Alisa: Developer’s Cut — Everything We Know

Casper Croes, the developer behind the throwback cult classic, Alisa, is on the verge of bringing its love letter to a new wave of platforms. That’s right, Alisa: Developer’s Cut is in line to receive the full treatment, which, in short, means more weapons, cosmetics, and even a selection of brand-new, never-before-seen endings to unlock. Care to hear the whole story? Then let’s press on.

At the time of writing, Alisa: Developer’s Cut is scheduled to release on all major platforms as early as next month. Curious to know what else the revamped version of the PSX-inspired cult classic will bring to the table? Here’s everything we can tell you about it based on the information that’s been provided to date.

What Is Alisa: Developer’s Cut?

Alisa: Developer’s Cut is a traditional fixed camera-style horror game, and more importantly, a true homage to the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The game, which follows Elite Royal Agent Alisa as she arrives at a Victorian mansion in pursuit of a wanted criminal, will make way for several new features and improvements, all of which can be seen down below.

• 7 New Weapons
• 8 New Dresses
• 2 New Shops
• 2 New Endings
• Body Mods Feature
• 2 New Enemies
• New Cutscenes
• New Game+
• Auto-Aim
• Fishing Mini-Game
• 5 New Items
• Major Bug Fixes
• Plug & Play Xbox Controls (for Windows & Linux)
• Achievements

For those who happened to miss out on the original back in 2021, Alisa is a “classic late-90s style horror-themed action-adventure game set in a fantasy universe inspired on the 1920s.” Similar to other games of its kind, Alisa features pre-rendered graphics, 3D character models, and even a 480p resolution, to boot. In other words, it’s a love letter to the 90s, and one that’ll no doubt make a few fans of the golden age of home console gaming a bit giddy.

Story

Just to echo the words of its creators, Alisa is a story-driven game in which players take control of Alisa, an Elite Royal Agent who, in the wake of a criminal pursuit gone sour, winds up in the dark corridors of a seemingly vacant mansion. Upon arrival, Alisa discovers that, while there are no living beings in sight, there are several doll-like creatures, all of whom have one goal and one goal only: eliminate Alisa at all costs.

“You play as an Elite Royal Agent called Alisa,” the game’s description reads in part. “While she is chasing a wanted criminal, she ends up in an old Victorian mansion. She tries to find a way out while being haunted by materialized/mechanized doll-like humanoids. Can you survive the Dollhouse?” Well, can you?

According to the creators, the Developer’s Cut will include two new endings, as well as a few new in-game cinematic effects and, weirdly enough, a brand-new fishing mini-game, too. So, if you’re after the definitive version of the game, then you needn’t look any further, basically.

Gameplay

If you’ve ever so much as played through the likes of Alone in the Dark or Resident Evil, then you’ll no doubt have a rough idea of what Alisa is all about. To cut a long story short, it’s a survival-horror game, and one that features its own treasure trove of intricate puzzles, jump scares, and classic curveballs. And so, if you’ve a wealth of knowledge in that particular field, then you’ll no doubt have a good idea of what to expect when you finally hit the ground running next month.

From what we've seen so far, Alisa will feature a solid selection of classic environmental puzzles, hidden secrets, and, of course, a whole lot of combat scenarios. With that, we can expect to see plenty of fixed-camera action, and, being the pre-rendered love letter that it is, a sturdy 480p resolution. Oh, and a “Soulsborne” difficulty setting, apparently. So, if you're hell-bent on returning to the roots of the 1990s, then may we present to you the most reliable portal.

Development

Can you survive the dollhouse? Alisa: Developer's Cut launches on all consoles February 6th!

Elite Royal Agent Alisa – hot on the heels of a notorious thief – finds herself whisked away to an old, bizarre, Victorian-style mansion haunted by strange, doll-like inhabitants… pic.twitter.com/Qh6O9w5D21

— Top Hat Studios, Inc. (@TopHatStudiosEN) January 9, 2024

Following on from the success of its original version, developer Casper Croes teased the outlines for a newer, better edition—a repackage that would eventually go on to become the Developer’s Cut. This cut, in short, is the culmination of two years’ worth of updates and additional patches all merging into one standalone product. In other words, it’s the final, “fully-realized” version of a cult classic, complete with a few more seasonal trimmings.

Trailer

Thanks to PlayStation and a few other reputable media giants, we do actually have a bit of footage of the Developer’s Cut to share. Need we say more? You can catch a glimpse of what’s to come in the updated version is the trailer embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Alisa: Developer’s Cut will be launching on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam on February 6, 2024. Suffice it to say, there won’t be any shortage of copies to go around once the game reaches the shelves later this year.

Edition-wise, Alisa will only release as a standalone standard version on consoles and PC. You can get ahold of that copy over on any of the respective storefronts today. Alternatively, you can add it to your wishlist on Steam here. Can't wait to try it? As luck would have it, there's also a demo of the original cut prepped and ready to download on Steam, too. So that's a bonus.

Interested in staying up to date with Alisa? If so, then be sure to check in with the folks over at Casper Croes for all the latest updates over on their official social handle here. If anything does change ahead of its 2024 launch, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Alisa: Developer’s Cut when it arrives on consoles and PC later this year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.