Recently, I've discovered I have a survival horror itch, so I've been actively looking for games of this genre. And let me tell you, buddy: Alisa has one of the most prominent and memorable asthetics, visual styles and atmospheres.

I've beaten the game 4 times and got all the achievements, so I know a thing or two about this game.

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• Visual style. Everything about it is perfect. Each section is distinct and memorable. Even separate rooms of the specific section look distinguishible. A circuis-themed section has an operating room, a living room, a room with sheep wallpapers, huge storage room with big boxes and so on. There are also the underwater section, which looks like the Shark Tank spiced up with greek vibes, the garden, the mansion area and the palace-like section.
  
• Enemies. Enemies also vary and correspond to the sections of the game. Mansion has dolls and crawling, broken down dolls, Nut-Crackers with rifles; the Circus has clowns, gorillas with cymbals, little ghosts on tiny bicycles and so on. You catch my drift, right? Not only the visuals and sound design are different, but so are their behaviours. Some enemies are slower, others are more aggressive and fast, the third ones are extremely spongy. This is a good stuff.
  
• Sound design and music. I believe this is the best thing about the game. Soundtrack is beautiful. It is both nostalgic and melodic. It sounds exactly like an 90's videogame's OST. And it is beatiful. I feel like melodies from this game are ingrained in my psyche and I'm going to hear the OST in my head anywhere. And sometimes it's spoopy, sometimes it's funny (smth like it belongs to a Scooby-Doo point&click game on Sega Genesis/MegaDrive). But I love it. And the sound design is awesome: starting with the enemy sounds and finishing with foosteps, with their sounds being different depending on various things.
  
• Weapon and costume variety The game has a huge number of custmes and weapons: 12 and 12, if I'm not mistaken. A pistol, dual pistols, a saber, a blunderbuss and a shotgun with 6 shells in the magazine, a crossbow, a mallet and so on. Pick anything you want! Each costume grants unique properties: some give more armor, others allow you to gain more health from medkits, third ones let you get health by dealing melee damage, etc. You can make your own combination of weapons and costumes, which SUIT (ba-dum tsss) you and your playstyle.
  
• Nostalgia. If you really like survival horror games from PlayStation 1, you MUST buy this game. Alisa feels like it rightfully belongs in the 1990s. It is crafted with all of the limitations of PS1 in mind. Pre-rendered backgrounds, low-poly models, small locations with black loading screens — everything is in place. Oh, yeah. Alisa has VERY CHEESY dialogue and sript. If you believe Resi 1 is a comedic masterpiece, then you will love Alisa.
  
• The merchant. I really like survival horror games with implemented shops or merchants (Dead Space, Resi 4 and Resi 8, for instance). This game also has a merchant, who will sell you ammunition, upgrades, weapons and costumes. It helps a lot and rewards you for your effort, which is always a cool thing, right? RIGHT?
  
• Story and characters. There are not many characters, but they all have their own personality and motivations. Pol and Pier are my favourite. The story is not complex. It's not anywhere near Bioshock Infinite, Alan Wake or Pillars of Eternity. But it's cryptic and mysterious enough to be enjoyable. You'll have to look for clues and notes to piece everything together. Not the best story, but I really liked it.

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This is the only critique that I have. Combat is quite clunky. But not in a good way. Auto-aim does not help much, some peope stated that in their reviews. But you always can take the saber with you, circle around the enemies and kick their asses like that. But this problem should be mentioned. The worst thing about combat is being stun-locked and not being able to do anything, even heal. Sometimes it can be extremely frustrating: your health rapidly depletes whilst you are just standing there and getting your ass handed over to you. Luckily, it won't happen often if you are constantly moving.

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Overall, if you like survival horror games, you should play it. And if you like survival horror games from PS1, this is a must-have. My PERSONAL SCORE for this game is 9/10. Give this game a chance and lose yourself within the Doll House!