Over the Alps is a really unique adventure game that’s a mix of the Grand Budapest Hotel, every spy movie ever made and a choose your own adventure with some serious consequences to your actions. It’s broken into four acts and each act can take up to an hour with your various choices that play out through choosing postage stamps for post cards not so much changing the location but the general story and how characters interact with each other.
In many ways, it works like this, you have a set path that you move through the game and a general flow for how the story will play out, however, the details of how what when and where play out throughout the game. In this review I will not talk about any details of the game, they must be absolutely enjoyed. However, the below animated GIF is how the game looks and it’s absolutely gorgeous.
Review
In simple words, if you have Apple Arcade this is a must download and if you don’t have Apple Arcade, it’s one of many games worth the trial. The game is fantastic in both its writing and visuals and the unique method of storytelling will make you want to play through the entire story again to try to find different achievements and build a better story for the cast of characters once you know more about everyone.
At each scene the game evolves further and further deeper into an interweaving story of mystique and intrigue, with crossing and double-crossing coming both in the expected and unexpected forms. It’s hard to predict where the story will move from one postcard to the next and, at least for me, it drew me in and made me finish the second half in one sitting to find out the conclusion.
The only downside is that it is a unique take at a choose your own adventure game and while choices have considerable impact, it doesn’t change the overall structure of the game. The game will move town to town and most events are unavoidable, however, the means and methods of how things play out change based on choices – choices that you may not expect.
Definitely download if you have Apple Arcade and give it a try.
Guide
Below are some tips on understanding how the game is played and to understand better what is going on:
- Some choices have an impact on a specific character (if they like you or don’t) and that will enable different options in the future, if they don’t like you then you may not be able to take the “easy way” out of certain scenarios and there are points where it’s impossible for a character to like you – such is the way of the spy.
- Do not panic so much about the Swiss police. Them “catching up” to you isn’t an immediate game over. You can select specific options, such as leaving false names or avoiding loud open conflict that helps distract and delay them. At any point you choose to take a land route while walking, you will leave footprints for them to follow.
- Feel free to play however you want. I’ve yet to find a fail state, you can be nice or aggressive or silly throughout your play-through and the story will advance further.
- Each stamp represents a style, like dashing, aloof, honorable, etc. You can mix and match and follow the context of each response to try to pull a desired outcome OR you can stick to one style and never swagger, such is the game.
- Peek the achievements for some serious hints on some outcomes you may have missed.
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