Ctrl Alt Ego - indie immersive sim where you play a disembodied consciousness who can possess robots

[Zombra]

https://mindthunk.com




https://af.gog.com/en/game/ctrl_alt_ego?as=1649904300

Original trailer

Did you ever play Messiah? Oh yeah, you think you're old school - how about Paradroid?

Ctrl Alt Ego is a pure immersive sim about a disembodied consciousness who can ctrl any machine it can see - provided it has enough mental energy (EGO) to overcome any resistance. Use stealth, brute force, hacking, or sheer speed to survive the dangers and stop a mysterious parasite which is turning an entire space station against you.

I'm having a ton of fun with it so far. Lots of tools and upgrades to install on your favorite host body give you plenty of options - though the dev is quick to claim that all challenges can be completed with no upgrades. Level design is very committed to providing obstacles with no single obvious solution.

There are also progress reports in the game to track how many enemies you did or did not destroy, and how many times you were detected, encouraging you to pursue killer/pacifist/ghost playthroughs.

Thanks Jinn for suggesting this - it super scratches the imsim itch!

 

[ColCol]

This game is super underrated, and one of the few games in a long time to really scratch the immersive sim urge. There's a lot of that can be said but for now I will simply add its one of the few recent games in a long time that I genuinely enjoyed every minute of, and it will probably make the replay list.

Sad that this one is getting no attention whilst Gloomwood gets praised for jack shit.

 

[Zombra]

This really is an outstanding game. I haven't quite finished it yet, looking forward to the resolution but will miss it when it's over. Might even come back for another, harder playthrough down the road.

The game even has a false ending. The initial objective to defeat the parasite is a full adventure all its own, over many obstacles and through many twists, turns, and lessons along the way. Once I got there I was satisfied I had gotten my money's worth and was ready for it to end. Then it turns out that THAT ENTIRE THING was just a tutorial for the REAL mission, and the game opens up into a sprawling, open multilevel assignment that can be approached in any order, and that I was instantly hungry to tackle having finally mastered so many of the tools at my command. It's brilliant.

Y'all boneheads out there really need to at least try this.

 

[udm]

Still waiting for it to go on sale

 

[Zombra]

Finished the game, absolutely loved it. Full Steam review here.

 

[ColCol]

On sale now boys and girls.

 

[udm]

Got my copy thanks to the generosity of Zombro :D

 

[Delphik]

This is the most immersive sim game I played since Prey although it focuses on puzzles rather than combat which is honestly cool, very few games do the "solve the puzzle your own way" routine and it makes my retarded brain feel smart sometimes.

 

[Rocket-Propelled Game]

I gotta check this out, I've been wanting for years an immersive sim that isn't just retreading Thief/System Shock/Deus Ex and this looks like the novel experience I want. Props to OP for spreading the good word.

 

[CyberModuled]

Finished it, very satisfied with the game. It does a really good job of melding stealth and combat opportunities together on top of the resource management system. Didn't know how I'd feel about the puzzle aspect initially but it added to the previously mentioned elements a lot bit and games where you can possess and control other objects in a game world is still such a horribly underutilized mechanic in general that it adds a lot of uniqueness to this one compared to other immersive sims.

Only nitpick I can really think of is some of the enemy placement in Chapter 7. The "bad bug" bots introduced definitely added a spike in difficulty the game needed at that point but it does feel cheap how a few of them are shoved in corners or right above your sight line and wouldn't know until they start chasing you (on top of their detection time being faster than the average DAD or MUM). That's it though and again, I like them for pushing the player into using programs more to reflect how the player has spec'd themselves out by that point. Chapter 8 feels better with the enemy layouts anyway so it didn't continue on from 7.

Also tons of pussy

Spoiler

 

[Jinn]

On sale for the next several days.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

That horseshit that Ray Kurzweil has unleashed into our culture just won't die.

 

[Rocket-Propelled Game]

That horseshit that Ray Kurzweil has unleashed into our culture just won't die.

What does he have to do with this game?

 

[udm]

6 hours in and I'm only at chapter 2. This game is something else. I mean, it's not perfect. I wish you could throw/move certain items like carton boxes, and I wish movement was less janky (even if it is in keeping with LGS traditions lol). But it's a very different experience from ye typical RPG/FPS. It feels like System Shock 2 and Messiah had a baby, and this was the result. Really enjoying it despite the motion sickness it gives me lmao. Thanks again Zombro for gifting!

Anyway question: how do you use bug traps efficiently? I can't figure out a way to use them to destroy Dad's without taking a hit myself.

 

[Zombra]

Anyway question: how do you use bug traps efficiently? I can't figure out a way to use them to destroy Dad's without taking a hit myself.

1) Possess Bug Trap
2) Disarm Bug Trap. Now it is safe to handle
3) Place Bug Trap near DAD using telekinesis or plain old stealth
3a) Don't hit the DAD directly with the Bug Trap or DAD may become hostile. Just place it 'close enough'
4) Retreat Bug 22 to safe distance
5) Possess Bug Trap
6) Rearm Bug Trap
7) Detonate Bug Trap

 

[udm]

Ah I'm an idiot! I forgot it has the detonate function. I kept trying to throw it lol.

Also, is it just me or are player-controlled DADs weaker? I can't kill serialise other DADs regardless of which one I control

 

[Zombra]

Ah I'm an idiot! I forgot it has the detonate function. I kept trying to throw it lol.

Throwing is another option but only if you use the underrated Fault ability to make things unstable. Or put a stable Bug Trap next to DAD as above and then throw a fuel tank at it. Best of all, use Fault on a trap, put it next to DAD, then Fault a fuel tank and throw it at the Trap. Oh my

Also, is it just me or are player-controlled DADs weaker? I can't kill serialise other DADs regardless of which one I control

Might be just you, depending on difficulty level and how many DADs you're fighting at once. 2 v 1 or worse is never going to go well for you. But when things are equal 1 on 1 you should always win if you shoot first. Of course some DADs are stronger than others, be aware if you ctrl a weakling. Also wait for enemy DAD to be facing the other way so it doesn't figure out for a sec it's being attacked. Lots of little ways to improve your chances.

 

[udm]

Weird. I'm playing on Severe difficulty. When I control a DAD and hit another one, they take damage for a bit, then gradually start taking less, and eventually their energy stops depleting, and I get serialised. Even with the 25% damage upgrade, I can't take them out. Same thing with Evil Eyes. Might it have something to do with their shields, and if so, is there some way I can activate mine?

 

[Zombra]

Weird. I'm playing on Severe difficulty.

Not weird. Mystery solved. Stop fighting and play smarter fool.

 

[udm]

So re-reading all the difficulty texts, yeah Severe does have a huge boost to enemies' shields and a huge reduction to player damage.

But no way am I going to lower the difficulty. This shit really encourages new possibilities. In fact, I've been at the Debuggery for hours, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let some pansy senor Jefe stop me from going through. I managed to take him out after 20 or so tries with some IQ 200 crate stacking, but that ate half of my Ego, so I'm going to try another method which should be more Ego efficient. One way or another, you're going down, Jeffy boy!

 

[udm]

7 hours. I clocked in 7 hours on Chapter 2 alone. I also realised I'd been overthinking my plans lol.

Using PUP, I placed a bunch of boxes around the DADs and Jefe to block their vision, then used BUG22 to slot in a bunch of ethermatic canisters between the boxes. Used Fault to rig them for explosion, then KABOOM!

Absolutely glorious game

 

[Zombra]

and THAT'S how you take ctrl of a situation

 

[udm]

Does anyone know where the MEM cards are in Chapter 3? I've only managed to find one (which I think is near the end). Spent over an hour finding the other one but just couldn't locate it.

EDIT: Found it. It's in one of the wooden crates. I didn't realise it could be opened.

 

[HoboForEternity]

I bought this since this is on sale. I'll probably backlog it for now because i am focusing on troubleshooter and chained echoes

 

[udm]

Currently at Chapter 7. How many are there? It seems like Chapter 7 alone is the length of the previous 6 chapters combined.

Not that I'm complaining. Chapter 7 is the best designed level so far in the game. Gives me strong SShock vibes.