Sands of Aura

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 354 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Sands of Aura Game Cover
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In "Sands of Aura" , a cataclysm has plunged Talamhel into eternal darkness and created a sea of sand, corrupting its inhabitants. You are one of the few righteous survivors, soon to join the Order of Remnant Knights. As calamity strikes again, you must endure and fight the mutated Night Plague to save Talamhel. Wishlist and follow the game to receive updates on development and release dates.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 354 reviews
story51 positive mentions
grinding18 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful graphics and a unique art style that captivates players.
  • The weapon customization system is deep and allows for a variety of playstyles, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
  • The world design is engaging, with a vast open world that encourages exploration and discovery.
  • Combat can feel clunky and unresponsive at times, with issues related to input lag and animation cancelling.
  • The camera angles can be frustrating, making it difficult to navigate certain areas and see incoming attacks.
  • The game lacks sufficient checkpoints, leading to tedious backtracking after deaths, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
  • story152 mentions

    The game's story is rich and engaging, featuring a well-crafted narrative that combines fantasy elements with thoughtful character development and voice acting. Players appreciate the unique setting and the depth of side quests, although some find the quest design vague and challenging to navigate without clear guidance. Overall, while the story is compelling and immersive, it could benefit from improved quest clarity and organization.

    • “The story follows a young squire accompanied by a mysterious spirit who are trying to stop the corruption plaguing the world and save the last standing human settlement.”
    • “The story and the characters are written great.”
    • “The world is lively and interesting, the tiny bit of story we have is good and the characters are interesting.”
    • “The main world story can be confusing at times, as I do feel that certain aspects didn't have as much time as they needed to develop, but it was never so bad that I was left wandering and aimless.”
    • “Without a map, quest markers, or even a compass there is almost no way to get your bearings, meaning that it is extremely easy to get lost in this game.”
    • “The biggest issue for me is the quests... it's a mess!”
  • gameplay95 mentions

    The gameplay of "Sands of Aura" is a blend of traditional RPG mechanics and challenging souls-like elements, featuring responsive combat, diverse environments, and unique boss mechanics. While many players appreciate the engaging combat and exploration, some express frustration with certain mechanics that can feel punishing or clunky, particularly in boss encounters. Overall, the game offers a visually stunning experience with a rewarding progression system, though it may require patience to fully grasp its intricacies.

    • “The gameplay is fun, precise, and rather fast-paced.”
    • “The game features beautiful artwork, a dying world that somehow manages to feel fresh, and spotlights a marriage of Dark Souls mechanics with standard ARPG combat.”
    • “Responsive, snappy combat and clearly defined mechanics.”
    • “Some of the bosses have rather frustrating mechanics, such as a bullet hell-like sequence or requiring a very specific item from a side quest to avoid the damage received from an insta-killing attack.”
    • “The lack of refinement in combat mechanics leaves encounters feeling less than fluid, a key element in the souls-like genre.”
    • “At first you start to like the game but after an hour or so of gameplay you realize how incredibly bad the combat system actually is... the camera is horrible.”
  • graphics76 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique art style that blends whimsical and gothic elements, reminiscent of Tim Burton's work. While some players find the visuals stunning and immersive, others criticize the graphical fidelity as basic or lacking in certain areas, particularly in cutscenes. Overall, the game's aesthetic is appreciated for its charm and creativity, contributing positively to the overall experience despite some technical shortcomings.

    • “The game features beautiful artwork, a dying world that somehow manages to feel fresh and not done to death already, and spotlights a marriage of Dark Souls mechanics with standard ARPG combat.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful throughout and the style is endearing.”
    • “I absolutely love the art style and lighting as well as the animations.”
    • “The graphics are basic Unity, the sounds are just echo-y and odd, the combat feels non-impactful, and the controls are floaty (probably meant for twin-stick controller?). The menu is neither meant for mouse and keyboard nor actually designed with user experience in mind.”
    • “Meh... long empty corridors, awful controls, and mediocre graphics.”
    • “Not sure if it's just my PC/resolution scaling, but at max graphics, some of the cutscenes were really bad quality.”
  • music40 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty, atmosphere, and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers noting its orchestral quality and evocative nature. While some tracks are highlighted as particularly memorable, there are mentions of occasional bugs affecting playback during gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's unique charm and nostalgic feel.

    • “The music is wonderful and really sets the atmosphere of a dark and fallen world.”
    • “Absolutely amazing experience; a unique world with gripping exploration, solid combat, and a wonderful orchestral soundtrack.”
    • “The music is beautiful, evocative and haunting, the echoes of lost civilizations still drifting through its halls and towers.”
    • “The soundtrack is okay, it kinda stays more in the background, and looking at the visual style of the world, I'd expected more eastern influences (or Persian/Arabic).”
    • “Soundtrack so far has been serviceable, but not really memorable.”
    • “The soundtrack and audio effects are fine, if not notable (aside from the flare forge music, which is very epic and somehow unfitting for a mid-game dungeon without significant plot progression).”
  • grinding18 mentions

    Players express frustration with the grinding mechanics in the game, noting that resource scarcity makes it tedious to fully upgrade gear, often leading to underleveling. While some appreciate the exploration and fast travel features that alleviate some grind-related tedium, many feel that the necessity of grinding detracts from the overall experience, making it feel repetitive and boring. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a significant drawback, especially for those who prefer a more streamlined progression system.

    • “There simply aren't enough resources (without grinding anyway, and I hate undue grind) to fully build even one full suit of armor and weapon, let alone experiment or change tactics if you are stuck.”
    • “So tedious, frustrating, and boring.”
    • “A fair portion of my playtime was grinding for upgrades and uncovering the overworld map while being bored, waiting for the 1.0 release.”
  • atmosphere14 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful art design, evocative music, and immersive worldbuilding, creating a dark and enthralling environment that enhances exploration. Players appreciate the detailed and intentional design of the open world, which offers a mix of epic and contemplative experiences. However, some reviewers note that while the atmosphere is captivating, it can be overshadowed by gameplay issues that detract from the overall experience.

    • “The music is wonderful and really sets the atmosphere of a dark and fallen world.”
    • “The world and environments are incredibly detailed and thought out, bringing an atmosphere that feels refined and intentional.”
    • “Story and voice acting are top-notch, exploring the well-crafted levels is fun and rewarding, and the setting and atmosphere is unlike anything I've played.”
    • “Bottom line, the devs tried to create a substantive game but used the same cheap and easy methods as other failed games to create an atmosphere of 'difficulty'.”
    • “If you're the type to overlook some fundamental flaws or problems in order to experience less tangible aspects of a game like atmosphere or lore, such as with classic Obsidian games, then this is a definite recommend; otherwise, reconsider.”
    • “Travelling and exploring the world between zones is quiet, contemplative, and relaxing, offering an important counterpoint to the more intense atmosphere on the islands.”
  • optimization13 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews. While some players with high-end systems report smooth performance and impressive graphics, others experience significant performance issues, particularly in open areas and on less powerful hardware. There are calls for further optimization and polish, especially regarding outdoor performance and loading times.

    • “Graphics look really nice, and performance-wise I have nothing to complain about (there are graphics options above epic, called cinematic).”
    • “And so far, performance has been absolutely incredible for an EA game... zero issues, although when I reached the open area.”
    • “Optimization is good from my perspective, but some folks with less powerful systems have had difficulty getting the game to run well for them.”
    • “Performance is terrible, needs some serious optimization.”
    • “My PC is way over spec (5950x, 7900xtx, at 1440p max settings) and I still ran into some spots with poor performance.”
    • “Another issue I had with this game is that it looks and feels like a Nintendo Switch game and is poorly optimized.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    Overall, the game offers some replayability, particularly due to its interesting story and exploration elements. However, many players feel that the lack of motivating mechanics and certain gameplay hiccups may diminish the experience on subsequent playthroughs. While the world is immersive and visually stunning, the replay value may not appeal to everyone.

    • “Interesting story, does have some replayability.”
    • “If you can overlook small hiccups like input responsiveness and a couple yet-to-be-fleshed-out UI/UX elements, Sands of Aura will offer you an immensely gorgeous and immersive world with a well-thought-out story, lots of islands to explore, and fun gameplay with high replayability due to amazing weapon customization.”
    • “Replayability is surely there – since I play these games mostly for their exploration, it just does not work for me, as that exploration part falls too flat the second time around.”
    • “It lacks the motivating mechanics that entice replayability, which is unfortunate, because there were a lot of things I was interested in resolving that, even after hours and hours of searching, I never found the solution.”
    • “The replayability is there, but it's going to be lost on most people.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game exhibits some bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and immersion, though it performs well on the Steam Deck with adjusted settings. While some players recommend it for its gameplay, others suggest waiting for fixes due to issues like a fixed camera and lack of weight in combat.

    • “I play entirely on Steam Deck, and it runs great with some settings turned down.”
    • “This game runs great on Steam Deck and is a good souls-like that I would recommend to anyone to try out!”
    • “The game has some bugs and glitches that can affect the gameplay and the immersion.”
    • “Buggy; the camera is fixed, and the fighting has no weight to it. I'd just pass or wait until they fix everything.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by quirky and surprising elements, particularly through memorable NPC interactions. However, some players find the limited camera controls to be more of a hindrance than a comedic feature, and there are mixed feelings about the game's approach to early access.

    • “Filled with quirky and surprising bits of humor; the NPCs stand out and leave a lasting impression.”
    • “It's also funny that there's very limited camera controls, which again serve more as a hindrance than an aid.”
    • “They have a 'funny' idea about how early access should work.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users expressing frustration over the reliance on advertising and data collection despite having already paid for the game. Others believe that improved advertising and additional content could enhance the game's success.

    • “I pay for a game, and now I have to pay with my time and my information for you to make more money with scummy advertising?”
    • “However, I do see this game flourishing with good advertising and more content.”
    • “Opting out of information collection for advertisement should be an option.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game primarily revolves around equipment rather than the player's character, yet characters themselves are brought to life through well-written dialogue, extensive voice acting, and impressive design, making them feel unique and engaging.

    • “The characters feel alive and unique, thanks in part to virtually every line being voiced and well-written, along with great character design.”
    • “The character development system is built around equipment rather than the player's character themselves.”
    • “I feel like my character's growth is overshadowed by the gear I equip, making it hard to connect with them.”
    • “There are limited options for character progression, which makes it feel stagnant and unengaging.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

8hMedian play time
27hAverage play time
7-66hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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