I Am Alive

This article is about the 2012 video game. For other uses, see I Am Alive (disambiguation).

I Am Alive
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)Stanislas Mettra
Producer(s)Sergei Titarenko
Designer(s)David Maurin
Programmer(s)Yann Courties
Artist(s)Liao Jun Hao
Writer(s)Jess Lebow
Composer(s)Jeff Broadbent
EngineUnreal Engine 2.5
Platform(s)
ReleaseXbox 360
PlayStation 3
Microsoft Windows
Genre(s)Action-adventure, survival[7][8]
Mode(s)Single-player

I Am Alive is a 2012 action-adventure survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world. Developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and published by Ubisoft, it was released for Xbox 360 (via Xbox Live Arcade) in March 2012, for PlayStation 3 (via the PlayStation Network) in April, and for Windows (via Steam and UPlay) in September.

The game takes place one year after "The Event", a cataclysmic disaster that has wiped out most of humanity and reduced cities to rubble. As the game begins, the unnamed protagonist returns to his home in the fictional city of Haventon, hoping to find his wife and daughter, whom he has not seen since the disaster. Finding their apartment empty, he sets out to try to find them, but he soon encounters a young girl named Mei who is looking for her lost mother. Feeling responsible for Mei, the protagonist vows to help find her mother. However, doing so will not be easy as resources are next to impossible to find, the city itself is draped in a toxic dust cloud, and murderous gangs of survivors wander the streets looking for easy prey.

Under development by Darkworks from 2005 to 2009, with Ubisoft Shanghai eventually taking over and finishing the game, I Am Alive was announced, postponed, and re-announced multiple times over its seven-year development cycle. Originally a first-person game called Alive, when Ubisoft Shanghai took over the project, they restarted development from scratch, keeping only the original pitch and the focus on gameplay elements other than combat and violence. Inspired by films such as The Road and The Book of Eli, the designers wanted players to experience the emotions and moral quandaries of choosing who lives and who dies. Originally planned as a full retail release, the scope of the game was eventually scaled back to the point where it could be released as a digital-only title.

I Am Alive received mixed reviews. Those who liked it tended to laud its tone, atmosphere, combat and intimidation systems, side missions, and the moral component of the gameplay. Many critics also cited the post-apocalyptic world of Haventon as being especially well realised and realistic. Criticisms tended to focus on repetitive combat, restricted AI routines, and clunky climbing mechanics. The game sold well, especially on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, topping the charts for each for several weeks after its release, and going on to become one of the top-ten selling games of 2012 on both networks.

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  6. ^ Kubba, Sinan (September 5, 2012). "I Am Alive available for PCs tomorrow". Engadget. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  7. ^ McShea, Tom (October 27, 2011). "I Am Alive - What You Thought Is Probably Wrong". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  8. ^ "The Making of I Am Alive". YouTube. February 27, 2012. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.