Aura of Worlds (Nintendo Switch Edition) Review
Have you ever wished you could wipe a game from your memory so you could have that experience again? Usually, this applies to only story moments, but for me, this makes roguelites very special. There is an inherent excitement in working to unlock levels, weapons, abilities, and what have you, through repeated trial and error (dying, dying, dying, dying, more dying, and some dying). This depends on the game. If it was a grind in the first place just to get to the “one more run” happy place, perhaps restarting is not something on your bucket list. When the roguelite is more roguelike, starting over is not such a big deal as you do that every run anyway. The latter of course makes it easier especially when restarting the game on a different system.
Developed by Cognitive Forge, Aura of Worlds is a roguelite platformer focusing on creative strategy. Originally released on Steam in 2018, Aura of Worlds’ patch 1.0 went live which also brought the game over to the Nintendo Switch. We had the pleasure of reviewing the game earlier this year pre-patch and were big fans praising some of the outside-the-box things that can and will happen (You can read that review here):
“Why run through a corridor littered with spike traps and falling rocks when you can throw a vase to trigger the pressure plates? Did you miss a treasure chest but cannot reach that height? Blow up the floor underneath it and make the treasure come to you.”
“…I was being attacked by two bats, a blob, and a skeleton with a spear. The skeleton jumped to pounce, and I managed to “catch” his landing on the shield I held above my head. I used my forcefield power to scatter the enemies so I could pick them off more easily. Said forcefield launched a nearby vase into a lamp that rained down fire (it was oil burning) on everyone (including me). A potion later, and I was the last one standing. Could I do that again? Absolutely not, but it was fun to watch it happen.”
With patch 1.0, there have been significant changes including an updated UI, NPCs (you previously just interacted with objects in the hub so now you talk to the blacksmith vs. just clicking on the anvil), and a new biome to explore. There is even a story now (funny because: “There is little story to speak of in Aura of Worlds (a slightly more robust narrative is in the works), but the gameplay is the show's star here.”). Gameplay is still the star but a more fleshed-out story just adds to the enjoyment.
Regarding performance, and the Switch being what it is, there are some things you should know. Aura of Worlds plays just fine. I know fine is not a ringing endorsement but it runs as well as it did on my Steam Deck. The only performance issues were the occasional stutter when the screen gets very crowded and sometimes when entering a new area. Luckily, there are no enemies when you zone in so just let the game sort itself out and you will be fine. I am splitting hairs here and the game is a perfect addition to the Switch library but you should know where to play if you have the options.
As I said in my Early Access review, “This is one of the most addicting roguelite platformers I have played recently.” Despite being out of Early Access, I would bet that Cognitive Forge will continue to support Aura of Worlds just as much now that it has been released “fully.” Do not sleep on this title and it can/will provide you hours of fun.
