ALTERITY EXPERIENCE is a moody horror survival game developed and published by ONITRON STUDIO. Players assume the role of a family man who is home alone when alien forces begin trying to break in. You’ll rely on a phone app to block out the intruders, and search the house to solve the core mystery.

To begin with, the general atmosphere of this game is very effective. The music and grainy visuals are unsettling in the right way. And when strange lights begin filling your house and windows are opening on their own, there’s a terrific sense of urgency. 

You’ll get a satisfying rush when you race to close one window by hand, then quickly use the phone app to close another that’s too far away. Also, the hidden backstories that relate to the local phenomena elaborate on them in grounded and interesting ways. The setting and character hints are also familiar enough for the mysteries to feel even stranger.

Sadly, it feels like at least half of the game involves wandering around in search of keys. The tension slowly dissipates as you rummage through endless shelves and drawers to progress. It would be much better if the aliens continued trying to intrude during these searches, which become mundane.

ALTERITY EXPERIENCE also ran very poorly on an Xbox with ethernet connection. The game suffered from frequent lag, making fundamental movement challenging. That’s a chore when you are hunting for the small item you need to move forward.

There simply isn’t enough content or escalation for such a very short game. The ending is also a little lackluster. It’d be nice if the alien lights forced players to master the home’s layout, and the ending challenged players to use that knowledge to successfully hide.

The survival situations are compelling and the sound effects are great, but the lights alone are far more imposing than that actual final enemy. Still, it’s going to be a real treat to see these devs evolve, because they clearly have talent.

Final Thoughts

ALTERITY EXPERIENCE is conceptually great, but it feels incomplete for such a potent premise. When this game works, it’s thrilling. When it falters, it’s very compromising. Some excellent horror sequences are hindered by technical issues and a short experience. I want more of this, but I also want more from this.

Score: 7/10