![]() ![]() The team working on the game is clearly aware of them. Said patch did fix many, though not all, of the previously existing gameplay and visual issues. I did wait to write and release this review until after an expected patch so I could respond fairly. Speaking of gameplay, this would not be an honest review if I didn’t address some of the lingering bugs. I almost have to wonder, then, if the developers were going for a joke that didn’t quite land. ![]() There is even a Steam achievement for playing the entire game without doing a single side quest. Is it fun to see the skullfish mask I received in the narrative cutscenes? Sure! Still, I find myself struggling to identify what would motivate a player to seek out those side quests if the rewards don’t do much to improve your quality of life or gameplay experience. Additionally, the reward for being willing to back-and-forth repeatedly is usually a cosmetic item that, while cute, seems to have no impact on gameplay. On the other hand, these side quests (as far as I can tell) largely consist of fetching and delivery missions. On the one hand, one could argue that the out-of-the-way and seemingly entirely optional side quests make it easy for players to play the game as linearly or as exploration-heavy as they please. This is possibly a critique that can be made of many games that make an ambitious attempt at an open-world style and don’t quite hit their stride in that respect. When not in a temple or a dungeon, the narrative thread began to drag. This is especially the case now that I’m able to place them in the game’s full context. Unfortunately, although I really wanted to be able to give Ary an unqualified boost for all the ways that it is enjoyable I find myself having to qualify several of my initial reactions. However, she also has plenty to offer to younger players experiencing some of these media forms for the first time. She’s the kind of character that will inspire nostalgia in adults who grew up on Disney and the Zelda franchise. They require an enjoyable amount of thought and trial-and-error, and provide enough variety that they don’t become stale.Įqually, the soundtrack is warm and uplifting even when in combat, and Ary’s character herself is lovable and easy to root for. The puzzles within said temples are fun and engaging without being punishing. These aspects very much still hold true Ary shines in some of its cutscenes and especially in its level design within the dungeons or temples that make up many of the significant narrative questlines. I was charmed by the warmth of the characters and their voice acting, and the creative central puzzling mechanic by which Ary controls certain seasonal and elemental powers. ![]() When last I wrote on this, I was endeared by the graphics and animation style. Let’s just go ahead and get into the why’s and how’s, shall we? At the same time, other parts have (for better or worse) shifted. Having now played through the full game, some parts of my initial experience have very much held up. ![]() Last month, I had the opportunity to play through the preview of eXiin’s RPG-esque puzzle platformer, Ary and the Secret of Seasons. ![]()
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