It is one of the few games I have ever played that fulfilled every expectation that I could possibly have thought of, and then some. After such a long time playing the game, I have to think twice about a choice that could jeopardize my health, career or marriage - just like in real life.Īlter Ego is done so well that I find it difficult to imagine how the concept could be better realized using today’s technology. One thing I have noticed, though, is that I tend to become personally invested in my alter ego, to the point where I find it difficult to make the “wrong” decisions intentionally. The narrator will neither advise you nor bail you out. His voice as the game’s narrator is essentially that of your own conscience the game lets you know when a choice has hurt yourself or someone else, but it’s your life to live as you please. Favaro’s writing is sensitive, touching and often humorous. For the remainder of the game, I had to watch my thoughtfulness characteristic to make sure that I didn’t forget to take my insulin shots. In another game, I found out that I was diabetic. However, the game told me that I was unsuccessful because my confidence characteristic was too low. In one game, I attempted to impress a girl by handing her a note. However, your decisions do affect your personal statistics, which in turn have an effect on your ability to make certain choices in future vignettes. However, you can immediately resume dating him/her in the next turn, with the previous turn’s events seemingly forgotten. For example, one vignette might lead to you breaking up with your girlfriend or boyfriend. The events are episodic in nature, and your decision in one event doesn’t really carry over to the next. So, you have to strike a balance do you want to pursue higher education and lofty career goals, or do you want to have a rich family life? Do you want to have children while you are young or do you want to wait, knowing that it will be more difficult to do so when you are older? Because you can’t see every vignette in a single game and because each event presents several possible choices, Alter Ego has an amazing amount of replay value.Īlter Ego was a remarkable technical achievement for 1986, and it has a surprising amount of depth. Each vignette that you play through ages your character slightly, and as you get older there are several “side quests” that you can pursue such as meeting and courting a mate, having children and going to high school or college. As you grow older, the choices become more ambiguous and the “correct” decisions become less obvious - just like in real life.Īlso like in real life, there is more to do in Alter Ego than you can possibly attempt in one game. Your decisions may have an effect on your financial standing, your relationship with your spouse or any of several different personal traits such as your physical health, calmness, trustworthiness and confidence. During adulthood, you may receive a call from a relative who wants you to invest in his latest business venture. For example, during infancy, you can choose whether to make noises or remain silent when your mother holds you. Each card on the board represents a life event, and each event has several ways in which you can respond. To play the game, you use the arrow keys to move the cursor around a board. You begin the game by answering a few basic questions to set the base personality traits for your alter ego, and then you’re off from womb to tomb, you decide your alter ego’s every action. Favaro, and it plays like the most elaborate Choose Your Own Adventure book ever written. Have you ever wondered how your life might be different if you had reacted differently at a few key junctures? Would you like to know what things might be like twenty years from now if you continue along your present path? Perhaps you would like to experience the fun of a reckless and care-free life without suffering any of the consequences? Alter Ego is a wholly unique game that allows you to do all of these things, and I have never seen another game quite like it.Īlter Ego is the brainchild of psychologist and author Dr. Platform: Vintage computers, iOS, Browser
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