Blair Loveday
When I first saw a trailer for Ary and the Secret of Seasons I was so damn keen I wanted to play it then.
Gorgeous animation that looks like an excellent Pixar movie telling an interesting looking story in a fun action game. This game sounds so me, even if it sounds too close to an “Ori and the” game.
Ary and the Secret of Seasons kicks off introducing us to Ary who is telling an epic story with her toys when her mother sends her off for an errand. You are exploring the town as Ary when you start to get a feel for the open nature of the game and the crazy jumping Ary can do.
Out of nowhere hyenas attack and Ary kicks some ass and Ary’s adventure suddenly spirals as she tries to discover what is making the season go haywire everywhere. As she gets to the bottom of this she discovers how to manipulate seasons in the area she is in. This is a very cool mechanic that acts like a puzzle mechanic manipulating your surroundings.
This is where I get frustrated. Average combat, a fun story, and a beautiful style is all I need to enjoy a fun game. Annoying little bugs everywhere halts this from being the brilliant game it should have been. Random little annoying spots where Ary doesn’t land where she is supposed to and getting stuck in scenery consistently stopped me from getting lost in the world like I wanted to.
The game also doesn’t do the best job of introducing mechanics, and little things like shop prices are annoyingly high. It’s these tiny little things that happen so consistently throughout the game that holds it back.
Despite these bugs I am still impressed at what has been achieved with Ary and the Secret of Seasons. It is an indie game that looks like it could have been done with an AAA budget, but unfortunately as you play it you see where some of the areas are a touch weaker.
Some good patches and it could be one of the best the indie scene has to offer.
Released: September 2020
Rating: PG
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Exiin, Fishing Cactus
Publisher: Modus
