Game Review: Alterity Experience

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC

What do you get when you bring together aliens and a closed-door adventure game? You get Alterity Experience of course! Having released on just about every major platform by way of publisher Delores Entertainment a couple years ago, we're going to be taking a look at the Nintendo Switch version today. I'm always ready for a good adventure game, and this one has some horror elements that I love to see. Speaking of seeing horror elements, it looks like those pesky lights are trying to break in again, so let's skip the intros and dive right into the review!

All because of this corn...

That can't be good...

Alterity Experience places you into the shoes of Anton Cornwell, a farmer whose corn crop has recently become infected by a strange substance that causes it to glow purple. His financial livelihood at stake, Anton decides to get to the bottom of this and look into things more closely while his wife and kids go out for a night of fun. It doesn't take long for strange things to go on at the Cornwell Farm though, and Anton learns that there is something very strange indeed behind the purple substance. Maybe it even has something to do with all the strange lights in the sky that have been reported by other local farmers... At least the Cornwell Farm has a great security system! From there the story moves into sci-fi and horror elements that you expect, but it also takes some twists and turns that'll most likely leave you surprised. Nothing is as it seems, and the alien menace turns out to be a much closer to home than you first realize. Though the story did keep me at the edge of my seat, it is a rather short experience overall. Alterity Experience's brevity makes it hard to discuss more of the plot without going into spoiler territory, so I'll just leave it there and move on with the rest of the review.

The game would be so different with a gun.

There's a bomb shelter in this house?

While I would definitely classify Alterity Experience as an adventure game, there are actually two distinct gameplay modes at work here. For much of the game you'll be exploring the house, looking for keys and documents, and slowly uncovering what is actually going on. Alterity Experience makes heavy use of atmospheric storytelling, so expect to get key plot points in the form of notes, articles, diary entries, and other scattered bits. While it's this aspect of the game that feels most like an adventure game, it doesn't feature other adventure game staples like a large inventory to manage. Instead of an inventory, you have a set of keys and codes that you must find in order to open up new parts of the house to explore. These are all used automatically, and you'll have to eventually find them all in order to progress. Why there are so many locked doors in Anton's own house is beyond me, but let's not think about that too much. Seeing as the entire game takes place in this one house, there isn't a whole lot of space to get lost in. Small space or not, the game does do a great job of slowly unveiling new areas to explore. Exploration is rather enjoyable too as there are a lot of references and optional plot points to pick up on if you're thorough. Admittedly it's a rather simple game, but I appreciated the way it streamlined adventure game mechanics that might feel a bit too esoteric for the average player.

The other half of the gameplay in Alterity Experience is a bit harder to describe. If I had to do it though, I'd say that it feels like a take on the Five Nights at Freddy's formula. Though that game has a static protagonist, here you'll also be moving around in real-time. At various points in the game your house will come under attack by mysterious floating objects in the sky. They will try to enter your house by way of the windows and doors, and you'll have to stop them by using the security app on your cell phone. It's not a simple task of just hitting the breached area on the on-screen map to close its shutter, as you also have to move closer in order for it to re-activate. You also have to close the now open window or door, and you'll only have a few seconds to catch your breath before you have to do it again. Things can get rather frantic during these invasion segments, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that they can be quite challenging. You have to move with a sense of urgency too, as failing even once will result in a game over. I initially found these parts of the game to be a bit unfair, but once I learned the layout of the house, and after I got a grasp of the controls, they became my favorite part of the game. While I don't think it would've been much fun if the entire game were centered on this style of play, the invasion segments did offer a nice break from the exploration and key finding.​

I want to read this!

Why is this in the bathroom?

Even though there isn't anything here that's anywhere near hardware-pushing, I think that Alterity Experience has some rather impressive visuals. Much of the game has an "asset flip" feel to it in its everyday objects that does give the game a budget look, but there's a level of detail to everything that I think surpasses that. The scattered books and magazines, the things that are left running on the computers and TVs, and the many posters that line the walls really made the house feel lived in. The realistic house layout even got me to eventually overlook oddities like the bomb shelter located in the sub-basement. Oh, and the first-person switch to the strange alien machines was always intense and totally unexpected. Sound design fares even better, as every bit of it seems to complement the main game. The music feels like it was ripped straight from an old sci-fi movie, and the sound effects do a good job emulating that sound and style too. Everything was suitably atmospheric and creepy, and the soundtrack always felt on point. The look, feel, and sound of the game in particular reminded me a lot of the 1982 Creepshow segment "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill", and I mean that in the best way possible. Though not perfect, every aspect of Alterity Experience works to bring together a great game.

I like to use the analogy of some shorter games feeling like they're interactive movies, and I think that's most true of Alterity Experience. You can beat the entire game in about an hour, and probably even speedrun it in about thirty minutes once you know what to do. Even though I personally don't think I'll give it additional playthroughs in the future, there are some elements that might entice other players to do so. Besides the fact that there are multiple endings that I don't want to spoil, there's also some randomness to the adventure game elements. It's not the deepest of systems, but keys and codes are placed randomly in each playthrough. Though things largely stay the same, I can see how it'd be fun to see things play out differently a second time around. Even I personally didn't go this route, I still feel that the single gameplay experience is more than worth its price of admission. Speaking of which, at just $9.99, Alterity Experience is priced perfectly to go along with the vibes of picking up a sci-fi thriller to wrap up the evening.

Lots of mystery here.

They're coming!

Despite the fact that this isn't a game that's going to keep you occupied for days on end, it was one of the more memorable experiences I've played in recent memory. I may not play it again anytime soon, but I won't be forgetting it for a long while either. It's fun, it's spooky, and it has several gameplay elements that are rather unique. Fans of adventure games, horror games, and maybe even the Five Nights at Freddy's series, will want to pick this up on whatever platform they can. Better hurry though, I hear an alarm going off near that window...

Check Out Alterity Experience on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/alterity-experience-switch/

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Story: A
Gameplay: B+
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: B+
Value: B

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A fun closed-door adventure game that features unique gameplay elements.
+ The invasion segments can be quite thrilling and keep the game feeling fresh.
+ The atmospheric storytelling is spot on, and uncovering the story will feel very natural despite the lack of on-screen characters.
+ Though the graphics aren't exactly the most impressive, the level of detail in the game's world is.
+ Features a soundtrack that is spooky and atmospheric in all the right ways.

Cons:
- No matter how great the experience may be, there's no getting around this being a very short game.
- While there are randomized elements and multiple endings, there isn't much reason to return to the game once you've beaten it.
- The invasion segments can be a bit unmanageable once the house completely opens up.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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I need a beer after this!

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