A.I.L.A. review

I love to lose myself in a great horror experience. Thankfully, A.I.L.A. ticks that box, mostly. Unfortunately, there are moments where this finely polished game falls short. The occasional frame rate drop, glitch, and crash to dashboard undermine what would otherwise be an incredible, immersive, and fear-inducing experience.

Pulsatrix Studios has done a cracking job with this horror, puzzle, and survival title. It is a single-player game that takes you on a journey through the ages. Additionally, it’ll test your logical mindset as puzzles make up the backbone of this title. However, it is the creepy nature of A.I.L.A. that wins the show.

A.I.L.A. will creep you out.

AI is taking over, but A.I.L.A. is something else. This fully immersive, intelligent, and evolving machine is scary. It reads your thoughts, adjusts your mind, and plays with your understanding of reality. On top of this, it doesn’t know when it crosses boundaries, or maybe it does. Either way, it can’t be stopped.

Samuel is a program tester who has many skeletons in his closet. He thought that working remotely and isolating himself would help him overcome those adversities, but he didn’t plan for this ultra-intelligent hardware to arrive at his desk. Sadly, the program knows more than Samuel would like, but he has no way to escape. Consequently, he must continue his job if he wishes to finish the experiment.

Unique elements but familiar gameplay.

Although the core ideas of A.I.L.A. are unique, the jump scares, puzzles, and combat are very familiar. Scary mannequins, creaking floors, and overbearing bosses make up the spooky action. Alongside this, there are some labyrinthine areas to explore. This was great as it kept you on your toes and guessing throughout each strange virtual reality setting. Whether it was a pirate ship, castle, or forest, the central mechanics remain the same.

Puzzles were a mixture of fetch quests, visual clues, and notes. Some of them were challenging, but a calm and methodical mindset keeps you moving nicely. Sadly, I can’t say the same for the combat. It was a little clunky, tiresome, and understated. Moreover, the basic weaponry won’t blow you away. Subsequently, the developers could have done a lot more to improve this aspect of the game.

A.I.L.A. has some visual issues.

I loved the unique stages and the interesting worlds. The use of light adds a sombre and scary edge. Moreover, each hideous creature and bloody moment will turn your stomach. Despite these positives, A.I.L.A. has some horrible visual issues. The game suffers from frame rate drops. Furthermore, there are glitches where the framing of the world can be seen. Additionally, my game crashed to the dashboard multiple times. This was a shame, as it holds it back. Thankfully, the excellent soundscape makes up for the shortcomings. The screams, creaks, and weird noises enhance the hideous atmosphere. Moreover, the music gets your heart racing! Consequently, this is perfect when you fear that you will die.

The controls were a little twitchy. This wasn’t too bad, but it made any ranged weapon problematic. Additionally, there were moments where the bullets didn’t register. This caused frustration and led me to want to quit more than once. Although I found it annoying, I worked through the issues and finished this in under 10 hours. Some of you will get through it quicker, but there are plenty of collectables to find and loads of secrets to discover. As such, you could spend around 15 hours finding everything.

A.I.L.A. is good but flawed.

I enjoyed my time with A.I.L.A., but it wasn’t perfect. The combat could have been better, the controls weren’t perfect, and the glitches and frame rate issues hold it back. However, there are many positives as well. The story is great, the atmosphere is creepy, and each unique level was a joy to explore. Furthermore, there are genuinely horrific moments that will turn your stomach. Accordingly, you should buy a copy from the Xbox store!