Alterborn

Alterborn is an action game with looter shooter, roguelike and soulslike elements. It was developed by Iron Lung, an independent studio from Warsaw, made up of former employees of such companies as Ubisoft, Techland, CI Games, QLOC and Bloober Team.

Plot

Alterborn takes us on a journey to the bleak world, brought to the brink of collapse by a mysterious plague. One of the survivors, who managed to escape with their lives, is the title Alterborn. The protagonist sets off on a journey into the heart of the destroyed and full of dangers land to deal with his own demons.

Game mechanics

In Alterborn we observe the action from a third person perspective (TPP). Places, which we visit during the adventure, are hand-made, but their content is generated procedurally. This makes each visit to a particular territory look different than the previous ones. Travelling through dark places, including gloomy undergrounds and abandoned buildings, we mainly fight with enemies. On our way there are mostly mutated creatures, which we eliminate by using firearms or melee combat. The battles are dynamic and during them we have to be in constant motion and make rapid evasions from enemy attacks. At the same time we have to be careful not to exhaust the stamina bar.

At the same time we are not doomed to a lonely crossing. We establish complex and diverse relationships with allies who join us as we progress. Along with the progress we develop the hero, unlocking new useful skills and getting better equipment. Additionally, in this way we customize the protagonist to suit our individual playing style. Interestingly, the authors abandoned the classic choice of difficulty level in favor of individual mechanics that allow us to adapt the game to our own preferences.

Technical aspects

Graphics in Alterborn looks quite good. The whole game uses a characteristic, slightly cartoonish style; greyish-grey locations contrast with bright elements (including vegetation).

Last updated on 21 July 2023