Even the Graphics Look Like Old Metal Gear…
About this time last year, Square Enix treated gamers to the first tease of Left Alive, from devs who had a hand in Armored Core and Metal Gear. A full year later, the Tokyo Game Show has finally treated us to some gameplay, and it is a curiosity to be sure.
Square Enix dropped nearly 10 minutes of demo gameplay, granting us an in-depth look at the world and its mash of playstyles. The footage quickly pins us in a corridor firefight between the player character and enemy NPCs. Unsurprisingly, as with many third-person shooters, there’s a cover system. Amidst the storm of bullets, the demo introduces us to weapons we can craft. A grenade, here and there, can turn the tide against overwhelming odds. The combat will rely on player ingenuity and stealth in order to overcome large groups of enemies.
However, you can’t stealth as a mech. Left Alive will incorporate mech combat into the mission playlist, and as you will discover below, it is where we see the Armored Core talent come into play. The segment is relatively brief but provides a practical look into the nuance of piloting.
Revealed in our past coverage, Left Alive is set in the Front Mission series and offers a tale of political fiction in a futuristic universe. Despite the fact, it represents a departure in just about every way possible. Since it assumed the role of a spin-off series, the tactical formula has given way to a stealth-action game. The campaign goes a bit deeper, however, thanks to the implementation of dialogue sequences. Whether or not player choice factors heavily into the campaign remains a mystery.
Left Alive is scheduled to for release later this year. Stay tuned for updates as time goes by, and feel free to comment your thoughts on the demo.
Happy gaming.