Developer: OrionGames
Publisher: Freedom Games
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Arto – Review
We take a look at a colorful game called Arto. This game is an action-adventure RPG with the theme of color and art in the front. The many styles that are portrayed are from famous artists or art forms that we are familiar with. We were intrigued by the original setting, and for the most part, Arto is an entertaining game.
Story
The story starts with a prologue of the Chromaclysm, an event where all color has been lost, and a prophecy about a hero that will bring back the color. You play as Liv, the chosen hero, to bring back the color to a colorless world. After she jumps out of a painting, Liv loses her color and is confused by the bleak-colored world she now finds herself in. Jumping from island to island she finds a sword made out of color, takes it, and encounters her first enemy after it.
While exploring and defeating enemies, Liv encounters a flying hand. It introduces herself as Goya, one of the seven Divinities. Goya then gives Liv her colors back, along with the ability to give her surrounding colors. She also gets the task of convincing Harwol, another Divinity, to help their cause. Liv then accepts the tasks and it doesn’t take long before she finds Harwol. Harwol, who resides in his temple, is a being made out of pop art and a mouth, and he explains that his apostle Lichtenstone went crazy. To get his help, Liv needs to help him with a plan to defeat Lichtenstone. She needs to destroy four pillars to get the apostle’s attention. Once defeated, she picks up something called an Oeuvres. An Oeuvres is a stone tablet that represents a Divinity, and once all Oeuvres are collected and combined, Liv can fight against the Chromaclysm.
Graphics
The graphics of the game are good and show you what the game is about. The vibrant colors and the changing of the art styles are the highlights when it comes to Arto’s visuals. In the beginning, the game was a bit reminiscent of other titles in the genre. In the next area, things change to a pop art style with text balloons when you hit the enemy. The varying art styles gave a unique spin to the experience, and it was quite entertaining to see what the next level had in store for us.
Arto does have a few minor visual bugs, such as Liv’s hair clipping through her body or even body parts glitching out. While these were minor errors, they did become rather noticeable. The game did have some framerate issues from time to time.
Sound
The music isn’t bad. The soundtrack does try to match the situation or the place you find yourself in. There are moments when the background music starts to become annoying. This is mostly because it repeats itself over and over again. A bit more track variety would have been nice here.
The soundscape does change when you start coloring the world around you. Before the world is colored, the sound is rather bleak, but when the color has returned to the realm, small noises will start to stand out. A bird’s nest that used to be silent is suddenly brimming with life, for example. When you enter another Arto, a domain of a Divinity, the background changes to sometimes match the style of the art.
Gameplay
Arto is an action-adventure RPG in which you must restore color to the world. You’ll have to fight your way through different areas with Liv, while gathering Chromas to level up and progress through the world. Everything is easy to understand how it works. The tutorial area or the beginning area isn’t difficult and does explain what you need to do. The first enemies aren’t that much of a challenge, and they allow you to come to grips with the game’s mechanics. There is some minor backtracking involved as when you get the ability to give color to the world, it is interesting to return to previous areas to unlock certain chests.
When you collect enough Chromas, you’ll be able to upgrade Liv’s Skills. You can only upgrade Liv’s skills at designated spots. Among these upgrades are the ability to heal, deal more damage, or do a knockback. It also gives you the ability to double dash. Death in this game is handled the same way as in Dark Souls. When you die, you lose all the Chroma that you have gathered. On the spot you met your untimely demise, a sword will spawn with all the chroma that you lost stored in it. If you die a second time, you will lose all your precious Chroma.
Combat in Arto is simple at best. You point the cursor where the enemy is and swing your weapon at it or click on the middle button of the mouse to shoot out some paint. Arto feels more like a hack-and-slash title when it comes to the overall experience. Outside of your combat abilities, you also have a dash ability. Dash allows you to move around the world quicker, but it also serves as a dodge during combat.
The boss battles in the game are quite interesting. Every boss has its unique mechanics, and in combination with the visual presentation, we enjoyed seeing what all the different bosses had in store for us.
Conclusion
Arto is a fun little game that combines different art styles through gameplay. While the game is classified as an action-adventure RPG, we often felt it was closer to a hack-and-slash experience. The story is a fairly basic narrative that revolves around a prophesized hero who will come to the rescue. The combat is straightforward and easy to understand, which makes the game accessible. The sound design isn’t bad, but the soundtrack does get rather repetitive. While Arto comes in a visually appealing package, the game does feel a bit basic at times.
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