Ageless
- July 28, 2020
- One More Dream Studios
- 20h median play time
A challenging platformer with an interesting hook and some frustrating mechanics.
Get on Steam
Get on Epic Games Store"Ageless" is a single-player platformer game with unique ageing mechanics that allow you to control the age of animals and plants. As Kiara, you'll navigate through intricate puzzles and challenging platforming levels in a world full of myths and magic. This emotional journey explores themes of loss, heartache, and inner demons, taking approximately 20 hours to complete.
Reviews
- Creative puzzle mechanics that offer a good degree of flexibility and interesting challenges.
- Solid level design with a variety of puzzles and optional challenges that enhance gameplay.
- Cute pixel art graphics and enjoyable music that contribute to a pleasant atmosphere.
- Controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The story is considered weak and rushed, lacking depth and character development.
- Difficulty spikes can be inconsistent, making some puzzles feel overly challenging or frustrating.
- story24 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with some praising its engaging characters and themes of existentialism, while others criticize it for being simplistic and rushed, particularly towards the end. Many players find the narrative enjoyable but lacking in depth, leading to a sense of frustration with its execution. Overall, while the story has its merits, it may not satisfy those seeking a deeply developed plot.
“The story, characters, and world-building are also pretty decent, handling the subjects of existentialism and personal disappointment in a believable fashion.”
“Solid story with a lot of likable characters.”
“✔️ The story is enjoyable and touching, even though it doesn't have incredible depth.”
“If you want to play this game for the story rather than gameplay, get Celeste and forget about this one.”
“It's too simplistic, the character development feels terrible and rushed, and the ending, while it technically makes sense, feels like they just threw the entire story out the window and axed whatever build-up they had.”
“The end part of the story felt maybe a bit rushed.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by unique mechanics that create engaging puzzles and platforming challenges, with a strong emphasis on level design that keeps each area dynamic and interesting. However, players have noted issues with wonky physics and glitches that can hinder the experience, leading to mixed reviews overall. While the game offers a good degree of flexibility and creativity, it may not reach the polished heights of other titles in the genre, such as Celeste.
“The core mechanics are unique and lead to some very interesting puzzles that offer a good degree of flexibility in how they are solved.”
“As a puzzle platformer, it has creative mechanics that lend themselves to both good puzzles and good platforming challenges.”
“The controls feel on par with what you'd expect from a precision platformer, and the gameplay was good throughout: with some creative uses of its core mechanics, some unexpectedly dynamic boss battles, and a good enough system that it's sometimes possible to find seemingly unintended solutions to puzzles.”
“It lacks speedrunning mechanics, which feels not too good.”
“This game feels sloppy; you get stuck on everything, jumps are unnecessarily tight, and the mechanics they give you hinder your ability to do awesome stuff or anything your brain wants to do.”
“This is a puzzle platformer made by people who either didn't have the budget or passion for platformers. Celeste was a work of blazing passion; everything works and feels incredible. This feels like a failed copy of Celeste with some mechanics shoved in because they didn't really know what else to do.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- -14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their cute pixel art and solid aesthetic, with many reviewers highlighting the level design as exceptional. Overall, the visuals are described as decent and complement the gameplay well, contributing to a charming experience.
“Level aesthetic and design 10/10.”
“✔️ Really cute pixel art graphics.”
“- Adorable art style.”
“The graphics feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
“The environments are bland and lack detail, making the game visually unappealing.”
“Character models are poorly designed and do not match the overall aesthetic of the game.”
- music7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, with many users rating it 10/10 for its nice ambiance and overall quality, describing it as ranging from good to great. However, some players noted occasional bugs that can affect the music playback. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's positive atmosphere.
“Music 10/10.”
“Nice music.”
“This game has great visuals, great music, and overall great gameplay.”
“There are a few bugs here and there, like the level not resetting correctly on death or the music stopping unexpectedly.”
“The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found the soundtrack to be underwhelming and not fitting for the game's atmosphere.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by numerous glitches that become increasingly disruptive as players progress, significantly affecting gameplay. While the unique mechanics, such as the ageless state, are intriguing, the overall experience is hindered by the need for improvements in the game's environment and bug fixes.
“The game is littered with glitches, which become more and more apparent as you go further in the game, and often can severely mess with the gameplay.”
“Should the developers take steps to fix at least the glitches, janky environment, and awkward placement, I would recommend this game.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate its relatable aspects that foster good growth, others criticize it as simplistic and rushed, leading to a disappointing conclusion that undermines the story's build-up.
“It's a feeling most people can relate to and allows for excellent character development.”
“The character arcs are incredibly well-written, making each transformation feel authentic and impactful.”
“I love how the choices I make influence the characters' growth, adding depth to their personalities.”
“The character development is too simplistic; it feels terrible and rushed. The ending, while it technically makes sense, feels like they just threw the entire story out the window and axed whatever build-up they had.”
“There is a lack of depth in character development, making it hard to connect with the characters or care about their journeys.”
“The choices you make don't seem to impact character growth in any meaningful way, leaving the development feeling hollow and unengaging.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by an enjoyable and touching story, though it lacks significant depth. Overall, players find it engaging and heartfelt.
“The story is enjoyable and touching, even though it doesn't have incredible depth.”
“The characters' journeys evoke a deep emotional response, making you truly care about their fates.”
“I found myself moved to tears by the heartfelt moments woven throughout the narrative.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find that while the snap feature alleviates some of the grind, there are still tedious moments that can detract from the overall experience.
“The snap helps, but there are still some tedious moments because of it.”
“Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay motivated to continue playing.”
Critic Reviews
Ageless
In the end, Ageless has the signs of many great puzzle platformers. It has the colour, the beautiful and stylish pixel art, and it simply is an endearing puzzle platformer. Just like its protagonist, who is trying to give her life something of a meaning, the developers have kept focus on a single gameplay mechanic and fleshed it out to make it meaningful. The game has a solid concept that it sticks to and evolves with new ways to play with its ageing mechanics that some players will be genuinely surprised at how smart the puzzles become. But, I cannot help but feel the game is missing that final polish, that spark that puts it on the same pedestal as Celeste and a few others. There are some irritating issues with the controls, which spoil what would otherwise be a quality puzzle platformer. I can say that fans of the genre will entertain with what Ageless delivers, and anyone who enjoys a challenging game, if sometimes frustrating, will find something to like here.
70%Ageless (Switch) Review
A challenging platformer with an interesting hook and some frustrating mechanics.
70%Ageless Review
Ageless is the sort of game that could best be described as a great concept that almost nails the execution. The sombre narrative, cerebral gameplay, and distinct presentation are all great in their own regard, but each is plagued with enough inconsistencies and caveats to hold back the overall experience from true greatness. We’d give this one a cautious recommendation, as the distinct brand of puzzle-platforming gameplay ultimately proves to be a worthwhile experience, but this is also certainly not the ‘next Celeste’. Still, if you’ve been looking for a decent new indie for your Switch that you can clear in a reasonably short timeframe, it’s tough to go wrong here.
70%
