Developer: Kiro’o Games Studio
Publisher: Kiro’o Games Studio
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Aurion, legacy of the Kori-Odan – Review
A while back we already had the chance to take a look at Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan and we were quite pleased with the early build of the game. This rather folkloric title by the African studio Kiro’o Games was a first for this continent of the world, and perhaps in many ways it has put the company, as well as its region on the game developing map.
Story
Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is set in a neo-futuristic ‘African’ world where modern technology is used to uphold ancient traditions. This means the game feels like you are in a traditional African community but when you start taking close attention to details a lot of futuristic items are presented. As by this the timeline is hard to find out, what we do know is that our main character Enzo is the prince of Zama. Enzo is bound to marry Erine because they both have complete the Ngondo ritual to become the lawful King and Queen of Zama. When the beautiful day arrives some bandits attack the village, thus the king does his duty to protect the people and steps in. During this skirmish an evil faction uses the chaos to attack the palace. When Enzo returns he finds out that his very own brother-in-law is the evil leader. After a strong and fierce fight both pass out and are exiled from Zama. Here is where the road to redemption starts, to find inner strength and support to save his village from total annihilation. The flow of the story is at a good pace, information is bundled with action and makes the game enjoyable for both short and long sessions.
Graphics
In these modern times it is not new that gamers want better and better graphics, this is for most indie developers a serious problem because of budget and manpower. Aurion does throw all that nitpicking overboard and utilizes a smooth hand drawn style. Many aspects are there to love as in: the game feels old school in one hand, yet feels modern because the sharp and colorful environment in the other. Adding in a futuristic yet traditional African style of world, Aurion fits perfect in both. Noticeable are the tutorial screens which seem to be quickly hand drawn, this emits a feeling like the characters themselves made it for you in the heat of the moment. Adding more charm along the way.
Unfortunately the fluent hand drawn style does come at a cost: cutscenes often have lots of frame drops, while loading screens can feel laggy and hinder the otherwise likeable flow of the game.
Sound
To accommodate the beautiful and eye pleasing graphics the music in this game is just spot on. Melodic and easy to listen to, in-game music sends out tropical vibes that fit the picture perfectly. Kiro’o Games Studio deserves many feathers for the astonishing soundtrack they put in the game. Noticeable is that the music does not change in combat, yet the music fits both exploration and combat parts.
Gameplay
Aurion delivers a perfect mix between the RPG elements of leveling up, buying equipment using skills, and utilizing the action pace of a 2D side scrolling fighter. Thus naming it a A-RPG (Action Role Playing Game). Interaction wise the game offers an open world with a lot to explore a lot of things to find and people to talk with. Interacting with people also yields different reactions if certain goals are not met yet. Shops mostly stock only one kind of sellable (food, equipment or combat items) this will mean that you have to search the town properly to find the right items you need.
Combat in this game is next to the awesome graphics and precious music very likeable, yielding basic attacks and defend: making it simple to pick up. Aerial combat is used for guard breaking and stunning and chaining combos, but beware many enemies also possess this ability. Basic combat skills like a fireball can help damaging enemies from long range and your partner can heal you when needed. By progressing in the story Enzo will unlock a powerful state. Aurions will bring Enzo in a legendary form, in which he has a handful of special moves and he can use those to charge his ultimate strike. You are able to stretch the limits of this form, increasing action points and output, but straining your body in the process and depleting your health.
Also important is keeping an eye out on your three status bars: health, action points and stamina. Health is represented in green, while action points are blue and stamina is purple. Easy to notice is in the top left corner a quick item list is presented with equipped items that are color coded to easy dissect their use. Another loveable feature is when one of the bars is almost depleted the outer lining of the screen will flash in the corresponding color, giving you a heads up on what you are needing to watch or refill. Health will mean the difference between life or death. Action points are used for special moves and stamina is used for fighting, when depleted you will be fatigued for a moment until either it regenerates or you use a correct item.
The world of Aurion is fairly large and richly filled with 6 main provinces to fully explore. You can interact with most in-game characters but it’s clear that some are more talkative than others. Shopkeepers are marked with a icon above their head and people will also tell you where to find them. Leveling up is like in every RPG game by defeating enemies and gaining experience points, what do makes the game more unique to classic RPG’s is that leveling up happened during battles, giving you all the benefits of filling up the Health, AP and Stamina bar.
Conclusion
Aurion, legacy of the Kori-Odan is an awesome game from an all African developers team. The setting is spot on, the gameplay is smooth, the graphics are wonderful and the sound is just lovely. Overall this game presents you with an intriguing story about love, betrayal, adventure and redemption. This small title might cause a big bang in the African game industry.
Aurion, legacy of the Kori-Odan - Review,
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