The game received a patch before launch and the developer told me another is pending review for consoles. While the cut scenes and art style show eXiin punching way above its weight, the technical issues are not the biggest surprise for a somewhat ambitious game from a small studio. I was able to brute force my way back to the temple by awkwardly jumping along the side of a building that was not designed to be jumped on. I then discovered I needed to do one more thing there and now couldn’t get back the way I came in. Admittedly, this was mostly my fault because I thought I had what I needed from an area and fast traveled out of a temple. The worst experience was when I nearly broke my save. I also endured significant frame rate dips at specific moments in the last couple hours of the game. Even worse, Ary disappeared from the screen a few times so I had to reload the save. One time, the conversation would start properly, but the dialogue box would be empty. Sometimes I would get the prompt to initiate a conversation and nothing would happen. I ran into a number of issues in my playthrough on a launch PlayStation 4. This overall package comes together for an impressive 8-10 hour game, when it works properly. I found some to be satisfyingly thoughtful while others were a bit frustrating.
Fall can give you vines to climb on if they are around.īy the second half of the game, the environmental puzzles became surprisingly complicated considering how straight forward the first few hours of the game were. Summer can melt ice if you need to get under water. For example, using the winter crystal can reveal frozen platforms. There are four cities that are permanently in one season. That drives the puzzle elements of the gameplay. Screenshot: Ary and the Secret of SeasonsĪry seeks out crystals that hold the power of each of the four seasons. Puzzles and exploration drive the gameplay though. The platforming is fun enough, although it is somewhat imprecise. There are a few interesting boss battles, but those are more puzzle-based than driven by combat. There’s even an 8-bit minimap that drives that home. It could easily be a mascot game from the late 90s or early 2000s. It’s a third-person action-adventure game with platforming and puzzle elements as well. Presentation aside, the game plays like an old-school game.
Screenshot: Ary and the Secret of Seasons Much of the dialogue is presented in text, which is more standard for an indie game from a small studio. The cut scenes are so good that it’s a shame there isn’t more voice acting and in-game dialogue. The Shrek-like world is definitely in the family game category, and the colorful world complements that well. The strong voice acting of the main character, Ary, gives extra life to those moments as well. The art style is attractive in gameplay, but the cut scenes are worthy of a movie. Starting with the good, it is truly incredible the small Belgian studio behind the game, eXiin, was able to get such impressive animation into the game.
#Ary and the secret of seasons ps4 review full#
Unfortunately, the things it does well are offset by technical issues that make it hard to give the game a full recommendation at launch. It has beautiful cartoon-style animation, an adorable main character and cut scenes that are shockingly good in their presentation value. From the opening moments Ary and the Secret of Seasons presents itself as a game that you can’t help but like.
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