Ary and the Secret of Seasons

54%
Game Brain Score Based on 59 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Ary and the Secret of Seasons Game Cover
Clearly a labor of love, Ary unites puzzles, platforming and exploration into one round package. Although its technical issues are a bit off-putting at first, if you can look past them, there’s much fun to be had.
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In "Ary and the Secret of Seasons," players control a young girl named Aryelle, or Ary, who has the ability to control the seasons. She uses this power to explore, solve puzzles, and battle enemies in a vast, open world. The game features a compelling story, bright and colorful graphics, and a unique season-changing mechanic that adds depth and complexity to the gameplay.

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Reviews

54%
Audience ScoreBased on 59 reviews
story19 positive mentions
stability19 negative mentions
  • The game features fun mechanics and unique puzzles that engage players, particularly with the season-changing abilities.
  • The graphics and world-building are visually appealing, creating a charming atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • The story is interesting and features a lovable main character, with humorous dialogues and a strong narrative arc.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with saving progress, clipping through terrain, and unreliable quest triggers.
  • Gameplay can become frustrating due to poorly designed parkour and puzzle mechanics, often requiring speedrun tactics to progress.
  • The overall polish of the game feels lacking, making it seem unfinished and leading to a less enjoyable experience for many players.
  • story47 mentions

    The story of the game is generally praised for its charm and potential, featuring a wholesome narrative and interesting characters, though it suffers from predictability and execution issues. Many players noted that while the visuals and atmosphere are appealing, the storytelling can feel incomplete or cluttered with tedious quests and infodumps. Overall, the narrative has its moments of brilliance but is hampered by bugs and a lack of depth in character interactions and quest design.

    • “The story is strong and interesting, and the atmosphere and gameplay are wonderful.”
    • “The combination between the aesthetic and the past of Ary's world, as well as what little visual storytelling there is, are intriguing and leave you wanting more.”
    • “The story is very sweet, although the end was a little bit out of nowhere.”
    • “There is also storytelling through infodumps, which are boring and hard to care about.”
    • “The few NPC quests are incredibly boring go-here-then-go-there garbage.”
    • “NPC lines never change, even when the story has moved on and they no longer make sense.”
  • gameplay30 mentions

    Gameplay in the game is a mixed bag, featuring fun mechanics like parkour and puzzle-solving with seasonal elements, but often marred by frustrating jankiness and unclear mechanics. While some players appreciate the unique ideas and cute art style, many report issues such as soft-locks, poor animations, and inconsistent combat, leading to a rough overall experience. Despite its potential, the gameplay feels underdeveloped and could benefit from more polish and refinement.

    • “I love the mechanics and every new puzzle required thinking.”
    • “The art style was cute, the mechanics were unique and interesting, the story was predictable but still fun.”
    • “A lot of the platforming and puzzle solving in the game make use of the cool season change mechanic.”
    • “Parkour and puzzles in the temples get more frustrating as you progress; it often feels like I am using some speedrun mechanics to skip areas.”
    • “Some mechanics can log you out of the game (falling through graphics or getting stuck somewhere).”
    • “Other concerns involve extremely janky platforming where every single jump has a space just the right size for you to fall through, extremely jarring death/respawn scenes, very janky and unexplained combat mechanics, and a really poor assortment of items to buy that seemingly do nothing for you.”
  • graphics20 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and cute art style, contributing to a charming aesthetic and enjoyable ambiance. However, some users report technical issues, such as freezing and bugs, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as excellent, the game's mechanics can lead to frustrating moments that impact gameplay.

    • “Very nice graphics, beautiful story, and lovely main protagonist with great voice acting.”
    • “The aesthetic is great.”
    • “This game has excellent presentation, a nice soundtrack, and lovely visuals.”
    • “I wound up unable to finish because its graphics freeze on a Surface Laptop 3 when first fighting the evil mage.”
    • “It's rather buggy, though the graphics are cute for sure.”
    • “The graphic and the fight aren't perfect but Exiin is still patching the game.”
  • stability19 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with terrain, quest tracking, and platforming mechanics, which significantly detract from the overall experience. While some players find enjoyment despite these problems, the consensus is that the game requires substantial polishing and is not recommended in its current state. Many reviewers express hope for future updates to address these stability issues.

    • “But at the current state, I cannot really recommend this game because it needs a lot of polishing and is buggy.”
    • “The game has promise, but it's too buggy to recommend.”
    • “So I am having fun with this game, but I honestly can't recommend it to most people because this game is a glitchy, buggy mess.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in "Ary and the Secret of Seasons" is highlighted by its funny dialogues, charming characters, and amusing situations, such as quirky interactions with the environment and enemies. Players appreciate the game's witty writing and engaging music, which enhance the overall comedic experience. Overall, the game successfully combines charm and humor to create a delightful adventure.

    • “Funny dialogues :-) music is excellent!!!”
    • “Ary and the Secret of Seasons offers you a magical adventure which is told with lots of charm and humor.”
    • “The writing was awesome in it and made me laugh many times.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its excellence and fitting nature, contributing positively to the overall presentation alongside the visuals. However, some users have reported audio bugs, such as missing background music and mismatched audio, which detracts from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered solid, with a mix of soothing and engaging elements that enhance the gameplay.

    • “Funny dialogues :-) music is excellent!!!”
    • “+ soothing music”
    • “This game has excellent presentation, a nice soundtrack and lovely visuals.”
    • “- audio bugs (sometimes no background music, mismatching audio from NPCs who aren't there anymore, overlapping BGM)”
    • “Music ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ - 6/10”
    • “The story is a cross between absolutely wholesome and an absolute 'wtf.' The soundtrack is absolutely solid.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    The emotional aspect of Ary is characterized by a wholesome and kid-friendly storyline that balances heartwarming moments with surprising twists. The beautiful visuals and solid soundtrack enhance the potential for a deeply moving experience, making it both engaging and thought-provoking.

    • “The story is a cross between absolutely wholesome and an absolute 'wtf.' The soundtrack is absolutely solid.”
    • “On the one hand, the visuals are beautiful and the story has the potential to be wonderfully heart-wrenching.”
    • “Ary has a wholesome storyline that is very kid-friendly.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, particularly criticizing the slow climbing mechanics and the frustrating backtracking required for quests. The lack of fast travel exacerbates these issues, making the experience feel more laborious than engaging.

    • “Climbing is so tedious and slow; it really needs fixing.”
    • “There are three or four of the items, and they are supposed to be inaccessible when you first get the quest, making it seem like a metroidvania. But in reality, backtracking is tedious and extremely time-consuming. I haven't unlocked fast travel yet, so I haven't backtracked at all because, screw it.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    While the game offers some replayability, particularly through side quests, players note that late-game issues, such as awkwardly cut scenery and enemies blocking loot, detract from the overall experience. Consequently, the post-game content feels somewhat limited.

    • “The game offers a variety of choices that significantly impact the story, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
    • “With multiple character builds and different strategies to explore, the replayability factor is incredibly high.”
    • “The dynamic world changes with each playthrough, encouraging players to experience new challenges and outcomes.”
    • “Some of the trees and waterfalls are cut awkwardly, and some enemies block their loot (only in the late game). While there is some replayability in this game, there isn't much to do in the post-game other than complete all the side quests.”
    • “The game offers a limited amount of replayability, as once you've completed the main story and side quests, there's not much incentive to return.”
    • “After finishing the game, I found that the replayability is quite low. The side quests feel repetitive, and there aren't enough new challenges to keep me engaged.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    Reviewers note that while the game's atmosphere has potential for improvement, particularly in the combat system and overall level design, it currently falls short of expectations.

    • “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players.”
    • “Despite some interesting concepts, the overall ambiance fails to create a compelling experience.”
    • “The game’s environment is dull and lifeless, making it hard to stay engaged.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

57% average critic score

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