The music, however, goes almost unnoticed, and even if it just pretends to be some subtle addition via ethereal melodies, it simply doesn't stand out. This degree of freedom is not limited to just simple forks in the road, but also different levels and higher ground from which you can examine the environment.Īll of this comes with a clean interface, which is elegantly focused on Aragami's cape, and a single point centred on the screen as a reference for marking enemies and performing certain actions. Fortunately enough, stages are spacious and level design is deep enough for you to follow different paths. Throughout the several chapters you visit pagodas, temples and other recurrent features that, even though they might impress with their level of detail in the beginning, later on they tend to be recycled a bit too much. These abilities turn what in the beginning plays like a cat and mouse game into an assassination sim in which you're tempted to kill everyone so that you don't take any risks.Īragami's art style shines with its own identity, opting for a Japanese setting with cel-shading that really pops.

Stealth is important and the game takes care to reward you when you use it accordingly, but the powers are one of the fundamental pillars of the gameplay, and without them Aragami would be really different. In any case, this is no successor to Tenchu. The difficulty curve is well measured and the game never frustrates, this thanks to the possibilities presented by the environments and their many different paths. That's when the alarm is raised, something that you want to avoid at all costs. The detection system is akin to that of the recent Far Cry games, with a yellow bar showing you they've noticed something, which then turns red the moment your presence becomes obvious. The AI won't always respond as expected as well, and sometimes guards behave in strange ways (not spotting you when you're close by, or vice versa). At least it delivers on its promise though. It's more an attempt to perfect what's already been established and thus it doesn't make any leaps in terms of the stealth genre, nor does it really innovate in any of its many features. Apart from this, Aragami adds nothing new to the genre. At the same time, when you walk near oil lamps and other prominent sources of light, you will be completely exposed and won't be able to use any powers, so it's vital to survey the environment looking for dark places you can recharge. As a summoned spirit, shadows allow you to hide from enemies and refill the ability bar, here represented on screen by the different motifs shining on Aragami's cape. Using items is also important too, such as the rattle that helps you distract NPCs.Įverything revolves around the light/shadow contrast concept. Just as it was in Dishonored, the use and application of some powers is more obvious than others, and teleporting between shadows is a must. The skill tree has many offensive and defensive abilities, such as temporary invisibility or tagging enemies. That said, direct confrontation is never an option. As a Ghost, there's some emphasis on hiding and keeping out of the way, whereas if you choose to play as a Demon instead, you can stealthily kill everyone standing in your path. The modus operandi is going from point A to B without being detected, and you decide how you'll try to get there. You move slowly, and everything shown on screen is designed for you to take in every detail, including clues on the enemies, moves and gestures, and thus offers up an experience where you need to react and observe in order to avoid mistakes. The narrative is designed so that all the weight is put on the gameplay mechanics without too many distractions or secondary objectives to distract you, something that we found is to the game's advantage rather than its detriment. The story itself doesn't feature any remarkable twists or surprises as it's a pretty standard tale for the genre, but this isn't a bad thing. Both characters must make their way through different areas in 13 chapters, all in all making for a playtime of somewhere between 8 and 14 hours, depending how thorough and patient you are. The way this works is reminiscent to some degree of Navi in The Legend of Zelda, though fortunately for us this princess will only interfere when the narrative demands it. Yamiko isn't just a narrative device, however, as she can turn into a spirit to show you the path ahead.

Aragami switch review