The Alley

About The Alley

The Alley is a first-person psychological horror game developed by AIXLAB and published by Smilegate Megaport. Released on October 29, 2025, it blends adventure, puzzle-solving, and simulation elements. Set in a distorted Korean alley, players take on Soyeon, a high school student trapped in a maze where time bends and ghostly traces lurk. Using a camera to document supernatural "Demon Traces" and a reactive bracelet to sense threats, you navigate shifting environments while avoiding a relentless ghost. The game’s strength lies in its eerie atmosphere and environmental storytelling, pushing players to figure out the alley’s tragic past to escape.

Gameplay

Exploration dominates The Alley’s gameplay. You move through a labyrinthine alley where walls shift, streets loop endlessly, and objects defy logic. Your primary tools are a camera to snap photos of illusory Demon Traces and a bracelet that glows when ghosts near. Puzzles involve identifying hidden traces in realistic settings, like flickering lights or distorted reflections. The ghost’s unpredictable chases force you to hide behind objects or sprint through narrow paths. Controls feel precise, with SteamVR support adding immersion. Sessions often involve methodical searching, tense waiting, and sudden bursts of action. The maze’s design ensures backtracking, as new paths open after collecting specific traces.

What Players Think

The Alley holds an 85% critic score and 4.2/5 on Steam. 68% of players complete it, with average playthroughs at 3.5 hours. Community moods: 42% nervous, 33% curious, 18% frustrated. Achievements total 35, with 72% average unlocked. Reviews praise the "eerie atmosphere that sticks with you" but note "slow pacing in later sections." 61% of players finish within 5 hours, while 22% abandon it before halfway. Positive feedback highlights the bracelet’s tension-building alerts and creative Demon Trace designs, though some call the maze repetition "tedious."

PlayPile's Take

The Alley is a niche pick for horror fans who enjoy cerebral puzzles and atmospheric tension. Priced at $29.99, it offers decent value for its 3.5-hour average playtime, though shorter attention spans may struggle. The 35 achievements (72% average unlocked) reward thorough exploration but don’t add substantial replayability. Skip if you dislike slow pacing or repetitive environments. For those craving a creepy, story-driven escape, it’s a worthwhile gamble, just keep snacks handy for the long stretches of waiting.

Storyline

When late-night self-study ends, high school student Soyeon takes her usual shortcut home through a narrow back alley in Korea. On this night, the familiar path twists into an endless maze where time and space are distorted and traces of past tragedies linger. Guided only by a strange bracelet that reacts to unseen presences and her camera, Soyeon must face the stories of the dead and uncover the truth buried in the alley if she ever wants to escape.