At Gamescom 2024, Fireshine Games and developer Pulsatrix Studios unveiled their ambitious psychological horror game A.I.L.A. to the world. From the announcement, gamers got a small peek at what was in store for them in A.I.L.A. The original trailer showed Cult like symbolism, dark and eerie woods, and a blood-stained meat locker, amongst other things.
The game is meant to blend different elements of horror genres into one “AI” Controller beta test. As the tests are underway, the line between reality and the video game starts to blur as the AI continues to learn. Now, a year later, close to the upcoming release, I got the chance to try an updated demo of A.I.L.A. Find our takeaways from the demo below!
I played an updated version of the game’s original demo and got the chance to check out never-before-seen content that takes place afterwards. Before I jumped into the latest demo, I was told that it should take about two/three hours to complete. By the time I finished the demo the first time, I had nearly seven and a half hours in the game.
In case you did not get to see the original demo, it took Beta Tester Samuel through a gruesome two tests. In one where he is crucified and must escape the labyrinth, and in the second test, Samuel must navigate a maze that is less ominous but tends to be more suspenseful. The end of the second test occurs when Samuel cuts off his own presumed head.
From each session, I was able to give the “AI” our thoughts on the test, and it says that it will take it under advisement. After completing the initial two tests, I was able to explore the main character’s apartment thoroughly and feed/pet his cat. Once everything was settled in, I was able to wind down, but with a new house counterpart.
After waking up and working on the house, it was back to work. This portion of the test revolved around a cop looking for his missing partner and meeting a mysterious woman on the road who said her baby had been kidnapped. The game proceeds to jump scare the player with an alien-like creature jumping out, causing me to crash the car, and the gas station attendant told me that I should get some rest and that there is a farm nearby.
The farm portion of the demo has more of a Resident Evil gameplay style/vibe and even contains a few Easter Eggs referencing it. This portion of the demo actually took the longest because of being overly cautious, the save not loading where it was saved exactly, and hit boxes being inconsistent.
The first step of this test was getting into the farmhouse and surviving against the small alien creatures while having limited ammo. Once I got the barn open, my next goal was to survive against the ambush and the fire. Next, I had to escape from an otherworldly creature and get back into the farmhouse. The second-to-last portion of this test was avoiding/hiding the creature, solving a variety of puzzles, and then escaping the house.
Once I had finally escaped the house, it was for the game’s first real boss fight. While locked in on a dock, I first had to uncover what the creature’s weakness was and how to take it down. After figuring out the weakness, the next step was surviving its minions. This part proved to be annoying since their attacks were not consistent. Finally, after painstakingly taking down the smaller minions, I finally got the chance to kill the creature. As it was dying, I was left with a final choice: spare the child or kill it. Despite which path you choose, you do not get to see the outcome of your decision.
Going into A.I.L.A., I was curious how well the game would set the tone and if it would create a creepy and eerie atmosphere. Even when walking around the real world, I felt on edge as if something was just around the corner waiting to jump out at me. The game’s sound design sets a mood, and even when you think you can relax, there is still a nagging feeling that something might just pop out at you, especially with a killer on the loose.
Now, regarding the game’s graphics, it was a bit of a double-edged sword. A.I.L.A.’s dark colors in the game were a bit too dark, prompting me to turn up the brightness to make out certain objects. When the area was well-lit, it was almost too bright unless I turned the settings back down. The game does feature multiple accessibility options, such as turning off camera shake, vignette effect, subtitles, and color blind modes.
For the demo, there was only one difficulty available, and at times, it seemed like it was a bit too extreme. The game is rather graphic, and even after turning off blood effects, some of the imagery can be disturbing. During the playthrough, the jump scares and graphic content aren’t what got me, but rather the occasional bug here or there.
The most common issue that emerged involved ammunition for guns. Three different bugs occurred when it came to reloading. The first issue was that if attacked during a reload animation, future reload animations would not work properly, and the game would skip the visual display.
The second and third issues occurred when reloading the game after dying. When loading back after death, the game would sometimes keep the ammo count from when you had died vs the ammo you had when the game saved. The third issue involved being unable to reload a gun that you had out until you swapped over to another item.
In addition to the reloading bugs, A.I.L.A. had a few other issues that detracted from the experience. When shooting enemies in the farm level, it felt like the hit box for a critical hit was never consistent. Additionally, there was a time in between moving from the farm to the barn, where it locks your ability to fight enemies, even if you do not go into the barn.
Once in the barn, a fight starts, and you need to kill the creators with limited ammo. You can do this by shooting the barrels; however, on multiple instances, the barrels were shot and then did not explode. This led to a bit of a headache. During the escape sequence, there were two bugs that I semi-noticed. The first involved creatures trying to get you, but once you were surrounded, they would stay still.
The second issue occurred when accidentally running into an invisible wall, where an object that had moved in the environment between parts was still registering as being in its original location. This second issue was not a major factor, and after loading the game back up, it was resolved. The game itself felt like it had loading issues as the game progressed. Sometimes I had to wait a good bit for it to load before being able to play again.
The final issue I noticed was during the boss fight. Depending on where the boss jumped off the platform, it would cause an invisible barrier to form. This barrier caused the underlines to be stuck/frozen, and at one point provided e with an invisible shield. Additionally, there were a few times when assets felt like they did not load properly.
Now, despite the game’s bugs making it a bit difficult at times, A.I.L.A. provided a fun horror experience that will keep players on the edge of their seats. The concept of having an “AI” create an experience for you, and potentially having a different experience based on your input, is an intriguing notion. Being able to have a different experience from others based on your answers to questions would make everyone’s gaming experience different and unique.
Aiming within A.I.L.A. could be fine-tuned, and the hit box for enemies should be more uniform, but overall, it was a fun but frightening experience. The game’s lighting and atmospheric sound are what truly made it feel different than some other horror games. The game still nods to other horror franchises, but the developers have created their own unique narrative and experience that makes it stand out from others in the genre.
I look forward to seeing what the game has to offer when it is fully released. Also, what’s more horrifying than a messy house that you can’t impulsively clean. At least you can pet the cat as much as I wanted.
A.I.L.A. is in development for Windows PC (via Steam), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 with a release set for sometime later in 2025.
