Aporia: Beyond The Valley
- July 19, 2017
- Invisible Walls
- 10h median play time
There may be a lot of firt person puzzle games on the market, but this has something that warms the soul. The world is interesting, the puzzles are challenging, and there's always something to see.
Get on Steam"Aporia: Beyond The Valley" is a first-person adventure game set in a mystical, ancient world. Players explore this beautiful but ruined land, solving puzzles to uncover the story of its lost civilization. With no combat or dialogue, the game emphasizes exploration and discovery in a serene, atmospheric setting.
Reviews
- The art and sound design are excellent, creating a beautiful and immersive atmosphere.
- The horror elements are surprisingly effective, adding tension to the exploration.
- The game features a unique storytelling method through visuals, enhancing the overall experience.
- The puzzles are overly simplistic and lack challenge, making the gameplay feel less engaging.
- Frequent crashes and performance issues detract from the overall experience.
- The level design can be confusing, with easy access to out-of-bounds areas and a vague map.
- story231 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is primarily conveyed through non-verbal means, such as animated murals and light projections, creating an immersive and atmospheric experience. While some players found the narrative intriguing and beautifully presented, others noted its ambiguity and simplicity, leading to confusion about the plot's details. Overall, the storytelling approach, combined with stunning visuals and sound design, has left a lasting impression on many players, making it a highlight of the game despite its linearity and occasional lack of depth.
“The story is interesting, and they really put in a lot of effort to make everything feel realistic.”
“The story is told through images you find through this crumbling, rotting world, and you're left with your own interpretation of what caused the eventual downfall for the people of Aporia.”
“The story unfolds at a satisfying pace and will leave you reflecting on human nature and the craving for immortality.”
“The story itself is not especially complex but it is narrated via pictures and small animations.”
“I really liked the game, but story-wise some holes were left that left me very confused.”
“You figure out the gist of the story, but in my opinion, I didn't really fully understand by the end of the game exactly what had happened and why.”
- graphics120 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their beauty and immersive quality, often highlighting stunning visuals and atmospheric effects. However, some players note issues such as graphical glitches, lack of polish in certain areas, and performance problems that detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the visuals are a standout feature, they are not without their flaws, leading to a varied reception among players.
“The graphics are beautiful, and make clever use of depth of field and tilt-shift focusing to create a sense of breathtaking scale and detail.”
“The story is great, the graphics are beautiful, and the soundtrack is very atmospheric with excellent environmental sounds and a very effective musical score.”
“The graphics are absolutely amazing and sounded great too.”
“Cons: however, the unpolished and broken graphics really take you out of the experience.”
“This endeavor suffers from a number of graphical issues like flickering textures, blinking distant objects, a painful lack of anisotropic filtering, and a general rough-around-the-edges look that makes the game feel very 'early access'.”
“Upon loading in at maximum graphic settings, I found to my disappointment that the graphics and lighting were generic CryEngine lighting, the environments are a combination of modular assets thrown together with no respect for how this game should look.”
- music66 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, particularly during key moments. While some players found the soundtrack beautiful and immersive, others noted a significant lack of music throughout the game, which detracted from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is often described as calming and fitting for the game's visuals, but its inconsistent presence left some players wanting more.
“The beautiful world is enhanced by the soundtrack; strange music in some places and odd sounds off in the distance help lend to a mysterious atmosphere.”
“The music in this game is almost worth the experience alone; the sound design is excellent and the story experience is well crafted and awesome to enjoy.”
“The story is great, the graphics are beautiful, and the soundtrack is very atmospheric with excellent environmental sounds and a very effective musical score.”
“The biggest drawback is almost complete lack of any music.”
“Lack of music for most of the game makes the experience very bland and boring.”
“Finally in a game like this, music and sounds are essential; upon the giant gates opening at the start of the game, I was expecting some beautiful soundtrack to come on and play as I explored the environment, but nothing.”
- atmosphere52 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, enhanced by beautiful visuals and a captivating soundtrack. Players appreciate the unique storytelling through environmental elements, such as murals and projections, which contribute to a sense of exploration in a mysterious, abandoned world. While some find the gameplay a bit dull or the world feeling empty at times, the overall ambiance and world-building are considered strong points that keep players engaged.
“The beautiful world is enhanced by the soundtrack…strange music in some places and odd sounds off in the distance help lend to a mysterious atmosphere.”
“Indeed it's the atmosphere of this quiet, alien world that makes the exploration compelling; and that's what drives you through the entire thing.”
“The story is great, the graphics are beautiful, and the soundtrack is very atmospheric with excellent environmental sounds and a very effective musical score.”
“Add in an actual threat, too, and that adds some weight to the heavier atmospheres in this game.”
“The atmosphere is ok, but don't expect anything special from this.”
“The atmosphere didn't quite get me in.”
- gameplay37 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by immersive exploration and puzzle-solving within a beautifully crafted atmosphere, though it suffers from some clunky mechanics and a lack of narrative focus. While the puzzles are generally reasonable and inventive, some players found them predictable and felt that certain mechanics, like managing light energy, were underutilized. Overall, the experience is enjoyable for those who appreciate atmospheric adventures, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay depth and execution.
“The tag is pretty accurate; it is an atmospheric adventure. Even though the mysterious story is neither innovative nor amazing, the gameplay is quite immersive. I felt like I was exploring some lost culture like an archaeologist, watching their past story (like a muted living mural) to understand why they vanished and solving puzzles to see how these old mechanics work.”
“A beautiful puzzler full of magical lands, with a very original set of mechanics and puzzles.”
“Lots of fun exploring with some inventive game mechanics you don't see in many other games.”
“What I really didn't like was the clunky mechanics, from levers to pulleys and especially cranks while standing on fiery cracks.”
“There is a mechanic where you use up your 'light energy' but as far as I can tell, no puzzle in the entire game requires actually using your energy efficiently or optimally; they just force you to occasionally spend time looking for a light refill bottle for no reason.”
“Every minute of the first 2 hours of gameplay, I wondered where this introduction would end, only to realize this is everything there is.”
- optimization16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting constant crashes, performance issues, and visual artifacts. While many appreciate the game's aesthetics and gameplay, they express frustration over its poor optimization, which leads to unstable performance and excessive resource usage. Overall, players hope for improvements in future updates to enhance stability and performance.
“Had been optimized.”
“Some slight optimization issues but other than that it's a really beautiful fun game with tons of interesting puzzles.”
“If they can iron out the crashes and some optimization, the game would be perfect.”
“The optimization of this game is horrible.”
“Nice game, but the buggy achievements and poor game optimization cause my PC to whir loudly every few minutes, which is beyond annoying (yet I don't have this problem with other games).”
“Though pretty for sure, it's not optimized at all.”
- stability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate the open world and good graphics, they report recurring minor glitches, occasional crashes, and issues with achievements and optimization. Some users experienced significant graphical problems, such as texture flickering and floating objects, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these issues, a few players noted that they encountered no major glitches, indicating that stability may vary between systems.
“The game world is open and explorable, with stunning graphics and no glitches to disrupt the experience.”
“I appreciate the stability of the game; it runs smoothly without any technical issues.”
“The graphics are impressive, and I haven't encountered any glitches, making for a stable gaming experience.”
“Nice game, but the buggy achievements and poor game optimization cause my PC to whir loudly every few minutes, which is beyond annoying (yet I don't have this problem with other games).”
“Sadly not fully polished, as you may experience a few crashes and freezes every now and then, as well as objects floating in the air and textures flickering like crazy in 4K.”
“This game could have been one to remember, but it was just a little too buggy.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the challenge of achievement hunting and thorough exploration, others feel that repetitive tasks and certain optional quests can become tedious. The game's atmosphere and storytelling help mitigate some of the grind, but the presence of repetitive elements and the need for extensive exploration can detract from the overall enjoyment for some players.
“The only tedious thing is that I saw the same skeleton couple with the same pose all over the first chapter like ten times.”
“If you're an achievement hunter, there's a lot to like here, but some of the achievements are pretty grindy or require a lot of extremely thorough exploration.”
“This, on the other hand, is just another tedious walking sim.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it lacking after the initial playthrough, others appreciate the added value from achievements that encourage exploration and a slower play style.
“It also has great replay value since some of the achievements force you to slow your play style and actually explore in order to unlock them.”
“I loved the game, but sadly there is no replayability after the first time.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its heartwarming narrative that culminates in a surprising and heartbreaking conclusion, skillfully balancing emotional depth without becoming overly sentimental. Reviewers highlight its ability to evoke strong feelings while maintaining a tragic and epic tone. Overall, it is regarded as an awesome and emotionally resonant experience.
“Full of surprise and a heartwarming story.”
“Towards the end, the story even gets downright heartbreaking, yet manages to avoid getting excessively emotional, and retains its tragic, stern epic feel.”
“Awesome and emotional game.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game largely tied to its soundtrack, particularly associating the original soundtrack (OST) with the credits, which adds a comedic layer to the overall experience.
“The humor in this game is spot-on, making every moment enjoyable.”
“I love how the witty dialogue keeps me laughing throughout the gameplay.”
“The quirky characters and their hilarious interactions add so much charm to the experience.”
