Once Alive (2024)

Developer: Cem Boray Yıldırım
Publisher: GameDev.ist
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Adventure, Indie
Rating: 4.2 of 5, 487 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 2.2 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A quiet, melancholy walking simulator where you piece together a post-apocalyptic mystery through environmental storytelling.

atmosphericmysteriousemotionalslow-pacedstory-drivenpost-apocalypticexploration-heavysomber

What players say

Players describe Once Alive as a very short, linear walking simulator with a narrative focus and little gameplay interaction. While some appreciate the story and the effort of a solo developer, others criticize poor optimization, amateurish animations, and a cliché plot. Performance issues and a lack of action or puzzles are common complaints.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.