Alisa: Modern PS1 Era Survival Horror!

[@Shinobits]

Heya Avalanche! I'm Jean's voice actor and model (yes, the dashing individual that eats toothpicks for breakfast). Gotta say I'm super happy to see that people get what Casper wanted to share with this game. Extra endings and story DLCs are coming out soon for the game, so stay sharp~

[@angelurbina8158]

Quick Q: Did you actually have to swallow a toothpick in order for you to immerse in the acting? 🤔

[@Shinobits]

@@angelurbina8158 absolutely 👌

[@Shinobits]

@@neloangelo8 Jean is far from a minor character, believe me 😏 expect great things~ Thanks a lot! comments like this mean a lot to Casper and everyone involved in the game :D

[@neloangelo8]

@@Shinobits Whaaaaat now you've got me fangirling. I'm looking forward to it!

[@errendipnarine]

That's wonderful, can't wait to see more of this

[@theamazingmango3658]

I talked to one of the voice actors who participated in Alisa and he told me : "I received two instructions from Casper Croes about what I had to do : 1) you have to purposely do very bad acting. 2) your character must have a spanish accent and a tone that is close to Micolash from bloodborne. Actually this was the first time I had to do bad acting on purpose XD (and it was surprisingly hard XD) I ve send him 4 tests with different types of voices. Casper picked the second one saying it was perfect. I think Casper s intentions was to make a reference to the first RE game which had terrible voice acting. In fact I think that each area of the game has a reference to a diferent RE game. For example : to me the chapel and Albertus were a reference to RE4 . ...It was quite fun doing this voice."

[@torshec8634]

Alisa is giving me that American McGee's Alice meets PS1 vibes.

[@AvalancheReviews]

It does sort of have that feel.

[@mamulaals7385]

I dead ass thought it was gonna be a review of it

[@Mankey619]

I also felt that vibe too. Whenever I saw the title and the character in the game and thought that this looks and feels like something American McGee would make.

[@burnburn645]

i got immediate Alone in the Dark 1-2 on PC vibes after listening for a few minutes. HAH! yes, it does sound like AitD :DD

[@richardjared960]

First thing that came to my mind

[@TMALIVE]

Some of the questions might be answered later. The Dev is actually going to add new game plus, another merchant selling skills like auto aim, and new endings in free updates later.

[@AvalancheReviews]

That sounds awesome!!!!!

[@ryancrozier7941]

@@AvalancheReviews The update came out a couple days ago and I just wanted to let you know if you hadn't been following but if you have I'd love to see an update video on the new content and your thoughts

[@QuartzIsAnOxide]

I've been keeping my eyes on this game for a while. The devs are _still_ adding content to it. It's next on my 'to buy' list and RE4 came out a couple days ago.

[@teddyharvester]

I've recently found in horror games that low fidelity graphics have a way of increasing the horror. It's one thing to have everything so hi-res that you see every detail of whatever is supposed to scare you, another completely when the graphics force your mind to fill things in. It usually fills the gaps with stuff way scarier than whatever graphics can provide.

[@icommentdumbshitbutyoudidn6575]

This is not the first comment I’ve seen talking about this. I agree!

[@yashuya2022]

Indeed. I wanted to try silent hill 2 because of its high regard, but didn’t want to skip the first game. After playing both, I honestly found the first game *WAY* creepier because of the low quality audio and graphics.

[@557deadpool]

i dont agree at all, a game can be scary with either high or low fidelity. it's just 90% of the genre isnt actually scary

[@GoldenWolf115]

@@yashuya2022 good on you! What methods did you use to play them?

[@yashuya2022]

@@GoldenWolf115 I don’t remember off the top of my head, but I believe I used the psx emulator for silent hill 1. And then searched online for the pc version of silent hill 2 someone posted and used the remaster overhaul on it. Might have to do some digging for the pc version of 2, otherwise you could just do the emulator versions instead.

[@mondoprime]

Really liked this game. Feels utterly authentic; like playing some forgotten PS1 title.

[@thebrightestbitch9530]

The way this game plays, it’s Alice madness returns, with the dress changes that give you stats, and the currency that are literal teeth to upgrade your weapons.

[@SweetOddBoi]

I figured out the elevator part because at the beginning of the game when you wake up and you're exploring around the floor and happen to check out the elevator room, the seat and carpet of the elevator is red. After you activate the furnace and are able to use the elevator. the carpet and seat is green. That clue plus the note about two elevators in the same shaft plus some extra video game know-how (think the several multi tier elevators in the Soulsborne games and Elden Ring) and I gave it a shot and my hunch was correct! Also thank you for putting me onto this game, I absolutely LOVED it!

[@DonMiguelLaBestia]

Yeah I think he didn’t understand the puzzle and solved it on accident.

[@seaica3447]

You should do a retrospective of The Evil Within! Such a great horror title.

[@AvalancheReviews]

I'm planning a video covering both EW games.

[@seaica3447]

@@AvalancheReviews this news has made my entire year, thank you

[@NinusMaximus]

Amen brother, amen.

[@LyaksandraB]

I enjoyed both games to different extents, but horror? Really? The evil within, horror. LOL

[@atomagevampn308]

I never liked the first one but loved the second title. I'm going through the first one again right now and completely changed my mind. Such a good series and makes me appreciate the 2nd one a lot more.

[@agamanyaapa]

This game actually feels a throwback to my RE 1 and digging-through-tons-of-abandonwares childhood.

[@joshuaweston6531]

I just bought Alisa on the Nintendo Switch eshop and beaten it a day ago. I have to say, I was not unhappy with my purchase! I think Alisa turned out really good, and that's pretty impressive considering so much of it was apparently handled by one dude. There's a lot I like about the game. The tight level design with backtracking and shortcuts, the cryptic but not overly annoying puzzles, the combat that requires proper positioning, the enemy variety, the boss fights with Souls like health bars, the unique environments attached to the main dollhouse hub area, the merchant Pol, the various weapons and dresses that boost stats...the list goes on! As with any good survival horror game, there's an emphasis on strategy as much as combat. Limited resources and item management in the form of being limited to how many weapons you can take with you at a given time. I also want to praise the enemy variety specifically. Not only is there a wide array of enemies, but there's also a number of completely unique ones, only encountered in specific areas. Such as the big head enemies in the Funhouse, that one freak in the red room with a gate that requires a coin (still don't know how to open it), and the giant ballerinas. I mean, each of those has unique animations and they aren't even reused. That's impressive! I will agree that the story is pretty hard to piece together. I too may well have missed some pieces of lore, but it is only my first playthrough after all. Even with the cryptic story, there's not really any downsides to Alisa. I mean, do I prefer the visuals of Tormented Souls? Yes, I do. I wasn't raised on the PS1 and frankly never cared for it's library until the PS2 came around. It's only in recent years I've discovered it's offerings of survival horror titles. Even with the low poly look, I still think the game looks great. Especially in certain moments. The "smoke and mirrors" room comes to mind. Even with the visuals of yesteryear, there is a number of things in Alisa I actually prefer over Tormented Souls. Both are good, but I prefer Alisa's balance of puzzles and combat. As a pure, old school survival horror title, I hope Alisa gets a sequel and I hope it does well financially. Alisa may not have the fanciest graphics, the biggest dev team, or a triple A budget, but I would much quicker shell out for this than many of the lackluster shooters and other generic games being released. I guess what I'm saying is, Alisa is something special. It's for the fans of the genre!

[@MultiNinebreaker]

Would love to see you do the galerians series. Had such a cool and dark style for me back in the day

[@AvalancheReviews]

I touched on them in a video covering Resident Evil clones a while back. I might go a little more in depth in the future.

[@SabelNoxz]

I'm shocked you didn't mention that it gives off an Alice in Wonderland feel. Like it was inspired by American McGee's Alice among other survival horror games.

[@BrettObie]

SAME! She is literally wearing the Alice outfit on the cover and its called "Alice"a

[@GraceofGod247]

It's definitely not inspired by American Mcgee Casper confirmed this in the Alisa discord

[@Rory_tttt]

@@GraceofGod247bullshit lol

[@everinghall8622]

IDK the first Alice felt more like an old school fps turned 3rd person adventure a la duke nukem:land of the babes

[@igodreamer7096]

Wonderful review, Jared. This game really is a great homage to the old and gold era of survivor horror games!

[@miller_de]

Glad you bringing this gem to a broader audience

[@DUKEHadToDoItToEm]

The fact that there's a crosshair indicator next to the ammo counter for when aiming at enemies offscreen alone makes this game amazing. I want that to be the standard in all games of this type from here on out

[@DJ239]

Love the merchant in this game. He reminds me of the goofy little old guy hanging upside down from Onimusha.

[@Rebel42356]

I higly recommend Darkwood! It's a quite unique indie horror game that has an amazing athmosphere. One of the most immersive games I've played.

[@BigBrosFilms]

So glad you are reviewing this! The dev is a super nice guy

[@AvalancheReviews]

I can tell you one thing. The guy knows survival horror.

[@thebossbaby7402]

This game’s been on my radar for awhile, now I really want to play it. Also, have you heard of Lamentum? It’s a top down 16-bit horror game with limited saves, inventory and resources, and a big mansion to explore. Keep hearing people call it survival horror and it sounds kinda cool. Might be worth checking out.

[@mannyomega713]

great game

[@kjkthareal]

low budget looking horror is the best, it gives a feeling of a sort lost media kinda thang like no one was meant to find it

[@DaddyAnarky]

You gotta check out Tormented Souls! It's Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Alone in the Dark all wrapped in one!

[@Roggor]

I consider this style of game it's own genre, ala film noir. Just because modern games have technically surpassed the limitations which lead to this style doesn't mean it can't be utilised. I'd love to see more games like this.

[@wrldoverheaven803]

*"HONEY GET IN HERE, JARED'S GOT ANOTHER REVIEW ON A SURVIVAL HORROR GAME!"*

[@AvalancheReviews]

The couple that watches my videos together, stays together.

[@Steadysphere]

This looks so damn awesome, I love how it matches all the little details from the classics back on PS1!

[@twistedsaints]

The elevator portion: that part didn’t trip me up too badly. Earlier in the game I lucked into finding a note that mentioned two elevators on the same track. Decided to test it and yep. Sure enough it worked. The portion that actually did have me wandering around aimlessly was the fish key. I never clicked the piano so I never realized there was a puzzle I was supposed to do to find it lol. And the damn clock bug. That was tough to find out. Was the only thing I had a buddy google for me as I was getting frustrated at the code not working.

[@ruhkillmeez7910]

Great video on covering this game, I’ve been looking for recent modern survival horror games I’ve missed out on. Last week I finished Kwaidan: Azuma Manor Story, a game that I took as being a throwback to Resident Evil 1 + Onimusha, and I had a great time time with it. Recently watched your Tormented Souls video, and this one I saw pop up on my notifications, so I’m getting to play more survival horror thanks to you.

[@AvalancheReviews]

Well it looks like the master has become the student. I never heard of Kwaidan, but I just looked it up and it looks like it's right up my alley! I'm gonna give it a try.

[@ruhkillmeez7910]

@@AvalancheReviews personally it’s my favorite game to have played this year, not impressed with 2022’s launch games. Kwaidan is a really short game, and I played it via the PS4 ver., the game utilizes click n point system to inspect the environment/items, and the only way to use that feature is via the touchpad of the DualShock/DualSense. That was an odd but somewhat charming way of utilizing the touchpad. There’s also 2 game modes, tank controls, which only allows use of the Dpad to move about, and there’s modern control scheme, which allows you to use the analog stick, and I think there graphics are cel shaded. I of course went with tank control scheme. Really short game, but it was such a nostalgia throwback, made me feel I was playing back on the PS1/Dreamcast. I bought it on PSN, which cost me $25.01, which is a pretty steep price, considering I beat it under 3 hours.

[@petslime2452]

From my knowledge in reading the notes.... Also sorry I forgot the names of the characters. Spoilers below 1) A few notes in the fun house mention something about an artifact and using it to experiment on people. From the puzzle of putting clown hats busts, we learn there were 3 head scientists. 2) One of the scientists (a botanist if I remember right) wanted to make a forever garden. that was the metal garden area. 3) Another one wanted to find a way to raise the dead it seems? That is the boss of the house of fun. 4) the last scientist (the astrologer) was never really mentioned or commented on again 5) The creepy doll girl stats that you are like her and you can resist "its" power. but not for long. It is most likely the finger of god. 6) Outside of the one note about the experiments in the house of fun, Nothing comes up till the Chapel area about the finger of god and how it's power is what was used to make the stuff, and is most likely the artifact mentioned in the house of fun's note. That's it. That's all the main story notes/lore I remember finding. There are apparently two other side stories going on. One about miners you find in the hedge maze (might be how there are more dolls down there) and one about a group of dolls being abandoned and locked up in the basement.

[@WolfyFancyLads]

One key thing that suggests this is a great call back to the old survival horrors: it's brightly lit. Horror these days are dark, spooky, they think looks are what are scary. But how many pants did the dogs in RE1 brown? How many freak outs did the t-rex in Dino Crisis raise? The classics were insanely bright, but still got their point across.

[@poisonarc]

There's something about the artwork that reminds me of the PS1 game D. Weird and fascinating.

[@jamescollinge5043]

I love how many of the modern "RE clones" don't resort to being about zombies, bioweapons, and special forces teams. Don't get me wrong: being a decent cover band is damn hard work, but I also appreciate innovation and originality.

[@alexroy5854]

I'm super happy you mentioned Silent Hill 3 as having a great story! People always mention SH2 which, yeah of course it's great, but I honestly like SH3 the best! Heather is an amazing protagonist, and I really enjoyed the ways it connected to SH1

[@seaofglass123]

Someone might’ve already said it, but you should check out the Puppet Combo games. They’re also have PS1 style graphics, though they mostly take inspiration from 80s slasher b-movies.

[@underthemayo]

In my Alisa video when I mentioned that Suzi did the boss voice, I too said "How cool is that?" Therefore, I will be issuing a DMCA takedown. You're done.

[@mattcraven8214]

I got big into this genre lately when I found a game called Murder House on Steam. Totally recommend it.

[@republicrat]

Made by puppet combo. While I really like puppet combo's aesthetic, PS1 graphics etc., I'm really tired of the running sims and persistent pursuer enemies he makes. Wish he would consider more enemies and elements to add something more, but it seems thats not what he wants to do unfortunately.

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

This definitely puts me in mind of the original Alone In The Dark games, prior to the reboots, mixed with Alice in Wonderland and a bunch of fairy tales

[@ZealSeraph]

It looks so beautiful. I need to play this for sure.

[@lankhoose9302]

Great game! Played through it 3-4 times when it came out, but I need to revisit it since the dev is still improving it all the time. Everyone was so crazy about Tormented Souls as being THE retro survival horror title of 2021, but Alisa really did it for me! Oh ya before I forget, great work as always Jared!

[@republicrat]

I love survival horror games and honestly tormented souls was just ok at best in gameplay imo. The graphics, sounds and everything else worked but it just felt like it fell short of that it could have been.

[@CorinianSalame]

Don’t know how this one wasn’t on my radar thanks for bringing it to my attention!

[@AvalancheReviews]

My pleasure!!

[@CountOfMonteCristo_]

I really want more horror games like Alisa, THIS is survival horror, and it’s as faithful as it can be, we really REALLY need this genre to make a come back.

[@sierrakobold6896]

PC midi or even soundblaster from back in the day is my true love for classic pc gaming soundtracks

[@realdragonrude]

i like to think of this game as a what if american mcgee made alice in wonderland a survival horror game in the style of re1

[@AvalancheReviews]

A few people have made that connection, and I can see why.

[@danielposey0620]

Would be super interesting seeing the dev actually try & port this to ps1 hardware

[@nickblomgren]

I can't believe this game not only replicated the graphics of an original Playstation game, but also that era's CGI. Like it looks perfect, like it was rendered on some SGI workstation from the 90's.

[@MrHeadshot10101]

Always great to see a new Avalanche Review on a Friday!

[@92greenz34]

I had to thank you, so I picked a video at random to comment on so you could hear it. I just beat Alisa last week (apparently some new DLC is coming out. I might have to revisit it soon.) and I beat tormented souls today (absolutely outstanding). This is some of the best quality gaming I’ve done in years, and I discovered them thanks to you. I have signalis ordered on the switch, I’m looking forward to it as well. Thanks again man!

[@thebat4945]

Couldn't click fast enough. Honestly dude I always look forward to your videos and this comes from someone who's pretty burnt out of KZbin

[@Gruntvc]

If Alisa comes to consoles, I might check it out. Wish Capcom would remaster the classic RE PS1 trilogy too.

[@AvalancheReviews]

They're literally losing money ever day that goes by and they don't remaster them.

[@cidfacetious3722]

I wish they would remake RE1 in 1st person like RE7

[@Gruntvc]

@Avalanche Reviews, They keep porting RE4 to pretty much everything and are now likey remaking it too. I think it's about damn time they port RE's original trilogy too, especially given the recent shut down for Wii U and 3DS's online digital storefronts. I foresee Sony trying to shut down both PS3 and PS Vita's next and their the only ones still selling legit digital versions of classic RE games. Reach out to the fans, Capcom. A lot of them are already remastering the classic games unofficially on pc. Heck, they didn't even rerelease them for the 20th anniversary back in 2016. Wouldn't mind RE Survivor getting rereleased too. Copies are too expensive now.

[@cidfacetious3722]

@@Gruntvc Sony already tried shutting down vita and ps3 stores last year

[@Gruntvc]

@cid facetious, Yes, they got a lot of backlash and backed off. But, they still made buying stuff on PS3 and PS Vita difficult as you can no longer search for those games on the website. To get money, you gotta redeem cards on your PS4 or PS5 and then you can buy on PS3/Vita. I think they completely shut down the PSP's storefront too. With Nintendo shutting down both Wii U and the 3DS online storefronts, Sony might try to shut their older ones down too, again. Might happen given all the rumors of Sony adding a new type of Game Pass like subscription service. Unfortunately, we'd lose the last legal way to buy digital copies of classic PS1 games besides old physical copies.

[@Darek_B52]

Yeah alot of stuff was empty upon release but stuff has been added. New weapons, outfits, and even new areas.

[@Mankey619]

This game looks very interesting and it makes me want to play this game. This definitely looks like that it belongs on a PS1 game,with its graphics and pre-rendered background and it’s tank control like gameplay. Everything just screams survival horror. They did an excellent job making this and I’ll definitely gonna check this game out. Thanks for showing me this game Avalanche.

[@deezee2965]

I have been waiting for you to cover this since it's release! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ositox5659]

Awesome review as always man! As a fan of you, Sphere Hunter and PS1 SH, I'll have to check this out!

[@steelcurtain187]

This looks awesome. I hope it lands on consoles one day

[@andrewwoolford8073]

Since then, the rope was added. Basically the wood patchwork gate and gazebo hole are part of the way to get a crossbow weapon, iirc. The rest is new game+ and more upcoming content (some just not implemented yet, and I'd imagine some DLC-based) like Shinobits said. Also, I know this is way after the video was initially released, but the elevator trick is actually found in a file that mentions the toothwheel allowing for the existence of more than one carriage in an elevator. Easy to miss though, because there were a lot of times when I originally played it that I'm certain I must have missed a file or two.

[@zoricgames]

You sold me this game in the first few minutes. I can't wait to play it!

[@AvalancheReviews]

That was basically what I thought my first few minutes of playing it. HA!

[@Skuttie]

The item to open that gate in the bedroom isn't in yet it's apparently going to be in new game +, the dev's been hard at work fixing and adding stuff. The launch for this was also extremely rough, softlocks, tons of bugs, but it's come a long way since then. As for the looks, the dev definitely nailed the look as in several streams I've seen people asking what system this came out on, when it came out, what emulator people are using to play it things like that and they're genuinely surprised it came out in 2021. Also like the classic Resident Evil games melee only is totally viable, Alisa can punch dolls until you get the toothwheels for the sword.

[@AvalancheReviews]

I used the sword a lot for the flooded basement section. Totally worth getting. He really did nail the visual style. It's damn near perfect.

[@chellastation]

This game looks charming. I think I remember a few playthroughs of this game, but I never got through the end. 🎮

[@cosimocosner14]

Oh my god thank you, games like this one are so rare these days. Lot's of love for sharing!

[@far_sample2873]

Thanks for the video, its great, gonna give this game a chance definitely.

[@DSL_Returns]

I definitely think Ghost Hunter on the PS2 deserves a proper review and your kind of in depth analysis would definitely do it a favour

[@nellkellino-miller7673]

There is so much great modem survival horror. Like, sure the aaa industry is devoid of it, but I dont even know anyone who’s played a aaa game recently. Indie is basically the industry now.

[@mielthesquid6536]

You are one of the only person online who has the exact same unpopular tastes I have about survival horror games.

[@vittoriodio]

16:11 RE4 laser would've been a better solution for sure

[@AvalancheReviews]

I love the RE4 laser sight. Best way to let the player play well, while keeping the visuals immersive.

[@TJCollins13]

As always, awesome video! Been wanting to give this game a try.

[@AvalancheReviews]

Hell yea, do it!

[@gullpayne]

Looks great exactly what I like in a horror title - hard to get these games anymore and have to rely on word of mouth (or video) to hear about them thanks jarred

[@habadasheryjones]

Youngsters here need to introduce themselves to classic survival horror: Fixed cameras and tank controls. Get yourself a ps3, hit up the slow-as-sin ps3 psn store, and load up however much money you'll need to buy RE1 Director's cut, RE2 original, Re3 Nemesis ( I personally checked the store a day ago re2 original and nemesis were only $6.50 dollars American each which is a absolute ridiculous steal of a price), Dino Crisis 1, Dino Crisis 2, Parasite Eve 1, Parasite Eve 2, Fatal Frame 2, and Silent Hill 1. Practice tank controls. The people who say they're clunky just rage quit the game after 2 minutes because they didn't want to git gud. Fixed camera angles are awesome. This is a psa to drop knowledge on everyone who knows survival horror as a 3rd person or 1st person experience. I'm putting you all on game right now. Those games are fire. *Head my words.* Also... THESE GAMES CONTAIN SCENES OF EXPLICIT VIOLENCE AND GORE.

[@johnran6015]

ahh i love the creepy doll/nightmare logic design, one of my favorite but imperfect movies was Stuart Gordon's Dolls from the late 80s

[@decadentgamer3108]

What you said in the middle of the video on the fact that there now are a younger generation who didn't grow up with PS1 graphics and how that might factor into why they might dismiss this game as looking crappy and outdated was so true it hurts lol I grew up with the PS1 and though I didn't play the survival horror games, I still was immersed with the way 3D graphics looked at that time, pixelated and all and it deifnitely played a part of why I got hooked on Alisa when I first saw demo back in like 2019. When I see PS1 graphics, it just gives me this feeling of comfort as I'm sure it does for a lot of others who grew up with the console and actually like the way the games looked at this time. Anyway I haven't played this game yet but it's definitely on my list. It was cool that you did a video on it though, your expertise at 3rd person survival horror to explain whether this game captured that essence or not was interesting to listen to. I really hope we do see a revival of these kinds of games for sure. If anything, we'll more than likely see them in the indie scene and I can't wait for that day to come.

[@FrinkyDinky]

18:21 that sound effect got a good snort outta me.

[@SnappleRyRy89]

i had this on my steam wishlist for awhile and was on the fence. glad to see you cover it to help me make my decision. As with tormented souls, i will definitely pick this one up!

[@lankhoose9302]

Jared, I got stuck on the elevator as well, but to be honest it was not TOO cryptic. You just take the elevator down, then take the stairs up and you will see the green elevator there, which goes up. It took me about 30 minutes to figure it out, but yeah it was a tough nut to crack.

[@AvalancheReviews]

Really? When I went up the stairs and tried the elevator, it just took me down again. I could only get it to work when I rode it down, then back up to the first floor, and then up again.

[@lankhoose9302]

@@AvalancheReviews as far as I remember you need to activate the red elevator, ride it down, unlock the door down there with one of the keys, then go up the stairs to the elevator room and then take the green elevator and ride it to the 2nd floor. Worked every time for me. Maybe you played an earlier build than I did but I pretty much played it when it was released I think.

[@DaveAdams222]

18:21 . . .that noise the pendulum made . . .I almost fell over laughing at that.

[@Azrel00]

Been following this game ever since I saw a playthrough of the unfinished version. Now I really need to play Alisa!

[@JJRodriguez]

Glad that you finally got around to play this. Sorry if I was obnoxious asking you to play this so often.

[@AvalancheReviews]

No, definitely not. I get a lot of recommendations, so the ones that get repeated a lot tend to stick in my memory better. Plus, it ended with me playing an awesome game. Can't be mad about that.

[@ellisdee2106]

1 minute in you cross out Evil Within and imply it's not "real survival horror". Shinji Mikami (creator of Resident Evil) himself called TEW a return to survival horror. I think I'll take his word. The term 'survival horror' has evolved over time but games like Evil Within and even Dead Space evoke feelings of vulnerability and emphasize resource management and tense scenarios where really feel like you are struggling to survive. My first playthrough of TEW gave me tense feeling of anxiety and survival I've never experienced in any other game (need to play on Nightmare though). Apart from that I still respect your work and will be checking this game out.

[@AvalancheReviews]

The only problem there is that survival horror is a genre of gameplay and not something overly subjective like feeling like you are struggling to survive. I mean, with that broad of a definition, every bullet hell shooter is survival horror thanks to the fact that i always feel like I'm just barely not dying. There are gameplay traits that determine is a game is part of a genre. Camera position, movement, mechanics and structure. That's how you define it and if we're going on that, then Evil Within and Resident Evil share literally nothing in common, aside from a focus on horror. Ya know what I mean? Having Mikami's word isn't really necessary because we have a set of standards that lets us know when a game belongs to one or genre or another. Miyamoto's word isn't needed to call Donkey Kong Country a platformer, because we can compare it to other platformers on a mechanical level.

[@ellisdee2106]

​@@AvalancheReviews The term 'survival horror' was invented in 1996 by Capcom when they were marketing their game (Resident Evil) which was directed by Shinji Mikami. Genres evolve over time. When he directed The Evil Within he called it survival horror because survival horror is a game that is both horror and puts you up against difficult odds/vulnerable circumstances to make you feel like you a struggling to survive. Your 'bullet hell' point makes no sense because that is obviously not horror in the first place. I'm (guessing) you are a metalhead. The band Venom coined the term 'black metal' in 1982 and then a second wave of bands expanded those ideas and created a second wave. I think that is exactly what we've seen with survival horror. Emperor and Mayhem are better black metal bands than Venom. Just as The Evil Within is a better survival horror game than the original Resident Evil. They are very different approaches but ultimately are trying to do a lot of the same things.

[@sozaj]

Have you ever seen "the Glass Staircase"? It looks like it would be up your alley.

[@bloopblopglip]

Glad to see Jared cover Alisa what an awesome little indie gem

[@arkham666]

About 6 hours for a playthrough. I really appreciate that. It baffles me that every game these days needs to be some 100 hour bloated monster, as if I have that kind of time.

[@AParticularlyConcernedCitizen]

Wouldn't make sense for a survival horror game is super long, since they're usually designed specifically to be replayed.

[@SammEater]

For sure, I rather play a nice short game with big replay value than a long as hell game that I am only going to play once. To this day I've never replayed any Assassin's Creed game post Revelations.

[@BitBoxTurbo]

I've never liked this doll house aesthetic but your glowing review might be enough to get me to check this thing out.

[@Crow-mq1qp]

This is a dream come true, gotta pick this up.

[@marianodiaz6317]

Imagine a secuel with ps2 aesthetic

[@sukamadik5983]

Oh man, I've been busy all day so I probably didn't notice the notification for this video (assuming KZbin didn't f*** it up) which means my late comment might not be read but I'll say it anyway. Awesome review, it's right up there with a Grim Beard's coverage of this game. I still can't believe you're actually covering this awesome but probably dead niche franchise. Also I noticed you haven't covered Alan Wake in your channel before and it would be pretty awesome if you covered the first game (and maybe even Control since it connects with it) right before the sequel releases. Not only do I think that particular kind of game is right up your alley but if you release those videos in the hype cycle right before the new game comes out the algorithm will probably take you to the top and get you a bunch of new viewers that will probably fall in love with your content the way I did. Hell you can probably stream the game with Jolene as well.

[@jedstuhr]

Damn. Jared, you truly are the vocalization of everything I like about survival horror (except at a much more expert level a I'm not too well-versed in graphical detail)!! So glad you liked both this and Tormented Souls! I'm in the middle of both games, but have known of their existence when they were 1st announced and so far, totally in love with both! Have you heard of or played Forgotten Memories? It's available on both iOS and Android (can play it on a big screen thanks to Samsung DeX), but from what I've played, so far, it seems to scratch that Silent Hill itch... there's SUPPOSED to be an HD remake on Switch. but they've been talking about that for like 2 yrs now with little to no updates. Also, you might've missed it, but JJ from Residence of Evil also plays a part in voicing that General or whatever his rank is in the 1st opening cutscene giving orders

[@armandostockvideos8386]

12:25 This remind of me board game that I liked when I was kid but I cant remember the game.

[@HansAlRachid]

The German word for cog is "Zahnrad", the literal translation of which would be "toothwheel". So there you go - that's where that's from. Great game by the by, thanks for covering it.

[@AvalancheReviews]

That makes sense!!! I was thinking that was the case.

[@dotcomgamingd5564]

also, I wonder if Alisa was inspired a lot by Alone in the Dark 1?

[@oliviawilliams6204]

It give me Alice American McGees vibe somehow

[@lucymorrison]

Exactly what I thought haha

[@null8fuffzn199]

Great Video man, i really enjoy your content. I especially liked the part where you said that this PS1 style is objectively the best.

[@AvalancheReviews]

Hell yeah! Glad you liked the video! I was sort of joking when I wrote the "objectively the best" thing........but I kind of wasn't as well. HA!

[@nathanielhaven3453]

I’m surprised you haven’t covered garden variety body horror and Prototype Mansion yet

[@douglasmonroe7417]

I need to play that. I have been following updates with Alisa. But the past two years have been relatively quiet with no updates. Now that it's finally here, I probably have no excuse to not play it. BTW sorry for missing your stream last night. Things got a little off. But I did say in one of your streams, I won't be visiting as much. I'll still follow updates on what your next vids are. Reason being me and my parents are working on getting out of here. A double wide. That's where I live. I'm also going back to get my GED here in a few months. That's assuming if we'll be around or anyone. Joke's aside, I'll visit your streams when it's convenient. But yeah, whatever your next vids are I'll watch. You have alot of great content in your vids. That's about the only thing I'd want you to keep doing. Putting out quality content.

[@Room-uc5se]

I modded my PS classic and finally…FINALLY played through Silent Hill. It holds up so well and I actually liked it better than 2

[@khorne133]

Honestly can't wait for this game to be updated. Miss this type of game.

[@OfficialBioDevil]

I wanna say the game is taking place in a fictional France based on their accents. Also there was a dress that was exclusive to KickStarter backers but I'm not sure if it was better than what you could unlock.

[@AvalancheReviews]

I really need to start doing better research before I do these videos. HAAAA!

[@dieyng]

It's funny I grew up even earlier than the PS1 era, my first gaming computer was a Commodore 64, and yet I absolutely do not think these old-ass shitty graphics are the best. In fact, it is a pet peeve of mine that we have so many "retro" games nowadays. I am always suspicious whether the horrible graphics are really due to aesthetics or simply the devs not being able to create a decent looking modern game.

[@death-by-ego]

And Residence of Evil did the Captain's voice i believe.

[@blackflame4506]

Another Avalanche Review by Jared... time to kick back and enjoy the awesomeness!

[@AvalancheReviews]

I tried to make sure this one was jam packed with awesomeness.

[@indefenestrible8196]

I seem to remember someone saying that a game that rewards combat with resources can't be survival horror.

[@AvalancheReviews]

Listen I've got a lot of strongly held beliefs and all of them go right out the window when someone clones Dino Crisis 2.

[@ZekeAxel]

You could probably interview the game director he seems quite friendly on Twitter

[@diamondhamster4320]

It is a Resident Evil cross Alice in the Wonderland mash-up, gotcha.

[@YamiVT]

I didn't know the full game was out!

[@AvalancheReviews]

It is and it's awesome!