Point ‘n click like it’s 1990 all over again in this stylishly pixellated adventure, as you help Alum navigate The Land of Tide, overcoming one obstacle after another on what is bound to be an epic journey for both player and protagonist. A journey which will hopefully lead to him ending the epidemic known only as ‘The Vague’, once and for all!
That said, its creator does make the promise of a tale lasting anywhere between seven and ten hours, so even if Alum’s clock is ticking, it seems there’s still a lengthy experience here somehow. An experience which features not only an old-school art style but also full voice acting and… no bloody pixel hunting! Good thing too, that last one, as that kind of stuff only belongs in hidden-object games, and this is nothing of the sort.
Alum is an original point-and-click adventure game. It has the nostalgic feel of classics (90’s Lucasarts, Sierra games) mixed with modern game-play elements and pacing that caters more towards this generation.
It is, however, a rather big world, this Land of Tide where the game takes place, so it’s fortunate that the game features a map screen, enabling the player to get around at a quickened pace. Time used wandering between interesting locales is better spent solving the dark, looming mystery of The Vague, as well as figuring out what happened to Alum’s hometown, after all.
But will our protagonist be able to make it, before losing himself completely in the process? There is still time, however little…
Alum (demo) is available for Windows, OS X, Linux and SteamOS from Steam, carrying a $14.99 price tag.
