I Am Alive spotted in the wild via ESRB rating

8:00 AM on 09.26.2011   |   Jim Sterling

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Ubisoft's I Am Alive looked all set to join Sadness as the next big game that was never going to happen, but an ESRB content summary has been recently spotted that seems to say otherwise. We've had a few tips pointing it out (thanks guys!), so it seems that I Am Alive is not dead yet. 

"This is an action game in which players assume the role of a man who must find his family in a post-apocalyptic world," claims the rating board. "From a third-person perspective, players traverse through city ruins and use a machete to kill human enemies in melee-style combat. Battles are accompanied by realistic gunfire, slashing sounds, and cries of pain; characters emit brief splashes of blood when hit."

The ESRB doesn't normally rate games until they're close to ready, which would be quite surprising given how quiet the development's been. In any case, it's received an M-rating for its violent content and harsh language, so this isn't one for the kiddies. 

After such a lengthy development cycle and this new hint that the game is suddenly in a presentable form, I can't help feeling cynical about how it  must look play. Nevertheless, it's been so long that I'm aching to see what it's like.

This is an action game in which players assume the role of a man who must find his family in a post-apocalyptic world. From a third-person perspective, players traverse through city ruins and use a machete to kill human enemies in melee-style combat. Battles are accompanied by realistic gunfire, slashing sounds, and cries of pain; characters emit brief splashes of blood when hit.

Players have the ability to kill or knock unconscious wounded/vulnerable enemies via finishing moves (e.g., throat slashing, impaling, pistol-whipping); these scenes are highlighted by close-up camera angles and increased player control (e.g., on-screen prompts with button-press sequences).

During the course of the game, players encounter women who can be saved from nearby enemies; sexual mistreatment is sometimes implied in the dialogue (e.g., “These guys kept me as their pet, or mascot, or something.”). One sequence depicts the background silhouette of a man fondling and threatening a captured female survivor; the exchange includes phrases such as “Do you hear me? Don't touch me!” and “Don't be like that. You know I can make your life a lot easier if you would just cooperate.”

The words “p*ssy,” “f**k,” and “sh*t” can be heard in the dialogue.