Aurion

76%
Game Brain Score Based on 82 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Aurion Game Cover
An ambitious first game that stumbles occasionally but ultimately impresses with fun gameplay and extensive world-building.
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Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is a 2D African Fantasy Action-RPG game that is introducing a new, rarely seen perspective to this genre. The dynamic and impressive gameplay has been more inspired by the "Tales of" series. The main narrative draws deeply from African culture and is hopefully the first entry in a series call The Kiro’o Tales.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews
story49 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique African-inspired setting with beautiful art and world-building that stands out in the gaming landscape.
  • Combat is engaging and offers a variety of mechanics, allowing for deep combos and strategic gameplay that keeps players invested.
  • The story is thought-provoking and explores complex themes, with well-developed characters and emotional depth that resonate with players.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including long loading times, frame rate drops, and bugs that can disrupt gameplay.
  • The English localization has numerous grammatical errors and awkward dialogue, which detracts from the overall narrative experience.
  • Controls can feel clunky, especially when using a keyboard and mouse, making the gameplay less enjoyable for those without a controller.
  • story108 mentions

    The story of the game is praised for its mature themes, complex world-building, and emotional depth, often drawing on African mythology and culture. However, critiques highlight issues with linear storytelling, awkward dialogue, and excessive exposition that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, many players find the narrative engaging and thought-provoking, making it a standout aspect of the game.

    • “The story is great and goes emotional places you likely won't expect.”
    • “The story overall is really interesting, with a lot of heavy themes like oppression, exploitation, national identity, historic trauma, and human spirituality.”
    • “I really loved the story that was told; you don't really get a lot of games from Africa that are able to make games and tell their own stories.”
    • “The storytelling and dialogue feel awkward.”
    • “The storytelling is very linear, which I’m not personally a fan of, but the game has an excess of extraneous information that bogs down the actual story.”
    • “The translation is serviceable - it is possible to follow the story, but there are numerous typos, grammatical, and punctuation errors.”
  • gameplay34 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many praising its ambitious mechanics and unique blend of storytelling and combat, while others criticize its clunky execution and lack of polish. Players appreciate the creative art style and the depth of combat, but find the leveling system and some gameplay elements confusing or poorly balanced. Overall, while the game offers an interesting experience, it may frustrate those seeking a more refined gameplay experience.

    • “Really cool art style, interesting combat mechanics, and a unique story.”
    • “A fresh, fantastic take on an action RPG, with a lot of interesting blending of story and gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay is fairly solid, and combat is well done and responsive.”
    • “The style is beautiful, the world is complex, but the gameplay is just awful and the storytelling style is pretty rough.”
    • “There are plenty of flaws, serious enough that if you're here just for the gameplay, I wouldn't really bother.”
    • “Of this 45 minutes, only 20 minutes has been gameplay and of the 20, only 5 or so has been anything more than walking around and talking.”
  • music15 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its uniqueness and effective use of African instrumentation, enhancing the overall aesthetic. However, some players noted that certain tracks can be repetitive and that the soundtrack lacks the variety typically found in larger budget JRPGs. While the music complements the game's setting well, the limited number of tracks and occasional absence of background music during combat detracts from the experience.

    • “The aesthetics, music, and graphics were spectacular.”
    • “Most of the music is good; some can be repetitive, but it all matches the setting well.”
    • “I loved the story, characters, the music, and everything about it.”
    • “The major sound issues are that many combats do not have any background music at all, and the animated cutscenes (not the ones formed from the game sprites) do not respect the game's sound settings.”
    • “The music matches the art well; however, there aren't as many tracks as big-budget JRPGs have.”
  • graphics13 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning artwork, unique art style, and attention to detail, contributing to an immersive experience. While some players noted a clunky gameplay feel, the vibrant visuals and diverse biomes enhance the overall aesthetic appeal. The developers' dedication to design is evident, making the graphics a standout feature alongside the engaging storyline and combat mechanics.

    • “Other than that, the aesthetics, music, and graphics were spectacular.”
    • “It's worth playing for the story alone, but the gorgeous visuals and flashy, creative combat don't hurt.”
    • “+ beautiful graphics, with a different look and biome in every location that you travel to”
    • “I was intrigued by the setting and art style, but the game feels so clunky that I couldn't get into it.”
    • “It's a little rough around the edges, but you can tell the devs spent a lot of time and thought hard about design choices, especially the art style.”
    • “This game just shows the huge amount of work by the developers, giving a quite long adventure, with so much detail throughout the entire game, from the graphics to the deep storyline.”
  • character development4 mentions

    The character development in the game is highly praised, particularly the evolution of the husband and wife duo as they navigate challenges together, showcasing their distinct personalities and differing viewpoints. This depth is complemented by the game's artistic elements and soundtrack, which enhance the storytelling and reflect cultural influences. Overall, the characters are well-rounded and avoid being one-dimensional, contributing to a rich narrative experience.

    • “The husband and wife both undergo massive character development and work through rocky times together to prevent them from being one-dimensional. They have different ideas, strengths, and opinions, and they don't always agree.”
    • “You can see it clearly in the beautiful level and character design and in the very good soundtrack, which mixed themselves very well. The way the story was told and the turns it took showcased the African influences at their prime.”
    • “The art is beautiful, with excellent character designs and gloriously painted environments.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful growth in the characters; they seem to repeat the same patterns without any real change.”
    • “The characters start off interesting but quickly fall into predictable tropes, leaving little room for genuine development.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    The game features a well-crafted story that takes players on an unexpected emotional journey, filled with challenges and personal growth. This depth adds significant emotional resonance, elevating it beyond a typical RPG experience.

    • “The story is great and goes to emotional places you likely won't expect.”
    • “Their journey, filled with challenges and personal growth, adds a layer of emotional depth to the game, making it more than just a typical RPG.”
    • “The story is well written and touching.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is well-timed and complements the characters' journey, blending lightheartedness with serious themes. However, some players feel that the humor can be juvenile and detracts from the more profound aspects of the story, lacking the charm of guilty pleasure. Overall, while the humor is appreciated by many, it may not resonate with all players.

    • “The humor comes in at the right time, but we all know Enzo and Ernie's journey wasn't pretty.”
    • “You will really enjoy the characters in this game; there's lots of humor, seriousness, and thought-provoking stories being told on your journey.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game's stability is generally considered clunky and occasionally buggy, with minor glitches that may require reloading menus. However, these issues are infrequent and often overshadowed by the game's creativity, engaging story, and enjoyable gameplay.

    • “It's clunky and sometimes buggy compared to other games we're used to, and it can be difficult to keep track of all of the concepts, names, phrases, and gameplay techniques being thrown at you.”
    • “I could complain about detail in the art, minor glitches that may rarely require a reload or the extremely heavy reading before most of the combat, but all of those things are easily ignored due to how amazing this game is.”
    • “Some technical glitches, but they are very rare and mostly involve having to reload a page on a menu due to buttons appearing incorrectly.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be minimal, with a well-paced experience that avoids tediousness. The combat, cutscenes, and puzzles contribute to a smooth flow, allowing for a lengthy playtime without excessive grinding or unnecessary padding. Overall, the game offers a balanced approach, letting players engage in grinding if they choose, but not requiring it.

    • “Not too grindy of a game unless you want it to be.”
    • “It is quite long for a game with little padding, even though the game lacks time sinks like grinding or optional goals and subplots. I ended the game at around a day's total play time.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game's optimization is somewhat inconsistent, with translation issues and variable performance that can occasionally hinder gameplay, though not significantly. Players note that while character stats and equipment enhance performance, success in combat heavily depends on player execution, particularly in the early stages.

    • “It's a bit rough around the edges in terms of translation, and performance can be a bit touchy, but never to the point of being especially obstructive.”
    • “The game requires optimizations.”
    • “While stats improve your performance and your equipment provides some benefit, success in combat relies more on execution, especially early on where you aren't basically the strongest being on the planet.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

60% average critic score

Buy Aurion

Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
3-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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