Alone is a sci-fi survival horror / dungeon crawler game that will pit a single, stranded hero against 1-3 evil masterminds who will do their best to stop the hero from completing a quest to discover the truth and save his companions.
The Evil players always have the full map of the scenario in front of them, hidden behind a huge screen. They manage all the events happening during the game, and try to stop the Hero from completing his objectives.
The Hero can only see the Sector of the map he is in, and from there he will have to explore the map. All kind of horrors may be hiding in the darkness, so he will have to be cautious. At the end of each round, the portions of the map he explored will be removed from the table: only the Sector he is in will stay visible... the Hero will have to put his memory to test, if he doesn't want to get lost!
The story of the game will be unfolded through several scenarios, each one divided into several chapters. Each chapter has an objective for the Hero to complete, while the Evil players will have to stop him (or try to fulfill a different objective of their own). The outcome of each chapter will influence the gameplay of the subsequent one: each scenario is conceived with a branching storyline that can adapt to the actions of the players: if the Hero completes his goals, his life will be easier in the next chapter... but that is also true for the Evil players!
- Asymmetrical gameplay with distinct hero and evil player experiences
- Deep setup and campaign/scenario structure
- Rich memory/map reveal mechanics and lighting interactions
- Dynamic combat with dice and experience rewards
- Scenarios offer branching narratives across campaigns
- Complex rules may have a steep learning curve
- Asymmetric information may be challenging for new players
- Campaign setup and management may be time-consuming
- Survival, deduction, asymmetric conflict, memory-based exploration
- Sci-fi dungeon labyrinth where a single hero must survive against evil masterminds
- Branching campaign with 12 scenarios; episodic story that adapts to player decisions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- asymmetric player roles — One hero vs. multiple evil players with separate objectives.
- Bullet time / adrenaline economy — Adrenaline tokens enable a second action in a turn (bullet time).
- Dice combat with light/dark modifiers — Dice outcomes depend on sector lighting; fighting creatures uses different dice.
- Hero sheet with tracked stats — Hero has health, self-control, items, round/missions, and a reaction track.
- Hidden information asymmetry — Evil players see the full map while the hero only sees the parts of the labyrinth they can observe.
- Lights and visibility — Lights affect movement and enemy abilities; lighting conditions influence outcomes.
- Memory and map clearing — End-of-round labyrinth parts are removed to simulate clearing and memory.
- Mission system and progression — Hero starts with missions; completing starting and mid-game missions drives branching outcomes.
- Movement and line of sight — Movement between sectors; doors reveal adjacent sectors and lines of sight.
- Noise, danger tokens, and map tension — Creatures generate noise; players tell the hero the direction and manage danger tokens.
- Reaction cards for evil players — Two selected reaction decks per game; cards influence hero actions and trigger effects.
- Scavenge and item upgrade — Draw items from decks and upgrade items using charges and upgrades.
- scenario-based campaign — 12 scenarios in a scenario book; progression influences later chapters.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the evil players can see everything
- the hero doesn't see the map but always sees the labyrinth where the action takes place
- the labyrinth is a sort of zoomed in view of the map and it represents only the parts of the map that the hero can actually see at a specific moment