I have made no secret of my difficulties with the metroidvania genre. While they have always interested me from a distance, when I actually pick up one for myself, I usually end up being too frustrated to continue. I rarely find a metroidvania that makes me want to power through my difficulty with the genre. The few times that I have, though, have left me with games that I remember fondly for the rest of my life. Altered Alma promises to be one such title.
Altered Alma is a cyberpunk-themed metroidvania, releasing soon on PC via Steam. I recently had a chance to check out the updated demo, which will be available very soon. Despite my misgivings about the genre, I found myself deeply enamored by the visuals, gameplay, and narrative premise, and I’m very excited to see how the finished product comes together.
Altered Alma begins with a beautifully animated cutscene, featuring our protagonist Jack and her robot companion VERA, infiltrating a mysterious facility before escaping from armed assailants. She is thrown into the darkest depths of Neo Barcelona with a simple goal: escape, before her would-be captors try to “literally rip her arms and legs off.” Along the way, she will fight through robots and make new friends, all while she repairs her ship so it is capable of escaping the city, once and for all.
This premise works fantastically and was enough to get me invested in the narrative. In the demo, you only get a few teases of how the story will progress from here. For one, you get to hear a little bit more about why Jack is on the run and meet some of the allies that she will recruit to help her fix her ship. The game promises to feature deep dialogue trees for these characters and even romances. I’m certainly excited to see how this mechanic comes to life in the full game, as I never thought there would ever be romances in a Metroidvania.
One of the highlights of the demo for me was just how beautiful the presentation is. Everything, from the background to the character sprites, to even the music, all had me enamored throughout my short time with Altered Alma. Starting with the visuals, it features a rich pixelated artstyle that, unlike others that use the same style, feels natural and not too grating. It pairs well with the backgrounds, which realize a cyberpunk version of Barcelona in stunning detail.
There are tons of small easter eggs and nods to other cyberpunk stories that I got a huge kick out of. You can find a few Akira posters in the background, plus a holographic ballerina that reminded me a lot of Blade Runner 2049. There are also many locations modeled directly off of Barcelona itself. I’m curious to see more of these locations as the game comes together. Further, I really liked the music, which is fast-paced techno that had my blood pumping as I tore through enemies.
Speaking of tearing through enemies, as someone who often finds myself averse to navigating through mazes and fighting punishing battles, I actually had a lot of fun with Altered Alma‘s gameplay. The action feels fast-paced and features a more melee-focused approach, forcing me to dash between enemies in order to survive and get the upper hand. Of course, it wouldn’t be a metroidvania without new weapons and tools to unlock.
There were a few great ones in the demo, such as one that allows you to use a knife to teleport to surfaces and directly to enemies, adding more utility to your movement. When it comes to exploration, you can also utilize VERA to unlock doors that have switches that are out of reach. There were still moments where my old frustrations towards the genre flared up, though. For instance, it was hard to figure out where I needed to go, which doors were accessible via a hidden entrance, backtracking to a different location, or were blocked due to the demo. However, thanks to the overall quality of Altered Alma so far, these issues weren’t enough to negate my enjoyment.
All things considered, I loved my brief time with Altered Alma. Despite my reservations towards the metroidvania genre, the presentation, story, unique mechanics, and even the gameplay highlighted in the demo were enough to make me very excited for the full game. While we still don’t know when that release is coming, you can try Altered Alma for yourself on PC via Steam with the latest demo.
