ArtFormer: Ancient Stories
- September 29, 2021
- Frix
Get on Steam"ArtFormer: Ancient Stories" is a story-driven cinematic platformer with RPG elements, featuring four chapters that showcase unique heroes and gameplay mechanics inspired by human history's cave paintings, Egyptian papyrus, Greek pottery, and Roman mosaic. The game is designed to be accessible for people with disabilities, allowing for one-handed control. It pays homage to classic cinematic platformers while adding its own modern twist.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful art styles and a rich story inspired by historical myths.
- It offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic platformers like Prince of Persia, with interesting puzzles and mini-games.
- The music is amazing, and the game is a love letter to historical art styles, appealing to fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and make it frustrating.
- Controls are clunky and can be difficult to master, leading to a less enjoyable experience.
- Combat feels meaningless and the gameplay mechanics are outdated, reminiscent of 1990s platformers.
- graphics12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their exquisite and unique art styles, drawing inspiration from historical art and the original Prince of Persia. Reviewers appreciate the light retro aesthetic and the creative design of the chapters, highlighting the game's untraditional approach to platforming. Overall, the visuals are described as a delightful surprise that enhances the gaming experience.
“Music is amazing and the art styles are exquisite.”
“An original idea for graphic design, historical animated art is cool.”
“A nice surprise in the form of an old-school platformer with a unique setting and graphics.”
- story8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its engaging narrative rooted in historical myths, featuring a rich plot that unfolds across each chapter. While the controls may be challenging initially, players can still appreciate the depth of the storytelling, despite some frustrations with quest AI that can lead to gameplay setbacks.
“The control is not the best, but if you get used to it, you can enjoy a very good story, based on historical myths with a decent plot.”
“There is a relatively rich story in each chapter, which is fresh in this kind of game.”
“The story is engaging and adds depth to the gameplay experience.”
“The quest AI is poorly designed, leading players into traps set by the developers. I wasted half an hour trying to get through it, but ultimately failed, which meant replaying, loading, and even reinstalling the game.”
“The quest AI is poorly designed, leading players into traps set by the developers. I wasted half an hour trying to get through it, but ultimately failed, which meant replaying, loading, and even reinstalling the game.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being clunky and reminiscent of outdated 1990s platformers, with combat lacking significance. While it retains elements from classic titles like Prince of Persia, the overall experience is marred by bugs and a lack of innovation.
“Combat is meaningless, and the mechanics are the same as those found in platformers from the 1990s.”
“Yes, it is a small indie game with a couple of bugs here and there, and the gameplay can be a little bit clunky if you do not follow the common DNA between artformers and the old cinematic platformers like Prince of Persia, Flashback, or Blackthorne.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, leading to a clunky and unenjoyable playthrough experience for users.
“However, it has so many bugs and glitches that make playthrough clunky and not fun.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised as amazing, complementing the exquisite art styles, which enhances the overall aesthetic experience.
“Music is amazing and the art styles are exquisite.”
