And then buy the full game.

This is a brilliant throwback to Resident Evil style, fixed camera exploration/combat games, with a tighter focus and a great sense of fun.

The presentation is a delight: in contrast to all the smudgy, dark, high detail gore games of today, Alisa is clean and colorful without being garish. Enemies are porcelain dolls and creepy puppets - no rotting flesh or dripping fluids here - yet maintain the menace so fundamental to good survival horror.

Combat is challenging but fair. Many people complain about fixed camera games as too hard, how am I supposed to know when I'm fighting and where they are? Alisa's enemies give obvious sound cues when they appear, and the simple expedient of a HUD indicator lighting up will tell you when your weapon is pointed at something and when it isn't.

There are a wide variety of enemies, and even leaving aside the boss fights, you are constantly encountering new things. Every enemy type has its own special rules for mobility, attack and defense patterns etc. and you always have to assess and devise new tactics, particularly when attacked by a combination of foes. As you would expect, boss fights are even more unique and engaging.

Scarcity is real. Your playthrough will only have a single save, and ammunition and healing items are not generously awarded. In many survival horrors, by the endgame I am swimming in extra ammo and dozens of health potions. Not here. Certainly, you don't need to be a freak about it and reload a save every time you miss a shot, but you can't be wasteful either. If you run out of bullets and save the game, you may very well put your playthrough into an unwinnable state and have to start all over. Far from being a failure of design, I consider this a strong incentive to play intelligently. It's good to play old school style - with no safety net.

Note that at the time of this writing the game isn't totally finished yet! There are still some doors that don't open and a few other things that need fleshing out. Regardless, other than wondering "What's behind there?" this does not damage the experience at all. The game is polished and a complete beginning-to-end experience.

I paid full price and it took about 13 hours for me to complete the game, which was all quality time, no filler. No need to wait for a sale. Try the demo, and if you like what you see, you'll get your money's worth for the full game.

[h1]This game is a goddamn masterpiece and you should play the demo immediately.[/h1] And then buy the full game. This is a brilliant throwback to [i]Resident Evil[/i] style, fixed camera exploration/combat games, with a tighter focus and a great sense of fun. The presentation is a delight: in contrast to all the smudgy, dark, high detail gore games of today, [i]Alisa[/i] is clean and colorful without being garish. Enemies are porcelain dolls and creepy puppets - no rotting flesh or dripping fluids here - yet maintain the menace so fundamental to good survival horror. Combat is challenging but fair. Many people complain about fixed camera games as too hard, how am I supposed to know when I'm fighting and where they are? [i]Alisa[/i]'s enemies give obvious sound cues when they appear, and the simple expedient of a HUD indicator lighting up will tell you when your weapon is pointed at something and when it isn't. There are a wide variety of enemies, and even leaving aside the boss fights, you are constantly encountering new things. Every enemy type has its own special rules for mobility, attack and defense patterns etc. and you always have to assess and devise new tactics, particularly when attacked by a combination of foes. As you would expect, boss fights are even more unique and engaging. [i]Scarcity is real[/i]. Your playthrough will only have a [b]single save[/b], and ammunition and healing items are [b]not[/b] generously awarded. In many survival horrors, by the endgame I am swimming in extra ammo and dozens of health potions. Not here. Certainly, you don't need to be a freak about it and reload a save every time you miss a shot, but you can't be wasteful either. If you run out of bullets and save the game, you may very well put your playthrough into an unwinnable state and have to start all over. Far from being a failure of design, I consider this a strong incentive to play intelligently. It's good to play old school style - with no safety net. Note that at the time of this writing the game isn't totally finished yet! There are still some doors that don't open and a few other things that need fleshing out. Regardless, other than wondering "What's behind there?" this does not damage the experience at all. The game is polished and a complete beginning-to-end experience. I paid full price and it took about 13 hours for me to complete the game, which was all quality time, no filler. No need to wait for a sale. Try the demo, and if you like what you see, you'll get your money's worth for the full game.