Developer: Two Mammoths
Publisher: Two Mammoths, Drageus Games
Platform: PC, Switch, Xbox One, PS4
Tested on: Switch
Archaica: The Path Of Light – Review
Follow the intriguing story of the Light Bearer and explore several mysterious realms in Archaica: The Path of Light. Immerse yourself in a mystical ancient world, test your logical thinking throughout the level, and uncover different puzzles. We were eager to dive into the Switch version of Archaica: The Path Of Light, which is developed by Two Mammoths and published by Drageus Games.
Story
In this game, the player becomes the chosen one called the Light Bearer who is sent on a quest to walk the legendary Path of Light and save the world from impending disaster. In order to end up victorious, the player needs to revive mysterious artifacts, explore secrets of an alien civilization, and discover the true destiny of The Path through extraordinary realms.
The story is strongly implicated in the gameplay and definitely enriches the ambiance throughout. Along the way, we get bits and pieces of the tale through pop-up windows that let us understand the story better and better. This is a nice way of storytelling and it gives the player more comprehension of a journey and why the player needs to solve all these puzzles. Such rich lore was definitely not obligated for this kind of game with quite a basic puzzle concept, but it is much appreciated.
Graphics
Archaica: The Path of Light has exquisite visual graphics that you will rarely see in an indie puzzle game. The render is smooth and semi-realistic. In combination with perfect lighting, glow/reflections, and shadows, the scenery feels authentic and more immersive.
Seeing that the game uses a good amount of colorful lights and lasers, it was a great call to make the surrounding setting less saturated and dimmer. This forms a well-balanced color contrast in various scenes, giving us a serene environment and making the main objects pop out. The use of warm and cool light is very well-balanced as well.
The animation in the game is very subtle. It’s barely noticeable but just sufficient enough to bring the scenery to life. It’s not much, but very necessary to not make the levels static and boring.
Sound
It’s unfortunate that the background music is barely there throughout the game. It’s almost unnoticeable but it is there. It does suit each puzzle realm we are located at and it varies from place to place. Mostly, the music is calm and cheerful, containing the sounds of panflutes and chimes. This is pretty much the kind of music you would expect in a meditation class. The music could come through a bit more to keep the player immersed and to keep the ambiance going, or it might get too quiet when there’s no action going on.
But the lack of music can be excused by the presence of the well-used sound effects on each puzzle realm. Unlike the music, the sound effects are heavily in the foreground. Besides the subtle sounds of the lasers, stone keys, the wind and other sounds from the surroundings, every interaction has its own sound effect making the scene rarely silent.
Gameplay
Archaica: The Path of Light is an atmospheric, puzzle, single-player game with a basic concept: connecting the dots. But instead of the usual connect-the-dots game, the game has lasers beams and mirrors. It’s up to the player to connect the laser source to a designated gem or keystone by manipulating the course of the laser beam with mirrors. Next to laser beams and mirrors, each puzzle realm also consists of other puzzle elements.
In each realm, there are hidden objects to find. Finding these objects is optional but is needed to have a 100% completion. To find everything, you will need to look for three Cryptoglyphs (stone tablets) and three cells (small blue gems) that are scattered around the realm. These said cells can also be used to power up ‘The Sacred Spot’. Find these three cells and you can use this spot to get hints on the laser beams puzzle.
The laser beams puzzles (main objective) can get quite challenging the further you get in the game, but it doesn’t feel impossible. You just need to be level-headed and calm. Don’t rush things and carefully study your path. What makes the puzzles challenging are the different lasers, paths, and the number of mirrors. There are also different kinds of mirrors that split the laser beams. Next to splitting it up, you might also have to combine or teleport the beams. The hidden objects are fairly easy to find and are perhaps almost pointless to do.
Conclusion
The regular connect-the-dots indie puzzle games see a “new light” with Archaica: The Path of Light. The game has stunning visual graphics, enjoyable audio that suits the scenes, and challenging puzzles that can keep you busy for hours. It’s very recommended to have the game on a portable device such as the Nintendo Switch because the serene ambiance in the game could provide you calmness and reduces anxiety, giving you a well-deserved break and help you zone out for a while.
Archaica: The Path Of Light – Review,
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