HOW WE KNOW WE'RE ALIVE

HOW WE KNOW WE'RE ALIVE is a story-driven, suspenseful puzzle game. Players play as writer Sarah, who journeys to the remote town of Härunga in search of her best friend. Unravel the mysteries entwined within the town, distinguish lies from truth, make your own choices, and witness the fate of your friend. The game is crafted in a pixelated style, with intricate puzzle design and a melancholic atmosphere, creating a truly immersive experience. Download this game and you won't be disappointed.

Story:

How We Know We’re Alive is an incredibly beautiful and touching narrative-driven mystery adventure where you return to your childhood home in the bible belt of Sweden, to investigate the death of your estranged best friend.

In How We Know We’re Alive you follow the adventure of Sara, an aspiring writer who moved away from her hometown of Härunga, to escape the people and build a meaningful life in the big city. You lost touch with your best friend Maria over the years you were away, and last year she tragically died. You now return to Härunga, in the bible belt of Sweden, to try and piece together the mystery of how her life fell apart while you weren’t there and why she died.

It takes around an hour to play through How We Know We’re Alive and it’s an incredibly well crafted experience. It’s got a point and click interface, but it’s entirely narrative-driven (no puzzles to solve) and sees you exploring your old town, meeting some familiar faces from your past and piecing together the story of Maria’s life in Härunga and how she died. It’s clear that your character has a lot of disdain for her old hometown, and it’s interesting to see her perspective on the place and the people there now that she’s returned to it.

Comments:

This game will make you sad, in a beautiful way. There is so much art poured into this very short game, everything is perfectly crafted from the pixel-art to the soft, melancholic soundtrack.This game dances with many types of sorrow, from the soft ache of nostalgia for childhood friends who've grown apart after following dramatically different life paths, to the bitter anger of being painted as a villain for choosing to leave a small town that never accepted you, to the sad yet tender fondness of trying to love everything special that a person you loved dearly cared for in life, even if it's something you never could have yourself been happy living.There is nothing "feel good" about this game, but this game is so amazingly good at making you feel something so powerful in just 30 short minutes. This is the perfect game to play on a gray rainy day when you need something sad to go with it.

HOW WE KNOW WE'RE ALIVE is a beautifully made game that manages to immerse you into a desolate town known as Harunga and its townspeople and tugs at your heartstrings in just about 30-60 minutes. It presents a beautiful story about lost connections, grief, regrets, friendship and adulthood in the form of a point and click game. The characters in the game feel so human and realistic. If you are looking for a narrative driven game, this is the game for you.

Not much in terms of game play, but I think the main focus was to tell a story - which was sad and beautiful. The art and music really added to the storytelling. Story-wise, it really makes you reflect on past friendships that you may have lost contact with due to going in different directions. I know I did. The story hit home too since I empathize with growing up in a small and religious town while not having the same beliefs.

Final Thoughts:

HOW WE KNOW WE'RE ALIVE is a free adventure video game for PC that was created by indie developer, Motvind Studios. It is a point-and-click mystery narrative done in beautiful pixel art styling and features an original soundtrack to go along with its powerful, well-written, and touching story.HOW WE KNOW WE'RE ALIVE bears a strikingly similar atmospheric feel to This War of Mine. It has a sense of melancholy to it that slowly permeates as players progress through its story. The game also has a Deluxe Version, containing various bonuses and freebies to supporters who will donate to its development.