Aefen Fall

[h3]DISCLAIMER[/h3] This used to be a negative review, and I only changed it to support the devs (and increase their rating). [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1467020/discussions/0/2974028351332042096/#c2974028351342085247]They were very honest and straightforward with the issues and their limited capacity to fix them[/url], and I strongly want to support that. Besides, the game is really cheap for what it is, even considering its current state; and would really be fun if it would run okay (even with potato graphics from 2001 on a decent GPU). [hr] [h3]Original review[/h3] This isn't too expensive for the type of game it is, and probably regarding the work that went into it. However, I cannot in good faith recommend the game in its current state. It is fun, and pleasant, half the time. That is, when you do not get monstruous frame drops (that are unaffected by the quality settings). [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1467020/discussions/0/2974028351332042096/]The problem has been reported on the forums, and even some RTX 2080 Ti owners complain.[/url] In addition, the game isn't too polished by itself. The textures are low def and blurry even in high settings, the models are not very detailed, and the gameplay feels clunky too often for a freerun game. This title should have been released in Early Access in my opinion. Devs, fix it, because it is otherwise a good game, and would sell very well at this price point.

Respect to the students of Rubika’s school for this very interesting game. I loved the original gameplay and the graphic universe which is magnificent. Special mention to the absolutely incredible soundtrack. GGs guys !

This is probably the most conflicted review I've ever given. I've played this game for a grand total of 40 minutes, but that's all it takes to beat--it's not a long game. It's got a lot of variable routes and creative movement mechanics, giving it a good deal of replayability despite the becoming-tired parkour gameplay model. It's got a lot of achievements for achievement hunters to have fun ferreting out. But it's...buggy. Portions of levels sometimes stubbornly refuse to load. Enemies teleport or float across the map. The main character's arms turn into spaghetti when he's grabbing onto a ledge, sometimes he gets stuck between walls and jitters off into infinity. Sometimes, when you respawn, the level forgets to respawn with you and you die again. There's a lot of bugs in this game. The world Aefen Fall depicts feels [b]almost[/b] as fully realized and fleshed out to move through as the world of Dishonored, which this game feels very strongly inspired by. If anyone's looking to scratch a dieselpunk or even steampunk itch, this might do it for you. But I say almost because I find the main character very flat and unbelievable, in his mission (which we aren't really given much insight into) his voice acting (which wasn't horrid, but wasn't that great) and his writing (which is just short of good and nuanced.) Aefen Fall is a tale of two feelings. A coin with heads and tails very equally weighted. I recommend this game, for three reasons. The first is that this game is absolutely gorgeous--from a visual and a storytelling standpoint. The visual design is top notch, and I want to know more about this world. What happened to turn London against the alchemists? What is Abadel trying to accomplish? What happens to him [spoiler] when he's surrounded by Wardens and sets off an alchemical circle beneath himself, and the game suddenly cuts to the credits? [/spoiler] This is an intriguing premise and a fascinating world and I want to see more of it. As frustrating as it can be to play, I want more. The second is that this game was made in under a year by a student team. Holy fulminating spirits, Batman. Bugs or no bugs, this is what I would expect from a triple-A studio for their first alpha tests. Watch these people. Support these people. They're going places. I dearly hope they have future plans for the Aefen Fall property because they could make it into something truly spectacular given some more time and money. So make that possible. Be a part of that future. In a world half-choked by big companies out to make a buck, support people who want to make a game. The third is that you get what you pay for, and more. Seven bucks, I've eaten McDonald's meals that cost more than that, which were gone much quicker, which I enjoyed much less. This is an experience worth paying for, and hopefully (if their bugfix team is currently active) will be much more so in the days to come. If you've got the cash to spare, if you like Dieselpunk, Steampunk, and fantasy elements, if you want to run around rooftops being pursued by robots who want to steal your magic stones, buy Aefen Fall. You won't regret it.

The game is a bit rough around its edges but once you get used to the camera and the occasional bug it's quite fun. Mesh and texture quality is great, sounddesign on point and running across the steampunky rooftops feels very smooth and has a nice atmosphere to it. Leveldesign can get a bit confusing however, since many of the buildings, pipes and gears are placed in such a non sensical manner, that most of it looks identical and rather messy. Anyway it has been fun and I'm looking to finish the game some time soon.

Short version: You think you're getting a dieselpunk Mirror's Edge, you're actually getting Temple Run London edition. Long version: Overall pretty bad, even for what appears to be a mobile port. I am baffled by the fact that controls can't be remapped, in a free running game that is centered on fast reactions and timing. The locked in controls will greatly influence whether or not this game is enjoyable for you. If you can get past the controls, then we're in back in a mystical steampunky world like Dishonored or Bioshock Infinite, but with iPhone graphics and a less compelling protagonist. Even if I could get over being stuck with having to use left control to slide, I don't think I would've liked the game enough to finish it.

It's a good little Dishonored-meets-Mirror's Edge game. It's thirty minutes long (on your first playthrough, no less) and is extremely buggy/rough around the edges. With that said... It's a game that takes good concepts from other games and executes them well enough here. The platforming is satisfying. The powers are neat. And the way respawns work is beyond cool (other games should pay attention to Aefan Fall's respawn system). Plus, there's an achievement named after Sonic and a ton of other little video game easter eggs, if the community's screenshots are anything to go by. The game is poorly optimized and can barely manage 40 frames consistently on an RTX 3070, sometimes textures won't load in and you'll have to reload checkpoints, most of the animations can glitch out depending on when and where you activate them... again, it's very rough. But if you have a strong-enough PC to brute-force the game to run decently and you want to try out something neat that some students made, this is a good time. Adding a quick edit onto my review (which was already a thumbs up): it's really cool how many branching paths there are in levels. The developers clearly knew what the players' instincts would be and it results in levels where if you see an area and feel the need to go to it, you probably can. That feeling of freedom is really amplified by the wonderful skywalk power. Another nice thing is the bit where you draw your own magic rune. It's a really simple, tiny little thing that just multiplies some light inputs from the player, but it makes you feel like Doctor Strange. Lots of nice attention to detail and ambiance!

Cool concept, although fairly rough around the edges. As a student project, it is fairly fun to play, with bugs seen here and there as well as some poor optimization. I'd say its worth the price I got it at, around 5 USD, but I would likely pay more to support the devs.

Aefen Fall is very interesting, but at the same time too bare-bones to recommend to most people. The graphics are beautiful and the gameplay is decent and there are robots that say "Please, surrender". But the game is over in 30 minutes and it is not optimized well and there are a bunch of collision issues. During those 30 minutes I got stuck inside piping twice. Good for a laugh, but unbelievable for a commercial product. Even though the price is cheap, I would not get it at full price, because it is basically a demo. Having said that, I enjoyed playing through it and would love to see a full game of this weird and wonderful Mirror's Edge and Dishonored hybrid. 3/5

While certainly rough around the edges, I do recommend this game if you're a fan of first person free running games. I really love the atmosphere and the soundtrack, but the performance problems and general jank do get in the way of fun.

Très bon jeu de parkour. Les décors et l'ambiance sont immersifs et permettent d'apprécier un Londres post-covid. Il manquerait juste une petite carte pour avoir la position des points alchimiques à apposer.