[quote]Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews,[/url] so you can be updated whenever I post a new review.[/quote]
[h1]Overall Rating - Seriously Flawed ★★☆☆☆[/h1]
[h1]First Impressions[/h1]
I recently purchased a bundle of games, and Aura of Worlds (AW) was a title that I wasn't wholly sure about. Roguelites can be very hit or miss for me, and for some reason, I don't seem to have the best experience with cave-diving ones. Due to how this game works, it's one I could probably beat with enough time and attempts, but I don't have enough interest to do that.
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
According to the store page, AW includes procedurally generated worlds. However, it doesn't necessarily change things as much as I'd expect. For example, the third level of Grotto of Guidance always has you fleeing from poisonous gas. The enemies and hazards aren't laid out exactly the same, but I swear the descending zig-zag pattern doesn't have much variance to it. Even though the other stages in any area can vary to a larger extent than this, coming across so similar a set-up per attempt makes it feel stale pretty quickly.
In this roguelite, as long as you kill some enemies and gather some loot, you'll earn experience and level up. I'm fairly positive these level-ups don't increase your stats, but they provide different kinds of currency you can use to purchase upgrades or items, such as new equipment, and being able to start in a new area. The player determines what weapons, abilities, or starting gear gets buffed when you make an attempt to obtain an artifact.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3700441699
[h1]Controls[/h1]
A simple issue I have with this game is how the controls are set up for a controller. You don't have to aim which way you swing or fire your weapon, but it can be beneficial, especially when using long-range attacks. There's also the option to switch between weapons and items in your inventory, but even outside of combat, I find it awkward to handle. I feel like this game was designed around a mouse and keyboard, as evidenced by the ability to attack lanterns in order to burn enemies. However, using a controller, I find it way too easy to set myself on fire, making that a liability, instead of a trap to spring on foes.
[h1]Story[/h1]
From making trips into the caves, you'll occasionally come across a doorway with someone locked in a cell. If you can find the nearby key and return, they'll be freed, becoming part of your starting base. There may only be a small handful of these NPCs, because I seemed to stop finding them after saving four people. Even though this would seemingly advance the story, their only purpose is to expand your resources. I thought this title would have more lore or plot from the initial screen, but that's seemingly not the case.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3700440587
[h1]Visuals[/h1]
Although I'm not an artist, I find the visuals in AW a bit lackluster. It's not even that enemies have generic designs, such as slimes, skeletons, and bats, but their artwork isn't very detailed or crisp. They're also shared across different areas, meaning you'll see them often during your playtime. Due to the pixelation, they look a touch blurry, and don't stand out compared to what you'd find in any random game. Also, when a skeleton archer was firing at me, I was taking burn damage. Since I was actively invested in the run, I couldn't discern specific details, but I don't know that there's anything about its design, or its weapon, that would indicate I'd get lit on fire by those arrows. If so, it wasn't something glaringly obvious in the heat of the moment.
[h1]Sound Design[/h1]
Each unique location has a distinct song attached to it, which makes sense as they do change the environment enough to warrant a different tune. The songs are tolerable, but there's nothing distinct or particularly noteworthy about them. If I was listening to one of them now, I couldn't be positive it actually came from this game or not. Conversely, despite some annoying enemies and mechanics, at least there weren't any ear-grating noises to drag down the experience. With each area having the look of an abandoned civilization, including structures that make me think of temples, more plot-points could have developed the idea of what occurred before they all fell into ruin.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3700441175
[h1]Pros[/h1]
🌟 Since each level up gives currency, it's up to the player to decide what they want to upgrade. I like this sense of control and freedom.
🌟 You can alter the difficulty before each run.
[h1]Cons[/h1]
❌ Before you've made much progress, there's already gimmicks to increase the difficulty, such as a wall of poison chasing you downward. I don't think it makes much sense to include something like that in the first area.
❌ Quite a few enemies attack from a distance, so unless you have a good projectile, you're forced to engage them up close.
❌ Once you obtain an artifact from defeating an area boss, I don't think there's any reason to return there.
[h1]Tips[/h1]
🔍 Whenever you open a chest, pick it up and use it as a projectile against the next enemy you encounter. It does so much damage safely that it'd be a waste not to use it.
🔍 Unless you find a great weapon, you don't do that much damage to bosses, meaning survival is your greatest priority. Bosses only seem to have a small range of attacks available.
[h1]Final Thoughts[/h1]
Simply enough, my biggest issue with AW is how it controls, as I don't find the platforming and combat satisfying or easy to work with. Not only does it feel awkward to platform as my character, especially when trying to fight or manage my inventory, but even how enemies move seems a touch unusual. For example, enemies that leap at you slide across the ground, having a sense of momentum that you have to adapt around when they approach. When your best way of dealing with enemies is picking up empty boxes or chests and blindly hurling them at everything in front of you, it makes using a weapon feel like the chump's choice. Others have given AW a solid review, but only 23% of players actually beat the first boss too, so I'm not really sure what to make of that combination. With so many other options available, I'll spend my time elsewhere.
[table]
[tr]
[th]PC Specs[/th]
[th]Performance[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ryzen 2700
RTX 2070
16GB RAM
ADATA SSD
1920x1080
[/td]
[td]The game ran without incident on default settings.
💖 - AW is healthy
[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
