Nights of Azure

68%
Game Brain Score Based on 206 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Nights of Azure Game Cover
Nights of Azure overcomes its tropes and the occasional bit of fan service with a heaping helping of content, stylistic panache, and one of the most memorable gaming narratives in recent memory.
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In "Nights of Azure," explore a gothic-inspired world where demons have taken over at night. As protagonist Arnice, a holy knight, you must fight off these creatures while also protecting your friend and potential sacrifice, Lilysse. The game features fast-paced action-RPG combat with a focus on forming strategic bonds with other characters to enhance abilities and defeat challenging bosses.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Play​station Vita
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

68%
Audience ScoreBased on 206 reviews
story42 positive mentions
grinding15 negative mentions
  • The game features a beautiful soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • Combat is enjoyable and dynamic, with a unique Servan system that adds variety to gameplay.
  • The character designs and art style are appealing, contributing to the game's charm.
  • The PC port has significant issues, including poor controller support and occasional crashes.
  • The story is considered lackluster and clichéd, with underdeveloped characters.
  • Gameplay can become repetitive, and the camera controls are frustrating at times.
  • story177 mentions

    The story of the game is generally viewed as mediocre, with a mix of charm and cliché elements, primarily revolving around a yuri romance between the main characters. While some players appreciated the emotional depth and character interactions, others criticized the plot for being shallow and predictable, often overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and fanservice. Overall, the narrative is described as enjoyable yet lacking in originality, with a strong soundtrack that enhances the experience.

    • “The story is very interesting and appealing to me personally: debating whether to turn against the world for love is very powerful, and seeing the girls proclaim how much they care for each other on multiple occasions is very sweet and horribly sad that Arnice has to protect her best friend and watch her sacrifice herself.”
    • “Overall: a superb touching, sad story with a very unexpected epilogue alongside a great soundtrack and character designs makes up for the few cons I experienced in this game.”
    • “The storytelling of this game is fantastic; you can almost feel like the characters have a soul, and that takes some real skill to do.”
    • “Unfortunately, the story is rubbish; it focuses way too much on this yuri nonsense. I guess they had to attract the otaku crowd for easy money, but most people won't care about the story. You play this just to kill time by button mashing to kill enemies.”
    • “The story is incredibly lackluster. The relationship between the two heroines is as lackluster as the rest of the game; all we are given as backstory is that they knew each other before, haven't seen each other for two years, and now after reuniting, they are both willing to sacrifice themselves and the world just to save the other.”
    • “The characters are dumb, the story is a bad ripoff of Final Fantasy X, and the chapter progression forces you to do side quests that make no sense.”
  • gameplay78 mentions

    The gameplay in "Nights of Azure" is a mixed bag, featuring enjoyable hack-and-slash mechanics and a unique summoning system with "servans" that adds variety to combat. However, many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, with simplistic mechanics and poorly executed side quests. While some appreciate the game's visuals and soundtrack, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, making it a decent but not groundbreaking experience.

    • “The gameplay is one of the strongest factors of this game in my humble opinion.”
    • “It is quite enjoyable and varied, with numerous servants, abilities, transformations, and different items that can completely change the gameplay.”
    • “But ARPG-wise, you get some pretty solid battle mechanics here with variability like combos, servants (summoned monsters that follow you around that you can control via issued commands and a 'burst' command - which executes their special move), weapons that you can change during combat, etc. Graphics and music both help keep you engaged.”
    • “The gameplay gets very repetitive very fast.”
    • “The gameplay is repetitive as other reviews suggested and I never really got super into side quests.”
    • “As far as action RPGs go, Nights of Azure doesn't really stand out at all; the only special thing about the game is its 'servan' mechanic, but even that has been done better in other games with more focus on summoning.”
  • music64 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting it as one of the standout features, often describing it as the best they've encountered in an action game. The soundtrack is noted for its emotional depth, fitting seamlessly with the game's narrative and enhancing the overall experience. While some critiques mention the gameplay's repetitiveness, the music consistently serves as a source of enjoyment and immersion, making it a key reason to engage with the game.

    • “The soundtrack is wonderful and truly conveys emotions during crucial moments, being one of the aspects that greatly helped me stay immersed in the game's universe.”
    • “The music here invoked memories of Castlevania, with symphonic rock taking the place of most of the fights, or just plain classical in certain places that go amazingly with the settings.”
    • “The best thing about it so far is probably the soundtrack; as for the rest, I'm just not quite sure, the combat itself feels shallow and unchallenging, the servan mechanic makes it feel like the game would just play by itself.”
    • “Very lush music and atmosphere wasted on significantly missed potential.”
    • “The best thing about it so far is probably the soundtrack; as for the rest, I'm just not quite sure. The combat itself feels shallow and unchallenging, the servan mechanic makes it feel like the game would just play by itself.”
    • “Music is decent, but all of them don't have much replay value.”
  • graphics42 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear dated, especially for a title released on PS4, and often feel like they were designed with the limitations of the PS Vita in mind. While some appreciate the unique artwork and character designs, others criticize the lack of graphical customization options and occasional technical issues, such as slowdowns. Overall, the visuals are described as decent but unremarkable, with a few standout elements that contribute to the game's atmosphere.

    • “The general style of the designs, the aesthetics, in this game, look very appealing, at least to me.”
    • “I am fond of the visuals and atmosphere of this game; the music tracks are lovely.”
    • “The game looks rather good, has good artwork and music, and runs smoothly.”
    • “The graphics are dated, but it didn't bother me that much.”
    • “This game doesn't just have bad graphics; it has bad physics in the hair and how anything works.”
    • “A PS4 game with PS3-like graphics?”
  • grinding15 mentions

    The reviews indicate that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, particularly in the endgame where players are encouraged to reach higher levels before facing the final boss. While some players found minimal grinding necessary for a standard playthrough, those aiming for 100% completion faced a much grindier experience, often feeling that the character progression and leveling system were overly tedious. Overall, the game is described as grind-heavy, especially for those who wish to fully explore its content or tackle its more challenging encounters.

    • “But that’s it, in terms of positives because I was quite bothered by the 'not-very-helpful' in-game map, the nightmarish task of sorting the items, the grindy character progression (even when I’m the type of person that would attempt to do all of the side quests), and the unskippable/slow start.”
    • “The game is also very grindy for a game that is very short.”
    • “Nights of Azure is a repetitive grinding hack and slash without much to bring to the table except the servans system, which wasn't really executed that well.”
  • character development13 mentions

    Character development in the game is noted for its impressive character designs and aesthetics, particularly highlighting the character Arnice. While the visuals and art style are praised, some reviewers feel that the characters themselves lack depth and personality, resulting in a mixed reception regarding their overall development. The engaging story and emotional elements somewhat compensate for these shortcomings, but the character development remains a weaker aspect of the game.

    • “Not the best in the world but really enjoyed the story, the character design (Arnice has such a great design), the fun characters, the cute love story, the soundtrack (probably one of the best game OSTs I've ever heard), and even the hack and slash gameplay was fun for me.”
    • “Overall: a superb touching, sad story with a very unexpected epilogue alongside a great soundtrack and character designs makes up for the few cons I experienced in this game.”
    • “The character designs fit with the characters and the servants also make sense gameplay-wise (it would've been very odd if they didn't).”
    • “Character model is good, but as a whole they lack character development and personalities are boring.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users reporting poor performance and issues with controller input, while others are pleasantly surprised by its smooth operation on older hardware. Overall, the game's optimization appears inconsistent, leading to varied experiences among players.

    • “I am surprised it runs smoothly on my 'okay' computer.”
    • “The game actually runs smoothly on my old PC (AMD Phenom II X4 955 from 2009, GeForce 650 Ti).”
    • “There's no issue with optimization; anything graphic-related and the rest.”
    • “Poorly optimized PC port.”
    • “Junk game barely optimized for PC and PC controllers.”
    • “I would recommend this to anyone to pick up on sale simply because of the poor controller input and optimization in general.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its lush visuals and lovely music, creating a comfy and engaging environment reminiscent of atelier games. However, some reviewers feel that the potential of this atmosphere is not fully realized, leaving a sense of missed opportunity. Overall, the art and sound contribute positively to the game's ambiance.

    • “I am fond of the visuals and atmosphere of this game; the music tracks are lovely.”
    • “Artwise, the game looks great and it has a pretty good atmosphere.”
    • “Very lush music and atmosphere wasted on significantly missed potential.”
    • “I'm not sure what to make of the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The atmosphere of the game is quite comfy, like an atelier game, with which it shares company.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of hilarity and absurdity, with some users finding it amusing, particularly in relation to screen positioning and certain comedic moments. However, others feel that the humor can be inconsistent and may not always enhance the gameplay experience.

    • “Hilarious and awful.”
    • “Some funny moments in there, but ultimately, I fell out over trying to keep up with it.”
    • “While a bit funny due to how it is linked to the screen positioning, it’s not as useful, but still may be worth it in certain cases.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players express a deep emotional connection to the game's story, highlighting its superbly touching and sad narrative, complemented by an unexpected epilogue and a great soundtrack. While some aspects, like the battle system and plot polish, may be confusing or lacking, the overall emotional impact and character designs leave a lasting impression.

    • “I can't even remember the last time I felt this emotional for a game's story.”
    • “Overall: a superb, touching, sad story with a very unexpected epilogue alongside a great soundtrack and character designs makes up for the few cons I experienced in this game.”
    • “Graphics are good, your wife is beautiful (main point!), plots aren't so polished but it's still touching.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Overall, the game is considered fun and easy to play, contributing to its replayability. However, some users feel that the music lacks variety, which may limit the game's long-term appeal.

    • “Fun game, easy to play, and has great replayability.”
    • “The music is decent, but none of the tracks have much replay value.”
    • “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
    • “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying the game feel tedious.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Initial reports indicate that the update caused glitches in DX10 games, leading some users to opt out of the update altogether. Overall, stability appears to be a concern for a segment of the player base.

    • “Some people opted out of the update due to glitches with DX10 games on its first release.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

67% average critic score

Buy Nights of Azure

Play time

20hMedian play time
16hAverage play time
7-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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