Aerial_Knight's Never Yield

92%
Game Brain Score Based on 52 reviews
  • music
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Aerial_Knight's Never Yield Game Cover
Aerial_Knight's Never Yield is an unambitious yet entertaining endless runner that stumbles a bit in the story department but stands out with a killer soundtrack and sharp distinctive look.
Starting at €11.99Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Xbox Games Store Get on Epic Games Store

In "Aerial_Knight's Never Yield," players assume the role of Wally, a swift character on a mission to expose the truth and reclaim what was taken from him. This 3D side-scroller, reminiscent of an endless runner, features an engaging story, varied gameplay involving running, jumping, and sliding, and a challenging array of obstacles. With a runtime of about ninety minutes, it offers a speedrunner-friendly experience while catering to casual players as well. The game also boasts a dynamic soundtrack to complement its fast-paced action.

Play Modes

Reviews

92%
Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews
music29 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • The game features a stunning art style and an incredible soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • Gameplay is simple and accessible, making it easy for players to pick up and enjoy, especially on higher difficulty settings.
  • The game offers a unique narrative and cultural representation, providing a fresh take on the runner genre.
  • Repetitive gameplay and level design can lead to boredom, as many levels feel similar with limited challenge.
  • Some gameplay mechanics, such as hitboxes and obstacle visibility, can be frustrating and lead to unfair deaths.
  • The story is underdeveloped and lacks clarity, making it difficult for players to engage with the narrative.
  • music61 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its exceptional quality and how well it complements the game's art style and gameplay. The soundtrack, featuring a mix of genres like hip-hop, jazz, and big band, is considered a major selling point, enhancing the overall experience and even prompting some players to purchase it separately. While the gameplay itself may be seen as lacking, the music elevates the game, making it enjoyable for many players.

    • “The bebop soundtrack is an excellent fit with the art style and gameplay.”
    • “The music is so good that I ended up purchasing it after completing the game so I could listen to it on repeat.”
    • “Aerial_Knight, the solo developer, has created an engaging cinematic runner that thanks to anticipatory colour-coding of attacks and an excellent jazz-infused soundtrack by Danime-sama makes for a fun, breezy rhythm game.”
    • “Just playing because stubborn, it's barebones and later challenges are awful (30min endless mode, I'm not even going to bother lol) music does nothing for the game, 99% of it is boring.”
    • “The music is god tier but the game itself can get super stale quickly.”
    • “The music and the art style complement the gameplay very well, but the actual running portion of the game is a bit bland and can leave a bit to be desired.”
  • graphics21 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, stylish art style that blends urban and anime aesthetics, complemented by a dynamic soundtrack. Players appreciate the colorful visuals and retrofuturistic design, which enhance the overall gameplay experience, despite some minor issues with level repetition and animation transitions. Overall, the game's striking visuals and engaging music create a captivating atmosphere that leaves a strong impression.

    • “The urban meets anime aesthetic is very well executed.”
    • “First and foremost, the art style is awesome, with its popping colors and effects.”
    • “A tremendously well-made runner with an incredible art style that complements the gameplay and tone exceptionally well.”
    • “The actual running portion of the game is a bit bland and can leave a bit to be desired.”
    • “There was a definite lack of sound effects and the transition animations can look a bit wonky.”
    • “The gameplay was fun, but it was a stylized graphics feast throughout.”
  • gameplay21 mentions

    The gameplay in Aerial_Knight's Never Yield is characterized as a straightforward endless runner that, while visually appealing and complemented by a strong soundtrack, suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of engaging challenges. Players appreciate the fluid controls and the ability to sprint, but many feel that the levels lack variety and depth, making the overall experience feel somewhat bland despite its stylish presentation.

    • “The gameplay is a straightforward runner that wastes very little time in setting the stage and getting the action going.”
    • “The art is beautiful, the music is phenomenal, and the gameplay is really satisfying.”
    • “A tremendously well-made runner with an incredible art style that complements the gameplay and tone exceptionally well.”
    • “The gameplay itself is not super engaging; levels are mostly the same type of thing with the environment being the only difference.”
    • “Aerial_Knight's Never Yield presents a fresh take on the runner genre but is ultimately held back by repetitive gameplay that fails to present any real engaging challenge to players.”
    • “The gameplay itself, while basic, works for what it is trying for; however, several levels are either extremely short or feel like a previous level without a lot of remixing.”
  • story18 mentions

    The game's story is described as minimal and somewhat confusing, with visually appealing cutscenes that attempt to convey a narrative of escape from a sci-fi authority, but lack clarity and depth. While some players appreciate the visual storytelling and environmental cues, many feel that the narrative could benefit from more context or text to enhance understanding. Overall, the story is considered secondary to the gameplay experience, which remains engaging despite its shortcomings.

    • “Gameplay is basically an endless runner with a presentation that knows how to tell a story without relying on dialogue or anything of the sort. In other words, though not masterclass, it's far from utter trash and easy to grasp what's going on.”
    • “Love the cool visual storytelling, and it has some nice replay value with the outfit unlocks, bonus levels, and for those who like to get the best times possible.”
    • “Incredible endless runner that also tells a story about a cyberpunk Detroit.”
    • “Between each level are visually appealing cutscenes that seem to tell of the character's escape from some kind of sci-fi authority, but the story is kind of hard to follow.”
    • “The film feature-length pace is so fast that I got confused by the story and I wish there were more cutscenes to explain the events, although it does end in an exciting and topsy-turvy final level.”
    • “Another thing I think the game missed on was the story scenes; I have no idea what it is trying to convey to me and I can't tell if this game wants to have a deep story or just be a simple story. However, this is the kind of game where story doesn't really matter, so I was okay with it being weaker.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Overall, the game offers decent replayability through outfit unlocks, bonus levels, and collectible golden coins that lead to additional challenges. However, players express a desire for more features, such as time trials and post-game content, to enhance the replay experience. While enjoyable, the current mechanics could benefit from improvements to keep players engaged longer.

    • “Love the cool visual storytelling, and it has some nice replay value with the outfit unlocks, bonus levels, and for those who like to get the best times possible.”
    • “Many levels have a golden coin to grab that lets you take on a bonus level, adding replayability, but I wish you didn't have to go back in that level for the coin if you die in the bonus stage.”
    • “Post-game content like twists to the level could increase replayability, but I had an enjoyable time throughout the running time and hope for more good things from the developer!”
    • “There are leaderboards, but I would have liked to see some time trials for each stage to add more replayability.”
    • “Many levels have a golden coin to grab that lets you take on a bonus level, adding replayability. However, I wish you didn't have to go back in that level for the coin if you die in the bonus stage.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally satisfactory, keeping players engaged with its design and performance. However, some users experienced minor performance hiccups in later levels, particularly on the Steam Deck OLED, suggesting that further tuning may be needed. The game is not overly demanding, which contributes to its accessibility.

    • “Performance-wise, the game isn't too demanding, the menu design is sleek and stylish, and it supports multiple languages.”
    • “The optimization keeps me engaged and always saying 'just one more mission.'”
    • “I had some small performance hiccups in the later levels on a Steam Deck OLED, so there might be some performance tuning required.”
    • “Performance-wise, the game isn't too demanding, but there are still some optimization issues that need to be addressed.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
    • “I spent hours grinding for minimal rewards.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

72% average critic score

Buy Aerial_Knight's Never Yield

Videos

Similar Games

Game News