Greak: Memories Of Azuris the firstbig indie gamefrom Navegante Entertainment. So how is it fairing in reviews? They’re kind of all over the place on Metacritic depending on the platform, ranging in the 60s to 70s on average. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as the issues seem like easy fixes that could be patched later.
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For example, one issue cited in several reviews is that it takes a while for all three characters to become playable contrary to what this game was advertised as. It’s one of those games where it should be easy to recommend but has several asterisks attached. Is it worth buying now? Let’s go through some of its best and worst issues to help one decide that very question.
10Best: Art Style
The art style inGreak: Memories Of Azuris very reminiscent of other 2D platformers such asHollow Knightand theOriseries. This game also plays a lot like both of them but the vibe and combat is much closer toHollow Knightminus the bugs.
It is a work of art to behold, even on theSwitch’sscreen. Presumably, it will look even better onthat OLED modelonce it comes out but as it stands now, it’s a real treat for the eyes.
9Worst: Monsters Withholding Gems
Getting gems - this game’s currency - can be tricky. The easiest way to get them is by selling goods. There are also big chests in dungeons full of them. Most monsters drop gems after they are fought once, but many of them won’t drop a single gem after that.
If it happens at all it is very rare. Increasing the gem drop from monsters feels like an easy thing the developers could patch in so maybe this gripe can be resolved at a later date.
8Best: Music
The fully orchestrated music helps set the mood for this game to be an epic adventure on the scale ofThe Legend of Zelda, which is saying something for an indie game.Many indie gameshave unique soundtracks that help fittheir motifs or visual styles.
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As one example,Cupheadhad an orchestrated soundtrack that sounded like the early Fleischer cartoons it was trying to emulate.Greak: Memories of Azurisn’t trying to emulate anything specifically as much as it’s trying to show off that it too can stand among the best, again, like aZeldagame.
7Worst: No Co-Op
The big gimmick ofGreak: Memories Of Azur, as mentioned earlier, is that players can eventually control three characters simultaneously. It gets very tricky to do so after the third, or even second sibling is recruited. That’s why it is so bizarre that there is no co-op in the game.
Hopefully, this is another mechanic that can be patched in later. Doing so would help alleviate a lot of frustrations in the gameand co-op gamesare just better with friends along for the ride.
6Best: Tight Gameplay Loop
The platforming and action inGreak: Memories Of Azuris solid. Everything feels tight which is important for a platformer. No gamer wants floaty controls to make the physics or timing feel off.
There are some problems with a few mechanics that lead to a lot of backtracking. That istypical in Metroidvanias, or to be more precise for Greak: Memories Of Azur, a game with Metroidvania-like elements. It comes with the territory. Overall the loop is fun.
5Worst: Limited Inventory
One of the reasons why there will be a lot of backtracking to the hub town is that inventory space is very limited. It makes the earlyResident Evilgames, likeResident Evil 3, look like their space was infinite by comparison.
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There are ways to expand inventory thankfully but it takes a long time to do so. To help alleviate this issue, besides the developers patching in more space, a handy tip is to drop stuff in town. It will still be there upon returning which is a clunky way of handling items but it is still a tip worth noting.
4Best: The Cutscenes
The art while playingGreak: Memories Of Azurwas already praised heavily. However, a separate element of the art deserves to be praised via the cutscenes.
There is an opening cutscene before starting the game, which is great, and every once in a while there will be a very quick animated cutscene in the game as well. These cutscenes feel like a throwback toPS1cutscenes which were also very quick. It’s a nice nodto that system.
3Worst: Save Limitations
There are a few limitations about saving inGreak: Memories Of Azurthat can be frustrating. There is autosaving in the game but it doesn’t checkpoint that much. Relying on players to save at designated save points is fine though but these points are limited.
They don’t heal the heroes which is disappointing as compared to other games in this genre. There is a fast-travel system in the game but only at certain locations and it costs gems to do so. It would be nice if all savepoints could be used for fast travel and that it was free besides the healing factor being added in too.
2Best: Pits Aren’t Instakills
One gripe that is common for a lot of platformers is that players instantly die when falling into pits or landing on a bed of spikes.Greak: Memories Of Azuronly takes one health point away before transporting them back to that pit’s edge.
As solid as the platforming is in the game everyone makes mistakes. That’s why it’s so nice that the game doesn’t punish players for misguided jumps. It’s a small, nice win for gamers.
Before leaving the first hub town area, consider talk to everyone. This will leads to a lot of quests. However, unlike most quests in RPGs, a lot of quests don’t have tangible rewards.
Killing monsters for the town’s warrior, Zack, will unlock new sword techniques. Another quest, on the bad side though, involves a telescope lens. This will allow players to look into a telescope, which is cool but it doesn’t lead to anything. The quest balance is just off.
