Aerial_Knight's Never Yield

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.

82%Game Brain Score

music, gameplay

optimization, grinding

92% User Score Based on 104 reviews

Critic Score 73%Based on 14 reviews

Platforms

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About

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 118 reviews

music66 positive mentions

optimization3 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 experience through visual storytelling, with a strong cultural representation.

The gameplay can become repetitive, with a lack of variety in obstacles and level design that may lead to boredom.
Some design flaws, such as inconsistent timing for obstacle interactions and minor bugs, can detract from the overall experience.
The story is underdeveloped and can be confusing, leaving players wanting more context and depth.

music
132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
48%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised as a standout feature, with many reviewers highlighting its engaging and diverse soundtrack that blends elements of jazz, hip-hop, and big band. While the gameplay may feel repetitive or lacking for some, the soundtrack is often described as a major selling point, enhancing the overall experience and even prompting players to purchase it separately. Overall, the music is considered a key element that elevates the game's artistic and aesthetic appeal.
- “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's Never Yield is very obviously a passion project that's had a ton of love poured into its super stylish aesthetics and excellent soundtrack.”
- “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.”
gameplay
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
61%
9%
The gameplay in "Aerial_Knight's Never Yield" is characterized as a straightforward endless runner that, while visually stunning and accompanied by an excellent soundtrack, suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of engaging challenge. Players appreciate the simple and fluid controls, as well as the unique slow-motion mechanic, but many feel that the levels do not offer enough variety, leading to a somewhat bland experience overall. Despite its shortcomings, the game is enjoyable for casual play and showcases a strong artistic vision.
- “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.”
- “But for me, the gameplay was fun, the soundtrack is a bop, and it was a stylized graphics feast throughout.”
- “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 game boasts a unique style, equally intriguing narrative, and a head-bopping soundtrack, but ends up falling flat in terms of gameplay.”
graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
34%
7%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, cel-shaded art style that blends urban and anime aesthetics, creating a visually appealing experience. The neon and retrofuturistic design, complemented by a dynamic bebop soundtrack, enhances the overall gameplay, although some reviewers noted issues with level repetition and transition animations. Overall, the stylish visuals and engaging music contribute significantly to the game's charm, making it a standout in the runner genre.
- “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 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.”
- “There was a definite lack of sound effects and the transition animations can look a bit wonky, but the aesthetics and soundtrack elevate the entire affair.”
- “At first, I thought it was like the Jet Set Radio series, but nope, it's a music-driven runner game wearing a neon/retrofuturistic aesthetic up its sleeve.”
story
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
82%
8%
The game's story is described as barebones and somewhat confusing, with visually appealing cutscenes that struggle to convey a coherent narrative. While some players appreciate the visual storytelling and environmental cues, many feel that the lack of clarity and depth detracts from the overall experience, suggesting that the story is not a primary focus of the game. Despite these shortcomings, the engaging gameplay and aesthetic elements keep players invested.
- “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 terrible and easy to grasp what's going on.”
- “Incredible endless runner that also tells a story about a cyberpunk Detroit.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
22%
33%
The game offers moderate replayability through outfit unlocks, bonus levels, and leaderboards, appealing particularly to speedrunners. However, some players feel that the lack of time trials and the need to revisit levels for collectibles can detract from the experience. Additional post-game content could further enhance replay value, but overall, many enjoyed their time with the game.
- “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.”
- “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 some replayability.”
- “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.”
- “[Slow mo] If you aren’t a speedrunner, there’s little replayability due to reused environments.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's optimization is generally satisfactory, with users noting that it runs well and is not overly demanding on hardware. However, some players experienced minor performance hiccups in later levels, particularly on the Steam Deck OLED, suggesting that further tuning may be needed. Overall, the sleek menu design and multi-language support enhance the user experience.
- “Performance-wise, the game isn't too demanding, the menu design is sleek and stylish, and it supports multiple languages.”
- “The game 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.”
- “The game has some performance hiccups that could benefit from further optimization, especially in the later levels.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players find the grinding in the game excessively time-consuming and repetitive, often requiring a significant investment of time to progress. Many feel that the lengthy levels and tedious playthroughs hinder access to more enjoyable game modes, making the experience feel like a chore.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Levels are far too long, with repetitive segments; more enjoyable game modes are locked behind a tedious 'easy' playthrough.”