The Alliance Alive Reviews
The Alliance Alive is a good game that's held back by some unfortunate missteps. Its fantastic premise and strong narrative provide a storyline that feels surprisingly fresh compared to other JRPGs, while its combat provides some welcome depth to its turn-based gameplay. The title often feels too easy, even by JRPG standards, and several features could have been better fleshed out, but the overall product is a stark improvement over studio Cattle Call's previous effort. With the 3DS on its way out to pasture, those with a hankering for an old-school JRPG with some new ideas should find something to like with The Alliance Alive.
For all the things it does right, The Alliance Alive generally feels like a game that wasn’t quite ready to get pulled out of the oven, but was released anyway.
Between the fresh story and a cast of characters that felt well-fleshed out with their sometimes whimsical sometimes serious dialogue, I was able to get lost in The Alliance Alive in a way I haven’t in ages. A good mix of past and present is found here, redrawing pieces of stories we’ve seen before and twisting them enough to make something that felt brand new.
Good pacing, engaging mechanics, and an interesting setting help make The Alliance Alive a noteworthy RPG.
Even though it's not the best JRPG out there in the vast 3DS library, The Alliance Alive comes in the twilight of the portable system, and it offers 40-plus solid hours of adventuring for the ones who were left wanting more from The Legend of Legacy.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Alliance Alive delivers a charming and satisfying JRPG adventure with a mix of traditional and fresh gameplay elements.
The Alliance Alive is yet another terrific RPG on 3DS, a platform that refuses to go quietly.
A solid JRPG experience by FuRyu, The Alliance Alive is a reminder that the Nintendo 3DS still has lots to offer as a platform even after the Nintendo Switch launch. Although the game is very traditional in its mechanics, it's still fun to play with an efficient and rewarding progression system.
Cattle Call moved a bit closer to greatness with The Alliance Alive, but they are still not quite there as one of the 3DS's last RPGs falls short.
Honestly I love this game. Never did I feel like I was slogging through just to progress, which is often the case these days. The Alliance Alive is very charming and well thought out, with plenty to help it stand out from other jRPGs, without doing anything significant to turn more traditional fans away. Just for the characters and story alone, i'd recommend this game.
This RPG is more than deserving of attention with its compelling combat system, well developed progression, rich and varied visual environment, as well as a vast and varied world. Alliance Alive would deserve to see an earlier release in Nintendo's last-gen handheld, if only to ensure more visibility to its efforts.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Alliance Alive invokes the finest elements of the JRPG genre, modernizes them, and innovates where necessary.
Overall, The Alliance Alive is a solid RPG with a unique narrative structure, a deep but accessible combat system, a nifty soundtrack, and a couple small graphical annoyances. Considering the portability and power of the Nintendo Switch, it also might be one of the last great RPGs for the 3DS, so don’t let the handheld disappear without a good fight.
The Alliance Alive is a solid, well designed JRPG that's definitely an improvement over its predecessor. It's filled with enjoyable character interactions and excellent features like the fast forward option for combat.
The Alliance Alive is a great-looking game with an interesting premise and intriguing battle mechanics, but in the end it falters from its combat decisions.
While it may not stand out as an individual title, The Alliance Alive gets by with somewhat unique ideas and a memorable soundtrack.
I had hoped that after a few initially rocky hours, The Alliance Alive would somehow turn it all around and be a game that I would love. Unfortunately that's not quite the case here, and on a system with no shortage of good RPGs, it's hard to sell The Alliance Alive to anyone but the most ardent of fans.
The Alliance Alive's one-of-a-kind atmosphere and decadent soundtrack are high notes in an experience otherwise subject to the whims of random number generation.
When it comes to RPGs, the Nintendo 3DS isn't lacking for quality, even this late in the system's lifespan. If there's one title that deserves a spot in the upper echelons, it's The Alliance Alive. Its battle system is reminiscent of the SaGa franchise, except taken to the next level through superb balancing and design. No matter the player's skill level, they are treated to an adventure that caters to them, without coming off as condescending or frustrating. Not only is the world filled with wonders to explore, anyone who takes the time to do so will find their efforts appropriately rewarded. Simply put, this game is a modern classic.
Cattle Call tries to make improvements on their previous RPG outing, but not to great effect.