as, and they can share inventory via storage boxes (which also used when the character’s carry weight is too much). Neat concepts in a poorly executed title.

Anyone who like unfairly hard games may enjoy this but everyone else should just skip this game. I waited to see if a patch would maybe make it better but that patch never came. I can’t say it isn’t worth the time or money because I’m sure someone will enjoy it, but there are so many better stealth and action games out there that I refuse to put a price point on any half baked recommendation I could give this. Just don’t pay full price because that is highway robbery.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.