Aer review free#

Similarly, while the overall quest and story were good, it had the opposite problem of the world – it was a bit too talky. With just a little work, both of these elements could’ve added a great deal more richness to the world. Also, she’s able to see ‘ghosts’ of people who tell fragments of their stories, but few relayed anything significant. There are a few interesting things to find here and there, but there are too many islands with nothing of note on them. When flying around, Auk is able to land anywhere and explore. In fact, the only area where I feel Aer could improve is in the details. I felt that it ended when it needed to, and although I would’ve perhaps liked a bit more at the conclusion, I was satisfied. All of the elements required to advance feel in tune with the world, indicating smart, measured choices which contribute to Aer’s identity.Īer’s adventure is on the short side, but it’s absolutely appropriate. Performing these tasks also conveys a meditative, solitary feeling. However, never so much that anyone should get stuck long enough to become aggravated and erase the good vibes built up by flying among the clouds. Thankfully, none are brainbusters, but they do require a bit of thinking. Each of these areas is a puzzle of one sort or another, and I found most of them to be quite good in the sense that they’re an appropriate match for the rest of the game. Most of these places are easily located - the villagers give general hints, and places of interest are usually marked with a slight glow making them stand out from the random scatterings of islands in the sky. After speaking to the tiny group of villagers that are in world’s only town, it becomes clear that she must visit three shrines and speak to their gods to help restore balance to the world. While the game is virtually stress-free, Auk does have tasks ahead of her. In this respect, they’ve succeeded wildly - there are no limits on how many times Auk can transform into a bird, no limit to how long she can stay aloft, and no limits of any kind, really… From the beginning, she can fly to the furthest area and back or anywhere else she pleases, and it’s incredibly relaxing to be freed from the usual gamey trappings of stamina meters, golden feathers, or other nonsense that tends to curtail mechanics as ideal as this.

I spoke with members of the team and they wanted a strong focus of Aer to be on the simple enjoyment of flying freely.

Aer review free#

This might be a problem for a normal person, but Auk is free to roam the entire world because she can transform herself into a large bird with a double tap of the jump button. A catastrophe struck long ago, destroying the land and breaking it up into small islands floating in the sky. It really stuck with me though, and now after playing the final I’m quite happy to say that Forgotten Key has pulled it off with aplomb.Īer: Memories of Old puts players in the shoes of Auk, a girl who’s on a pilgrimage in a low-polygon, highly stylized world. I first saw Aer: Memories of Old a couple of years ago, and there wasn’t much more to it than some striking art and a cool concept. It’s pretty rare for all of the pieces that could go wrong to fall into place, so it stands out in my memory when they do. I love it when I get a glimpse of a game early in development, I see something worth keeping an eye on, and then when the project is finally released, the result delivers on the promise. WTF What’s up with all these random bird feeder statue thingies?