ARIDA: Backland's Awakening
- August 15, 2019
- Aoca Game Lab
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"ÁRIDA: Backland's Awakening" is a historical single-player survival and adventure game set in a drought-stricken region. Players must use equipment like machetes and hoes for essential actions, learn recipes for crafting with regional items, and interact with villagers to get water and food. Exploring the backlands is necessary to learn more about the region and find resources, while completing quests for elders provides story elements and rewards.
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Reviews
- The game offers a touching story that effectively illustrates the struggles of life in Brazil's backlands, showcasing cultural and historical elements.
- The art style and atmosphere are charming, providing a unique and immersive experience that resonates with players.
- Despite its short length, the game is enjoyable and has potential for future installments, with many players expressing excitement for a sequel.
- The gameplay is primarily composed of fetch quests and survival mechanics that can feel tedious and poorly executed, leading to frustration.
- Many players reported glitches and bugs, including issues with achievements and inventory management, which detracted from the overall experience.
- The game is quite short, with some players feeling that it lacks sufficient content for the price, leading to a perception of it being more of a demo than a full game.
- story72 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story, while not groundbreaking, is well-crafted and touches on themes of survival, poverty, and social imbalance, particularly in the context of northeast Brazil. Players appreciate the emotional depth and historical accuracy, though some find the narrative too simple or short. Overall, it is a touching tale of a girl's journey with her grandfather, set against a backdrop of environmental and social challenges, making it a worthwhile experience for those who support indie developers.
“The game's story is very well written, and it is noted that there was accurate historical research.”
“Beyond a great story and making you feel the struggle of the sertão people, this game makes us think about poverty and social imbalance.”
“I bought this game to support an indie team of developers from my homeland, but was pleasantly surprised by this touching story of survival and faith.”
“Even though it's a survival game (and about survival) it's not punitive, it makes things alarming but fluid, it won't punish you in gameplay, but I can't say the same about the story.”
“The story is nothing that you would drop your jaw from, but it isn't bad either.”
“Story was okay though, so it had potential.”
- gameplay52 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily centered around simple survival mechanics, including crafting, food and water management, and fetch quests, which some players find repetitive and lacking depth. While the mechanics align well with the game's historical context and contribute to its immersive atmosphere, many reviewers feel that the gameplay is not particularly ambitious or challenging. Despite its shortcomings, the strong audiovisual presentation and narrative elements are praised for enhancing the overall experience.
“The gameplay consists of crafting items and trying to search for food and water.”
“The soundtrack is enchanting, the graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay is completely in line with the narrative.”
“Even though it's a survival game, it's not punitive; it makes things alarming but fluid, and it won't punish you in gameplay.”
“The gameplay is nothing but a bunch of fetch quests with survival elements.”
“Gameplay is pretty much an agonizing survival for food and water (mostly water!) and some few particular fetch quests.”
“It's a shame, because I really do find the art style and concept endearing... but bad gameplay is bad gameplay, no matter how attractive the game is otherwise.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their beautiful and atmospheric quality, effectively complementing the narrative and enhancing the overall experience. While some reviews note that the visuals can be relatively crude, they are still considered functional and charming, particularly with their cartoonish aesthetics that evoke a sense of regional identity. Overall, the art style and audiovisual elements contribute significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere, despite any gameplay shortcomings.
“The soundtrack is enchanting, the graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay is completely in line with the narrative.”
“The characters are memorable (if more than a little cliched), the graphics are both adequate and atmospheric, especially in regards to the plant models.”
“The art style, the characters, the items, music, presentation... it all exudes a charm that is welcoming to a Brazilian, and hopefully new and exciting to foreigners.”
“It's a shame, because I really do find the art style and concept endearing... but bad gameplay is bad gameplay, no matter how attractive the game is otherwise.”
“It is a short semi-linear exploration and survival game, with cartoonish aesthetics that resemble drawings from that place and age ('literatura de cordel') in sharp contrast against the looming sense of dread that permeates the entire game - you see death everywhere, the sun quickly exhausts your thirst and hunger bars, especially at noon.”
“And it's not about complex mechanics or elaborate graphics, it's all about atmosphere - about placing you in the shoes of a girl struggling to survive in Brazil's backlands during the 19th century.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive design and cultural authenticity, particularly through its use of Portuguese audio and verses that enhance the experience. While the graphics are described as adequate, they effectively contribute to the overall ambiance, especially with the detailed plant models. Players appreciate the game's focus on atmosphere over complex mechanics, successfully placing them in the historical context of 19th-century Brazil.
“The Portuguese audio and written verses are truly beautiful; the translation misses some of the musicality that contributes to the game's atmosphere. It can be a nice game for someone looking for immersion into Portuguese culture, especially the Nordeste culture.”
“It's a very simple, enjoyable survival and crafting game that is very easy to play. I loved the atmosphere of the game (rating: 8/10).”
“And it's not about complex mechanics or elaborate graphics; it's all about atmosphere - about placing you in the shoes of a girl struggling to survive in Brazil's backlands during the 19th century.”
“And it's not about complex mechanics or elaborate graphics, it's all about atmosphere - about placing you in the shoes of a girl struggling to survive in Brazil's backlands during the 19th century.”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its emotionally resonant story of survival and faith, which is conveyed in a thoughtful manner. Players appreciate the balance of gameplay mechanics and the incorporation of regional elements, contributing to a heartfelt experience that evokes positive feelings. Overall, it is described as a touching and well-crafted indie title that resonates deeply with its audience.
“I bought this game to support an indie team of developers from my homeland, but was pleasantly surprised by this touching story of survival and faith.”
“This is an unpretentious game, with simplified crafting and survival mechanics, and a touching story.”
“Pros: very well balanced, touching story told in a sensible manner, great aesthetics, and well-crafted regionalism with elements like praying poles as save checkpoints.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as enchanting, complementing the beautiful graphics and narrative-driven gameplay, particularly resonating with Brazilian culture. However, some users criticize the sound effects and overall quality of the music, rating it poorly at 4/10, while noting that the Portuguese audio adds a unique charm that may be lost in translation. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the immersive experience, especially for those interested in the nordeste culture.
“The soundtrack is enchanting, the graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay is completely in line with the narrative.”
“The Portuguese audio and written verses are truly beautiful; the translation misses some of the musicality that enhances the game's atmosphere. It can be a nice game for someone looking for immersion into Portuguese culture, especially the Nordeste region.”
“The art style, the characters, the items, music, and presentation all exude a charm that is welcoming to Brazilians and hopefully new and exciting to foreigners.”
“Music and sound effects are not good at all (rating 4/10)”
“The translation misses some of the musicality which makes the game atmosphere.”
“The soundtrack is enchanting, the graphics are beautiful and the gameplay is completely in line with the narrative.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from numerous stability issues, including glitches during item interactions and in the crafting menu, which significantly detracts from the overall experience. While using a controller may mitigate some problems, the game's store page only offers "partial controller support," leading to confusion. Despite being the studio's first title, the abundance of bugs and unresponsive achievements hinder enjoyment and gameplay progression.
“I know it's the studio's first game, so one can't expect perfection, but I wasn't able to actually enjoy the game due to the amount of glitches and bugs along the way.”
“Some glitches might have been avoided by playing with a controller, but for one, I personally don't think controller-only games have any place on Steam. Secondly, the store page only mentions 'partial controller support' despite it being 'highly recommended to use a controller' when you start up the game.”
“Finally, there are a few buggy achievements (I know I visited all 4 of the benches, and I certainly stepped in more than 10 piles of goat droppings) that I am going to try to snag on a second go-around, as well as the vegan achievement. Since a first playthrough took me roughly 3 hours, I suspect a second try with all the knowledge about the game I have will require less than 2 hours.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for being subpar, with issues such as janky controls and a lack of voice acting contributing to a less polished experience. Additionally, the collectables are deemed unhelpful, further detracting from overall gameplay quality.
“The optimization is really poor.”
“The game suffers from significant optimization issues.”
“Optimization is lacking, leading to frustrating performance.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express that grinding in the game is so demanding that it feels like they would need a second life to keep up with the requirements.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
