I Am Alive

I Am Alive

102 ratings
What I was never told. The basics.
By ThePetRock
This is just a list of the basics for this game. Take it or leave it.

Photo credit: http://static9.cdn.ubi.com/en-US/images/IAA_Screenshot_12_620x350tcm1932369.jpg

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Intro
First off, this game absolutly terrifies me. If you enjoy your heart racing and having minor panic attacks at every sound while clutching to crumbled buildings 80 stories up, you're in luck. This is the best game for you. So feel free to play in the dark, late at night and completly alone (off ventrillo, mumble, ect) for full effect.

Secondly this game is amazing. If you don't already have it, wait for a Steam sale and pick up a copy. If you can get it for 5-10 bucks, it's a steal. Not that I'd discourage full retail price. My girlfriend sent this to me during a Steam sale, and it's one of my favorites for this genere, ever, and as a 9-year Steam vet, 15 years gaming total, I'd like to think that counts for something.

Third, this isn't a walkthrough or some guide detailing all the ins and outs of game play. This is simply what I wish someone had told me before venturing out into the world. This game is difficult, but if you follow some very basic steps, you will have a lot smoother game play than I did my first time round.

Good luck!
Pay Attention
Sounds obvious right? Pay attention.

The games load screens warn us to watch out for individuals just defending their turf. This statement, had I heeded its warning would have saved me a retry or two. Right retries. We will come back to those later.

Anyways like I said. If an old lady tells you to back off, back wayyy off. Because she will blast a hole in your face. This happens on more than one occasion.

Also take note of your surroundings. You can conserve ammo by backing thugs up and kicking them down shafts and into holes. It can happen way more often than you think.

Survivors are everywhere. Keep a note of who needs what and where they are. They add to the story and provide those valuable retries.

Lastly, if life all of a sudden gives you two bullets, some water and a med-kit. Be weary, a fights just around the corner.

Pay attention. It will save your life.
Retries
Do not squander your precious retry. It will bring you to the last spot before action or your last load screen. If you just had a cut scene, or completed a chapter and are only one or two events into the next chapter (fight or other event) don’t blow it, especially, if you’re playing on the harder modes. Just reload, take your time and learn from your previous mistake. Only blow these when you’re positive you can correct your last mistake or you’re near a chapter completion.
In full disclosure, yes, there is a retry glitch. But I do not encourage you to take advantage of the flaw. I learned this by accident while on a mission. Did it twice before I realized my retry count had increased when it shouldn’t have. If you’re curious, google it.
Combat
In marketing and business law there is the deceptive practice of bait and switch. You can use this technique in 85% of your encounters. It’s the skill the game teaches you in the first level about baiting a thug close and timing a quick slice to the throat with your machete. But be aware, they will all rush you after, so have the gun ready to be pulled, even if you don’t have ammo. It will freeze them so you can back them up to a shaft and kick them in. Also note, these guys don't sit forever. After a few seconds they call your no ammo bluff and charge again. If you're out of ammo, that can be tricky. So have a plan formulated quickly and command them to keep moving back, rotating the gun on all the enemies.

DON’T WASTE YOUR BULLETS IF YOU DON’T HAVE TO. Yeah, its fun to blow their heads off. And for the heavies, you have to use bullets. But save as many as you can. They become more scarce as the levels progress and the higher difficulty you play.

Also do NOT bring an arrow to a gun/knife fight. You will NOT be able to draw the bow fast enough. I learned this the hard way after a few attempts. The bow and arrow works great at a distance to snipe, either common thug, or a heavy. But if you shoot an arrow first, you will (most likely) agro the pack. And they will come guns blazing if they are equipped.
Conservation
As you’ve already noticed, items are scarce. And items that people (NPC’s) need are even more so. Only use what you need, even if you don’t become fully healed, its not worth wasting the supplies. Like bullets, food and water will become more scarce as the game progresses (again, depending on difficulty)

If you can’t conserve, at least hunt a little longer. Rushing point A to B will result in you missing out on food, drink, hooks and bullets. Don’t skip checking behind a corner if you don’t have to. Exploration does have its weaknesses, the dust will kill you slowly, but if you have the time exploration is a must for items.

Be aware that there are plenty of nooks on your climbs, check all those ledges for items. They are also a spot where you can climb up and rest a bit.
24 Comments
XTERMINATOR 10 Mar @ 3:57am 
Can someone help me I can't hear any dialog in the game like there is no sound at all please help me i want to enjoy the game actually.
s0_RoNerY 5 Feb, 2024 @ 10:23am 
Another tip that should be noted. Never, for the hell of it, after firing your gun, and you have an empty mag, shoot it. They’ll hear this and come in rushing at you. I had this done behind a box of crates accidentally. Weirdly enough they were in their dialogue together, accidentally shot my gun, and one of them, which sounds identical to the voice used in Splinter Cell games; hears this and they both come running at me.

Never shot an empty gun so I don’t know how loud it is. But just odd for a game like this to give them ears that work, and only this and nothing else.

If I recall this is the only game that has this.
_galaxy 27 Jun, 2023 @ 9:02am 
I would love to play this but it keeps crashing on the ship section.
Cap'n Saccade 7 Dec, 2021 @ 2:23pm 
Monkey, 5 years later, but, lol.

I was almost tempted to play this game again, as it has been on my hdd since 2015 not played or something. But then you reminded me why I decided it was not worth the time compared to a lot of other titles that were out at the time.

The guide is right though - this is definitely a night-time or darkened room game, but to be fair most games are better without the lights on...

:kiss_eol:
duckhost 7 Nov, 2019 @ 6:30am 
A hint to new players reading this is tell to back off and then draw the bow and shoot them, but only do this with 1-2 enemies because they'll rush you and you only shoot 1 arrow.
Strelok 4 Jul, 2018 @ 3:58pm 
Very good stuffs here, but I think that most of it players should experience on the game. At the end I am Alive is all about getting used with this very particularly resource/risk managemente. One of the best things it's find a way, the own way, to deal with this.
Psychix 5 May, 2015 @ 2:29pm 
very nice thanks for this it´s really helpful
sumo47 27 Feb, 2015 @ 2:04pm 
Thanks for the info - it's a pity I didnt see it sooner. I have finished playing on each of the skill levels and have still yet to find the helicopter pilot ! actually all I ever manage to help are 18 of the 20 victims ! still missing 2.
Sir Boss 2 Jan, 2015 @ 4:58pm 
how do you save in this game?
Monkey 5 Nov, 2014 @ 7:59pm 
That grappling hook and that swining. There is no other gameplay mechanism i will ever hate more then THIS mother +fu +cking swinging. Its like i'm trying to control a burning tank on drugs. On a planet with tripple the gravity as on earth. While a cagefigther beats the love outta me. With a half nano second timing to swing right,.... to the next grappling station. :'0 It let me plead for a weekend with waterboarding just to relax from that hell i got trough today. I hate it so much. >: ( If that feature would be a living person i would... Just....RAAAAHR >: [
My mother always warned me "Son. Everyone has his achilles' heel, one day you will find yours"
-The feeling of anger about the fact that she was right again (again and again and again..), is nothing against the anger i feel when i think about the swining feature from I am Alive. (Screen: "Gravity Lad, ya fall to death".. and again and again and again..)