A demo code was used with many thanks to Keymailer.
Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom has a demo out in preparation for the upcoming full release, and I got my hands on it to review for all of you lovely LadiesGamers fans. This puzzle game is an interesting one, for sure.
The Gameplay of Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom
Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom is a perception puzzle game with a couple of unexpected twists in it. I have been playing perception puzzle games for a long time, beginning with Echochrome back in 2008 and including titles like Monument Valley, Viewfinder, and Superliminal, to name a few. While Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom obviously have taken a lot of inspiration from some of the older titles, they also add some new elements that make them unique.
Not only do you have to find your way through puzzles by altering your perception of the world around you, but you can also interact with objects, move platforms, break things, and even hit buttons and connect objects. The demo started with the perception stuff and slowly added everything else in, letting you learn as you went in a very organic way that felt good to play. You eventually get this power where you can move platforms closer so you can walk across them.
The Cons of the Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom Demo
I really liked the action of all the powers; they felt good moving with and playing with, and I think that Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom, as a result, feels polished. I only had a couple of issues with the game overall, and they were pretty small, considering how much I enjoyed it.
The first was a small bug where some of the crowns couldn’t be clicked on. These collectables were hidden on the sides of buildings, and you need to change your perspective to find them. But sometimes, it just wouldn’t let me click on them at all. I’m not sure what the issue was, but it certainly didn’t happen often.
I also didn’t really love the way the platform-moving power was implemented. Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom give you no indication at all if you have put the platform where it belongs before you drop it, so you have to guess where the platform should go. I think it would be better if it gave some indication that you were at least in the correct area instead of just having the outline platform be red no matter what.
The Pros of Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom
The demo for Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom was fabulous. It was beautiful, very well polished, creative, and unique. I liked the new added features, even if one of them was a little bit weird. Overall, Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom Demo played exactly like I wanted a perspective puzzle game to play. It has a decent story that you actually care about, and the puzzles add to it.
On top of everything else, you get to briefly play as a second character, Aarik’s mother, for one of the levels. I hope we get to see a lot more of her, especially since her levels looked and felt so different. It would be cool to see this story from multiple characters. See the world from multiple perspectives; see what I did there.
Final Thoughts
I really liked the demo for Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom. So far, it is charming, has a great story, pretty good music, a beautiful aesthetic, and fun puzzles. If you enjoy perspective puzzle games, you should add Aarik and The Ruined Kingdom to your wishlist of must-haves when it comes around.
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