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Archaica: The Path of Light

91%Game Brain Score
gameplay, story
optimization, stability
93% User Score Based on 302 reviews
Critic Score 82%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

iPhoneiPhoneMac OSMac OSNintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchPCPCPhonePhonePlaystation 4Playstation 4WindowsWindowsXbox OneXbox OneMobile PlatformMobile PlatformPlayStationPlayStationXboxXboxiPadiPad

About

"Archaica: The Path of Light is an atmospheric puzzler that takes you on a journey through a mystical world filled with laser and mirror puzzles. As the Light Bearer, your mission is to save the world by reviving ancient artifacts and exploring the secrets of an alien civilization. With its unique puzzles and intriguing narrative, Archaica offers a beautiful and immersive experience."

Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
Archaica: The Path of Light screenshot
+17

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 303 reviews
gameplay24 positive mentions
stability8 negative mentions

  • Beautiful graphics and art design that create an immersive atmosphere.
  • Challenging puzzles that progressively increase in difficulty, providing a satisfying experience.
  • Intuitive hint system that allows players to receive guidance without giving away full solutions.
  • The story feels tacked on and does not enhance the gameplay experience.
  • Some puzzles can be overly difficult, leading to frustration for casual players.
  • Technical issues such as crashes and poor optimization on certain resolutions can detract from the experience.
  • gameplay
    114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in "Archaica: The Path of Light" is centered around engaging light-based puzzles that utilize mirrors and various mechanics, offering a satisfying challenge that evolves as players progress. While the introduction of new mechanics is generally well-paced, some players find the difficulty spikes and lack of comprehensive tutorials can lead to frustration. Overall, the game is visually appealing and provides a solid puzzle experience, though it may not stand out against other titles in the genre.

    • “New mechanics and uses are added gradually, so that you don't get overwhelmed with too many new systems at any one time, but by the end you feel like you are bending the laws of physics.”
    • “The puzzles themselves are the most satisfying element of gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay mechanics are very engaging early on, especially as new tools are being introduced regularly, causing you to re-think possible solutions.”
    • “Highly polished environments and clever game mechanics are made irreconcilable by exceedingly difficult levels.”
    • “There is a very short tutorial in the game that doesn't explain many employed mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay here is just a bit too simple to justify recommending it over other titles like SpaceChem, Portal, and The Talos Principle.”
  • story
    110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Archaica: The Path of Light" is generally viewed as a minimal and often irrelevant backdrop to the gameplay, primarily serving to justify the puzzles rather than enhance the experience. While some players appreciate the lore and aesthetic elements, many criticize the delivery as disjointed and poorly integrated, with a preference for a more cohesive narrative structure. Overall, the game is recognized more for its puzzles and visual appeal than for its storytelling, which some find to be superficial or tacked on.

    • “The backstory is minimal yet it has built a world of lore around the different elements that make its own theme.”
    • “However, this imbalance can be easily overlooked by the fact that beyond its puzzles, archaica presents the player with an intriguing story and an opportunity to know more about these deserted areas and how they came to be by finding hidden remnants of a past civilization throughout the game.”
    • “It's rare to find a puzzle game that puts this much work into the back story and universe.”
    • “The story is a vague, cryptic pile of nothing, delivered piecemeal for no good reason.”
    • “The other negative is the banal 'story' that has no connection to gameplay whatsoever.”
    • “The background/story feels like it was tacked on to add some depth to the gameplay, but only succeeds in being pretentious.”
  • graphics
    104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and artistic design, which enhance the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the vibrant colors and intricate lighting effects, noting that the graphics significantly elevate the puzzle-solving experience. While some mention that the graphics can occasionally be distracting, the consensus is that they are a major highlight, contributing to a harmonious and engaging environment.

    • “The graphics were stunning and the music light and delicate.”
    • “Amazing visuals and a pleasant atmosphere make it a very harmonious experience when you're tired and don't want a game that's fast and loud.”
    • “Of course it is much more than that with the calming music, intriguing storyline, beautiful graphics, and other features that keep pulling on your interest and imagination.”
    • “Graphics very basic.”
    • “Extremely slow for very basic 3D graphics.”
    • “I tried every combination of changing the graphics options settings to see if anything changed, and there were no noticeable changes to anything (including game look/feel/no tearing on movement).”
  • music
    58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally described as atmospheric and soothing, effectively complementing the visuals and overall mood. However, it tends to be repetitive and somewhat average, with some players suggesting it could benefit from more variety. While it may not be particularly memorable, it serves its purpose in enhancing the immersive experience without being intrusive.

    • “The atmosphere and music are top-notch, and the hint system isn't too 'hand-holding' like other games' hint systems.”
    • “The music is soothing, no matter how head-scratching the puzzles become.”
    • “The game is very atmospheric and the music is absolutely beautiful.”
    • “Music gets a bit repetitive after a while, but only because you get a pretty impressive amount of play time from this one.”
    • “The game ran smooth, no hitching or stuttering, the only 'bug' I had was the ambient background music cutting out during a puzzle, unable to find repro steps, and it would come back if I restarted the puzzle or when I moved on to the next one.”
    • “Music can get irritating repetitively or make you sleepy.”
  • atmosphere
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating visuals, sound effects, and music, which effectively enhance the overall experience. Many players appreciate the game's ability to create a mysterious and immersive world, although some note that the music can be repetitive and not particularly memorable. Overall, the combination of engaging graphics and atmospheric audio contributes to a compelling puzzle-solving environment, despite occasional mismatches with the storyline.

    • “The atmosphere and music are top-notch, and the hint system isn't too 'hand-holding' like other games' hint systems.”
    • “Atmosphere is great, you can lose yourself in it with beautiful music and sound effects.”
    • “The game has its own world and lore, which is presented in an interesting and atmospheric way.”
    • “I loved this as a puzzle game, but as a story, it doesn't fit with the atmosphere and puzzles.”
    • “- mismatched story and atmosphere”
    • “In-game atmosphere of mystery mixed with the storyline makes you even more curious and wanting to discover next.”
  • optimization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization received mixed reviews; while many players praised its smooth performance and lack of crashes or freezes, some reported issues with audio bugs and concerns about poor optimization. Despite these criticisms, the majority found the game to run well and recommended it for its aesthetic appeal and engaging puzzles.

    • “No crashes, no freezes whatsoever, optimized perfectly as well.”
    • “The aesthetics are really nice, performance is great and it should keep you puzzling for a while, would definitely recommend it.”
    • “The game appears to be very poorly optimized.”
    • “I hope they fix it to be more optimized soon, because I don't want to have to increase the music volume to try to cover up the coil whine... no longer an issue.”
    • “The game ran smooth, no hitching or stuttering, the only 'bug' I had was the ambient background music cutting out during a puzzle, unable to find repro steps, and it would come back if I restarted the puzzle or when I moved on to the next one.”
  • stability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's stability is generally praised, with no major crashes or freezes reported. However, some users noted a brief freeze of about five seconds when selecting levels or launching the game, attributed to the absence of loading screens. Despite this minor issue, the game is considered well-optimized.

    • “Also the game has no loading screen, so it basically freezes for about 5 seconds every time I select a level or when I launch the game.”
    • “Glitches.”
    • “Glitches.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly in relation to puzzles and collectables. The experimentation required to solve puzzles can feel repetitive, detracting from the overall experience, as many would prefer a more streamlined focus on the puzzle-solving itself.

    • “Puzzles get tedious very fast.”
    • “The actual solutions to the puzzles don't crash the game, but experimentation is tedious.”
    • “These collectibles can be distracting from the game; even though they serve a purpose, they are still a bit tedious, and I would rather just have the actual puzzle part of the game.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express a strong emotional response to the game, feeling challenged to the point of frustration and inadequacy. This intense experience highlights the game's ability to evoke feelings of self-doubt and struggle, setting it apart from other puzzle games.

  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find the humor in the game to be somewhat lacking, as the cleverness of the light puzzle suggests it should be funny, but the actual experience does not deliver on that expectation.

    • “The light puzzle is ingenious, and the experience of solving it should have been funny.”

82%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

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