Project AURA

About

Project AURA is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Nexcentric Games and was released on April 17, 2018. It received neutral reviews from players.

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

+11

Skip User Reviews

57%

Audience ScoreBased on 825 reviews

gameplay40 positive mentions

story6 negative mentions

The game has a unique and interesting concept centered around resource management and colony building.
The graphics and atmosphere are visually appealing, creating an immersive experience.
The game offers deep gameplay mechanics that require strategic planning and micromanagement.

The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to navigate and manage resources effectively.
The tutorial is inadequate, failing to provide essential information needed to progress in the game.
The game can feel slow and tedious, with long production chains and a lack of engaging content.

gameplay
196 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
74%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by its complex resource management mechanics, which can be engaging but often feel overwhelming due to poorly documented systems and an inadequate tutorial. Players report a steep learning curve, requiring significant time investment to grasp the intricacies, with many mechanics remaining unexplained or underutilized. While some find the depth rewarding, others criticize the slow pace and lack of motivation, suggesting that the game may appeal primarily to dedicated fans of the genre who enjoy detailed micromanagement.
- “Mechanics-engaging: this is a resource management game in its purest form.”
- “But once you get used to it, it is reasonably playable and has some deep production mechanics and a nice setting.”
- “I highly recommend this game to anybody who enjoys balancing inputs and outputs of materials, building ratios, population management, and any other types of administrative gameplay.”
- “There are barely any other mechanics to speak of.”
- “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
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
90%
6%
The game's story is criticized for being underdeveloped and lacking depth, with most narrative elements serving as instructional rather than exploratory. Players find the quest system sparse and poorly integrated, often leading to confusion and a sense of aimlessness, while the overarching narrative about a society that builds cities only to abandon them feels muddled and incoherent. Many reviewers express hope for future improvements, particularly in expanding the story and quest content, as the current state leaves much to be desired.
- “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 problem I have so far in the game is that the game's story has far too many things thrown into it, that it really makes no sense.”
- “There is no story but a bit of lore you pick up here and there.”
- “I have already played for 80+ hours, and the content that is meant for playtime such as quests and missions are not even implemented yet.”
graphics
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
33%
4%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the vibrant visuals and distinct building designs, while others report frustrating lag and performance issues even on capable hardware. Although many appreciate the aesthetic quality and artistic elements, there are criticisms regarding the static nature of the environments and the overall depth of the graphical experience. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good, they are seen as having potential that remains unfulfilled due to technical shortcomings and lack of liveliness.
- “The game has very nice graphics, I had zero technical issues of any kind, and though complex, once I gave it my attention, things ran pretty smoothly.”
- “Aesthetically, it's also a great game, with great graphics and a pretty great soundtrack.”
- “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.”
- “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 are decent, though the play area is small.”
music
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric and immersive qualities, particularly the ambient soundtrack that enhances gameplay. However, some users report issues such as audio pops in the industrial faction's music and excessively loud title music that detracts from the experience. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received, there are notable concerns regarding audio quality and volume levels.
- “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 type 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
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and frustrating, with many players feeling that it incorporates unnecessary micromanagement and complex production chains that detract from enjoyment. While some find the process of building and managing rewarding, the overall consensus is that the game suffers from a steep and painful learning curve, making progression feel laborious and often overwhelming. Players who enjoy intricate micromanagement may appreciate the depth, but others may find the experience more annoying than engaging.
- “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
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
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. Many users find the game unoptimized, especially beyond the recommended settings, and express frustration over the lack of guidance for improving performance. While some players with high-end graphics cards report smooth gameplay, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization to enhance the 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.”
- “The performance when you start getting above a small colony is just bad if you go above their suggested settings of 1920 x 1080.”
- “Performance declines very rapidly as the game progresses, reaching slide-show territory.”
- “The displays available to view your colony don't include any tooltips to indicate how you might adjust your performance, which is somewhat frustrating.”
atmosphere
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
57%
12%
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, particularly during moments of exploration and management. While some players find it cozy and engaging, others feel it may not appeal to everyone, with a few noting a lack of charm in certain aspects. Overall, the game's setting—rooted in a post-apocalyptic world—contributes significantly to its unique atmosphere.
- “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.”
- “Really, really great atmosphere and soundtrack and concept.”
- “Lacks any kind of atmosphere or charm to draw you into the game.”
- “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 (technologically shielded island) for 10,000 years, to be thawed when the earth's atmosphere seemed viable for human life.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
78%
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 bases grow larger. Overall, while there are significant stability issues for some users, others have found the game largely bug-free during their sessions. Regular updates are noted as a positive sign for future improvements.
- “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.”
- “Game is still very buggy and crashes, locks up, and is very difficult to even get the tutorial to work.”
- “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.”
- “There are going to be small hitches and glitches.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
38%
The game offers solid replayability due to its complex production chains and high difficulty, providing enough content to justify the investment. Players may engage with it for extended periods, but it's common to take breaks and return after a year or so. Overall, the depth and longevity contribute positively to its replay value.
- “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
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional engagement with the game is notably lacking, as players express a sense of detachment and disinterest, often multitasking with other activities while the game runs in the background. Despite this, there is a hint of potential for future enjoyment once the game reaches a more polished state.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy is widely criticized as being overly aggressive and perceived as a cash grab, leading to dissatisfaction among users.
- “It's nothing but a cash grab at this point.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often perceived as lacking, with players expressing frustration over its attempts at comedy, which they find unfunny or poorly executed. Many reviews suggest that the humor falls flat, detracting from the overall experience rather than enhancing it.