Project AURA

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Project AURA is a post-apocalyptic survival simulation game. Manage a colony of survivors, recover from a global catastrophe, and ensure your people's survival in a harsh, resource-scarce world. Balance the needs of your survivors, research new technologies, and defend against external threats for the preservation of humanity.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

57%

Audience ScoreBased on 412 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

The game offers deep gameplay mechanics that require strategic planning and resource management.
Visually appealing with a unique setting that immerses players in a post-apocalyptic world.
Active developer engagement with the community, showing responsiveness to feedback and ongoing updates.

The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the game.
The tutorial is insufficient, failing to adequately prepare players for the complexities of the game.
Performance issues and bugs, including crashes and lag, detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
98 mentions
20 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this resource management game is characterized by its deep and complex mechanics, which can be both engaging and overwhelming for players. Many users find the tutorial inadequate, leading to confusion and a steep learning curve, while others appreciate the intricate production systems and the potential for strategic depth. However, the lack of clear documentation and a user-friendly interface detracts from the overall experience, making it less accessible for those unfamiliar with the genre.
- “There are various deep gameplay mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is very unique in some aspects and familiar in others.”
- “This game has all it needs to become a great game: innovative gameplay based on organigrams, challenging topics linked to survival, and one can only guess the possibilities to come.”
- “The inability of this dev team to build a reasonable user interface is visible not only in the core gameplay loop of the actual game, but it shows up in such details as the language switch on the launcher and the launcher screen itself.”
- “Very much still not a finished product, the tutorial doesn't really teach you any of the mechanics and it is very much a start a save, figure out the mechanics from screwing up, start a new save with what you learned, probably screw something else up and restart again.”
- “Even the most basic gameplay mechanics are a tangled mess of hyper-specific resources, organization charts, branching menus, and sub-systems.”
story
51 mentions
6 % positive mentions
88 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being underdeveloped and lacking depth, with a bare-bones narrative that primarily serves as instructional rather than exploratory. Players find the quest system sparse and often confusing, leading to a sense of aimlessness, while the potential for a richer storyline is overshadowed by a lack of engaging content and direction. Despite some intriguing backstory elements, many feel that the game currently lacks a cohesive and compelling narrative experience.
- “This is definitely a story of a society that gets less grim as the game plays out, but it's also a story of a society that remains glad to build its cities for the purpose of eventually leaving them behind.”
- “I really -really- hope it improves as admittedly I find the background story/concept attractive.”
- “If they stuck with that, they would have a great storyline.”
- “The game's story has far too many things thrown into it, making it really nonsensical.”
- “There is no story, just a bit of lore you pick up here and there.”
- “The quest system also isn't active, so there are no objectives to complete other than seeing how big you can build your city, and I haven't found any sort of 'endgame' either.”
graphics
35 mentions
63 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews. While many players appreciate the vibrant visuals and detailed artwork, some experience frustrating lag and technical issues, even on capable hardware. The aesthetics are generally praised, but there are concerns about static environments and a lack of liveliness, suggesting that while the graphics are appealing, they may not fully enhance the gameplay experience.
- “The graphics are very pleasing and handle acceleration nicely if your system is up for it but it still looks great stripped.”
- “Buildings are vibrant and distinct and there are several nifty graphical cues that enhance your ability to read what is going on at a glance but don't interfere with the presentation.”
- “Aesthetically it's also a great game, with great graphics and a pretty great soundtrack.”
- “Frustrating lag in graphics.”
- “The visuals are sub-par compared to other games within this genre and era, but the layout and mechanics do make up for it enough so as not to become a problem.”
- “+ graphics is generally okay, but could do with a bit more movement and liveliness.”
music
22 mentions
45 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while many players praise the atmospheric and immersive soundtrack, describing it as beautiful and well-suited for gameplay, some report technical issues like audio pops in specific faction tracks and excessively loud title music. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the gaming experience, contributing to a chill and engaging atmosphere, though some players express a desire for more variety.
- “Aesthetically it's also a great game, with great graphics and a pretty great soundtrack.”
- “The music is excellent and the sounds are good.”
- “There is enough animation and ambient sound present to completely immerse you, and the soundtrack is atmospheric and unintrusive (I still have it on, even now).”
- “I can't listen to the music for the industrial faction because it has annoying audio pops in their game music.”
- “Two major issues encountered right at the main menu - title music gets so loud at some point that it almost hurts your ears while the font is pretty close to being unreadable and hurting your eyes.”
- “Same obnoxious music in the main menu, same horrifying UI and same barely playable game which froze 15 seconds after I started while I was messing with energy settings.”
grinding
18 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often comparing it unfavorably to other resource management games that offer more engaging gameplay loops. The micromanagement required for tasks like farming and crafting is seen as overly complex and detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a painful progression experience. While some players appreciate the challenge of intricate production chains, many feel that the game leans too heavily on mindless grinding, making it less appealing for those who prefer a more streamlined experience.
- “Mildly infuriating, incredibly tedious and dull.”
- “I think the docs make sense for research, but otherwise it's just mindless grinding and annoying.”
- “Progression in the game is very tedious and painful, and upgrading your colony to the next level without knowing what items, buildings, and tech are needed will cause a mass death situation with your colonists, leading to a very expensive colonist awakening process to fill in spots for buildings that are empty.”
optimization
13 mentions
23 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues as colony size increases, leading to lag and a decline in frame rates. While some users with high-end graphics cards experience smooth gameplay, many find the lack of tooltips for performance adjustments frustrating and note that the game feels unoptimized overall. Despite its potential as a complex city builder, the current state of optimization detracts from the overall experience.
- “Deep and complex city builder sim where production optimization is all about.”
- “If you don't mind being patient and taking the time to tweak things to run smoothly without you having to watch every little thing in case it starts to collapse, then this game is the game for you.”
- “Beta 3 will add research, putting even more emphasis on production optimization, in a resource-scarce environment.”
- “But the performance when you start getting above a small colony is just bad if you go above their suggested settings 1920 x 1080.”
- “There is also a lot of performance jank.”
- “And performance declines very very rapidly as the game progresses, to slide-show territory.”
atmosphere
13 mentions
31 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in Project Aura is described as immersive and well-constructed, featuring a blend of ambient sounds and a chill soundtrack that enhances the experience. While some players find it cozy and engaging, others feel it may not appeal to everyone due to its unique themes of environmental collapse and survival. Overall, the game's atmosphere is a significant highlight, contributing to its character and depth.
- “There is enough animation and ambient sound present to completely immerse you, and the soundtrack is atmospheric and unintrusive (I still have it on, even now).”
- “The game is also very atmospheric - if you are into chillout music, Stellardrone plays in the soundtrack.”
- “Speaking of atmosphere, some of the hours of play I've logged on this involved deliberately panning the camera out of the play area and listening to the endless rainstorm in the game rather than actually playing it.”
- “The earth basically destroyed itself with pollution, and to keep humanity alive, they cryogenically froze thousands of people in a shielded ark for 10,000 years, to be thawed when the earth's atmosphere seemed viable for human life.”
- “Lacks any kind of atmosphere or charm to draw you into the game.”
stability
9 mentions
22 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
78 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players reporting a polished experience free of bugs after extensive playtime, while others encounter frequent crashes, freezes, and minor glitches, particularly as their in-game bases grow larger. Overall, while there are significant stability issues for some users, others have found the game to be largely bug-free and enjoyable.
- “The game is well polished; as far as I could tell in my hundred hours, it was totally bug-free.”
- “It's pretty much a bug-free environment too; I was able to play for many hours without any issue.”
- “The game is still very buggy and crashes, locks up, and is very difficult to even get the tutorial to work.”
- “There are going to be small hitches and glitches.”
- “While everything isn't implemented yet and it's still very buggy, the game gives a great and different approach to the city builder genre.”
replayability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers solid replayability due to its complex production chains and high difficulty, making it worthwhile for players. However, many users note that while it can be engaging, it may lead to extended breaks between play sessions, suggesting a cyclical engagement rather than continuous play. The depth and longevity of the game contribute positively to its replay value, appealing to those who enjoy revisiting it over time.
- “Replayability is there, but this is a game you will likely play for a stint, then drop it for a year or so, then come back to it.”
- “Despite this simple premise, production chains are long enough, difficulty is high enough, and there is enough replay value to get your money's worth.”
- “Silky: complexity, depth, longevity of games, replayability.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional engagement with the game is notably lacking, as players feel disconnected and unmotivated to actively participate, often resorting to passive activities like watching YouTube while the game runs in the background. However, there is a hint of potential for future enjoyment once the game reaches a more polished state.
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is perceived as exploitative, with many users labeling it a blatant cash grab.
- “It's nothing but a cash grab at this point.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative and frustrating.”
- “I can't enjoy the game when it constantly pushes me to spend more money.”