Aeon
- May 22, 2017
- Illusion Ranger
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Aeon" is a single-player Role Playing game that offers spectacular gameplay and compelling graphics. Developed by a small team, it is a VR shooting game for HTC Vive, Window MR, and Oculus Touch. Despite its initial limitations on free movement, the game aims to provide an arcade-like experience through skilled head control, dodging, and killing surrounding enemies in pursuit of a challenging and rewarding experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and immersive experience with satisfying gunplay and sword mechanics, reminiscent of titles like Superhot and Robo Recall.
- The unlimited SlowMo feature allows for creative and stylish gameplay, making players feel like they are in a high-octane action movie.
- The graphics, while simple, are visually appealing in VR, and the game provides a decent challenge that can be enjoyable for both novices and experienced players.
- The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with limited enemy variety and a lack of a compelling story or context.
- Movement is restricted to small areas with teleportation mechanics, which can feel janky and detract from the overall immersion.
- The game suffers from technical issues such as poor sound design, inconsistent frame rates, and bugs that can disrupt the experience.
- gameplay98 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of fast-paced on-rails shooting and melee combat, drawing comparisons to titles like Superhot and Time Crisis. While the sword mechanics are praised for their satisfaction, the overall experience suffers from repetitiveness, poor enemy design, and a lack of innovation, leading to a gameplay loop that can feel empty and uninspired. Despite its appealing visuals and some engaging mechanics, many players find the gameplay lacks depth and variety, making it less compelling over time.
“I have yet to find a VR game with a more satisfying sword mechanic.”
“Each following stage offers a new enemy type or two to mix up the gameplay, and so far none of them have been annoying and have bumped up the difficulty in a satisfying way.”
“It even manages to improve on the gameplay somewhat: the ability to move, or dash with a transparent shadow of where your character was is a great addition.”
“The gameplay is very poor and doesn't feel nice with normal guns; the developers missed a great opportunity to add depth.”
“Where the game falls is poor performance, bad difficulty and balancing, and gameplay that gets repetitive very quickly, with very poor sound design.”
“Sadly, the repetitive gameplay makes it more fun to just use the path of least resistance, which does not include swords.”
- graphics60 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally described as simple yet appealing, with some users noting a significant improvement in visual quality as the game progresses. While many appreciate the immersive experience and aesthetic design, there are criticisms regarding aliasing issues, inconsistent frame rates, and occasional visual glitches, particularly when using swords. Overall, the visuals are considered decent to good, with some players highlighting them as among the best in VR, though optimization remains a concern.
“The graphics are increasingly well developed throughout the game, but sensibly the dev has given priority to achieving a sense of just 'being there'.”
“This game has some of the best graphics and physics I've seen in VR, but definitely needs more optimization on the second level.”
“If you like a cinematic-looking game with honestly beautiful graphics, regardless of gameplay, I recommend it.”
“This is another cheap indie fast-paced VR shooter with aliasing issues, jittery graphics, and an awful inconsistent frame rate.”
“If there is one con, the graphics seem a bit low, even when turned to high on Vive Pro and a great rig.”
“The visuals tend to break when using the swords, which is sad as it's the only thing that saves this game from being the worst VR experience I've gone through.”
- story44 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 36 % negative mentions
The game lacks a significant story, with many users noting its absence and expressing that it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay. While some players feel a story could enhance the experience, others appreciate the focus on mechanics over narrative, suggesting that the game is enjoyable even without a traditional storyline. Overall, the consensus is that the gameplay is solid enough to compensate for the nonexistent story.
“Aeon, especially as short as it is, feels fine without a 'story'.”
“The storyline is nonexistent, but the gameplay loop is solid enough to keep you playing through the levels.”
“Purchased this game in early access because in the description it said they were going to add a story to this game. Apparently it's out of early access, the description no longer states a story is coming.”
“This progression of teleport spots is what fills in for a story, I guess...?”
- music22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 36 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its energetic rock vibe that enhances the gameplay experience, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking polish. Many suggest muting the game's soundtrack and opting for personal playlists instead, as the music can detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, while the music can contribute to an addictive atmosphere, it falls short for a significant portion of the player base.
“The music and the mechanics of the game get you so into the game that it becomes addicting.”
“Good music will make adrenaline hell!!!”
“-you feel like Deadpool if you get lucky enough with your shots and listen to the right music.”
“The music in this game is very repetitive and sounds like a kid got his hands on GarageBand; it can be muted, so it's not a reason to hate this game.”
“Play your own music because the game's soundtrack is incredibly repetitive.”
“Other than wanting more features and wishing the game was a bit more polished, my only other complaint is that I'm not a fan of the music.”
- optimization16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players report flawless performance and impressive graphics in VR, others criticize it for being poorly optimized with stuttering locomotion and rough edges. Recent updates have improved performance and physics, but issues with balancing and repetitive gameplay remain a concern. Overall, the game shows potential but still requires further optimization to enhance the user experience.
“Performance on my computer is flawless and the physics are very realistic.”
“Update: the developers have just released an update that improves performance and physics.”
“Performance got an update; I'm running smoothly on 1080 with an i7 at 1.2ss.”
“While this game has some potential, it's too rough around the edges and poorly optimized to be recommended.”
“Where the game falls is poor performance, bad difficulty and balancing, and gameplay that gets repetitive very quickly, with very poor sound design.”
“Movement comes in the form of stuttering locomotion through short teleports, which honestly wasn't too bad, but as someone who was used to smooth locomotion, it was a bit nauseating, as it felt more like lag than anything.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs affecting gameplay, such as weapons falling from players' hands and poor aiming controls. While some users found moments of enjoyment, the overall experience is marred by these persistent technical problems.
“The game is too buggy; swords fall from hands immediately, and bullet time was fun for a moment.”
“Standing and shooting could be fun for sure, but with the bad aiming and buggy controls, it was not a fun experience.”
“This game is very buggy.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly noting that even at high settings, the visual quality does not meet expectations, and the effects, such as bullet cutting, appear subpar.
“Even with the game on high settings, it is far from the screenshot quality, and the cutting of bullets in the air is tedious at best, as the effect looks quite poor.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users indicate that the game offers significant replayability, suggesting that players will find value in returning to it multiple times.
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight strong object and character design, indicating that the game's characters are visually appealing and well-crafted. However, there is no specific mention of character development in terms of narrative or growth, suggesting that while the designs are commendable, the depth of character progression may be lacking.
