Altered Alma: The Cyberpunk Metroidvania You’re Looking For

They had me at “cyberpunk Metroidvania.” I’ve had my eye on Altered Alma for a while now, and after missing my chance to play it at PAX East 2024, I wasn’t going to let that happen again. Yes, I know there’s currently a demo on Steam, but that’s not the point. What matters is that I got to play it, and while I’m tempering my expectations as the game is still in development, there’s some good stuff here!

Altered Alma is set in the fictional Neo Barcelona (even featuring some sci-fi takes on landmarks from the real Barcelona like the Sagrada Família and the Arc de Triomf), placing you in control of Jack, a former enforcer on the run. With a story by Antony Johnston (Resident Evil: Village, Dead Space) and Emma Beeby (Tails of Iron), it may be no surprise that narrative is an important aspect of the game, from Jack’s backstory to the world itself. What did surprise me, in a game like this, is that there is a relationship system for Jack and the crewmates of the ship Esperanza. Even in my demo, I had a significant amount of dialogue choices when talking with one of the characters, which shaped how they replied and their feelings toward me/Jack. Given how most games in this genre don’t focus much on story or conversations, this was a pleasant surprise. I look forward to meeting more people and seeing how the romance options play out as friendship levels rise.

There are few things more important in a game like Altered Alma than control — all the window dressing or concepts don’t matter if traversing and combat controls are anything but precise. I was surprised when one of the Critical Reflex folks at PAX told me the developers are still refining the controls, because the controls feel great. A few screens and encounters required precision movement and button presses, and everything was responsive and tight.

Moving beyond how the game controls, what you do is also vital. Exploration feels great, as Jack can slide, backstep, and wall jump to glide through the environments. Open pathways are clearly visible, but I still struck every wall I could in case there was a hidden path or wall poultry (or whatever they eat in Neo Barcelona). Some one-way passages encourage you to find ways to navigate, and that’s all before getting the Quantum Blade!

I was already pleased with the effect and feel of the standard melee attack, but when Jack picks up the Quantum Blade, their little robotic buddy makes a show of it, and it was quickly apparent why. This flying boomerang-like dagger lets you attack from a distance, but the dagger’s movement abilities are no doubt the standout function. The Quantum Blade can travel through some barriers, and by chucking it into a surface (wall, ceiling, floor), Jack teleports to that location. Suddenly, I viewed the world differently, as narrow openings and seemingly impassable areas became opportunities. And don’t think Altered Alma wastes any time presenting you with corridors lined with spikes or bottomless pits to train you in sequentially teleporting through danger. Again, if the controls didn’t feel right, this could be an exercise in frustration, but zipping around is incredibly fun.

The Quantum Blade is a core part of combat in Altered Alma, too. Some stronger enemies can be taken out with special Killshifts if you fling the Quantum Blade at them when a brief crosshairs indicator appears. This instant-kill move triggers unique death animations for each enemy, and seemed to only be an option after they took damage. Killshifts also restore Neon, a resource for special abilities. Pair all this with a Mod system, Implants, and different types and levels of Neon-fueled abilities, and it seems like there will be plenty of upgrades and ways to tailor Jack to your liking.

As much as I enjoyed my time with Altered Alma, reading about the many unlockable facilities on the Esperanza (an armory, laboratory, and engineering lab), the unseen characters and map areas, and all those exciting blank spots in the Mods and Implants menus made it clear I barely scratched the surface of the game. I know I could play the Steam demo to spend more time with Jack, but I’m already sold on the potential.

Still, I recommend YOU check out the demo! Altered Alma doesn’t have a set release date yet — it could be late 2025, but may be a 2026 release. The game is coming to Windows via Steam, PlayStation 4 & 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S.