AereA

Release Date: June 2, 2017

Action, fantasy, isometric view, co-op, action RPG, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet, LAN

5.2

OpenCritic

43%

Steam

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AereA is an action RPG created by Triangle. The game focuses on real-time battles and the development of the hero and his equipment. The player has four heroes to choose from, and by defeating enemies he strives to bring back order to the land of Aezir. The universe is inspired by music – both the heroes and enemies resemble musical instruments, such as a harp or an accordion.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Released on PC, PS4 and XONE, AereA by Triangle Studios is an action RPG with quick and dynamic combat. The title stands out from the with the design of its world, inspired by music – instead of traditional weapons, the heroes wield musical instruments and enemies themselves resemble them as well. AereA starts the series of games steeped in music. The production was published by Soedesco, which had also released such titles as N.E.R.O and Adam’s Venture: Origins.

Plot

In AereA, the player visits the land of Aezir, which is, in fact, a flying island fragmented into pieces. The game tells a story of four heroes – Wolff the Harp-Archer, Jacques the Cello-Knight, Jules the Lute-Mage, and Claude the Trumpet-Gunner. They have to recover nine primordial instruments that were guarding the world’s stability and peace. During the journey, the heroes visit the fragments of the broken island in order to defeat the evil forces and bring back order.

Mechanics

AereA is an action RPG in which the mechanics consist in fighting numerous real-time battles. During gameplay, the player comes across over 20 types of enemies and faces nine bosses. Musical instruments inspired the designs of the opponents, so do not be surprised when you will have to beat a Harp-Gryphon or an Accordion-Snake. The four heroes ensure four different, typical for RPGs, playing styles. The archer, for example, attacks from a distance, while the knight is effective in close combat.

The heroes can be developed by collecting notes spread across locations. The notes can be spent on upgrading weapons or the characters’ statistics. Moreover, the world in filled with all kinds of logic puzzles waiting to be solved.

The co-op plays a key role in the production by Triangle Studios. AereA utilises the mechanics known as Drop-In-Drop-Out. It allows players to join and leave the game any time they want. Such system was already used in the series like Lego Star Wars and Trine.

Technical aspects

The action is presented from an isometric perspective. AereA on PC, PS4 and XONE features scenic, hand-drawn, 3D visuals. The islands differ in terms of colours, design, creatures, and plants living there. You can visit e.g. swamps, undergrounds filled with lava, or frozen, ice-bound mountains. Moreover, the orchestral soundtrack with choir emphasises the fairy atmosphere and fits in the game’s musical style.

Last updated on April 15, 2017

Videos and Screens

[0:40] AereA teaser trailer #1

5.2

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 7% of Critics. There are 21 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

TheXboxHub: 3 / 5 by Gareth Brierley

I like the world and the characters, as well as just switching my mind off and ploughing through things in a relaxing way. But as it currently stands, the price is way too high for a game of this level and I don’t understand the thinking in putting it in a price band in which it is competing with bigger titles

Full Review

PlayStation LifeStyle: 5.5 / 10 by Blake Grundman

Make no mistake, AereA is an interesting take on dungeon crawlers that has an interesting conceit. With the game's theme centered around orchestras is something that I have genuinely never seen before. Unfortunately, this is where the innovation ends. The final product is a reskin of a paint-by-the-numbers dungeon crawler that is devoid of motivation, originality, or replayability. If you are looking for an action RPG to steal hours of your life, you may be better off taking a look at a certain other release from last week. The only thing that the two games share is a hellish undertone. Being boring as hell counts, right?

Full Review

PC Aficionado: 4.5 / 10 by Tom Olson

AereA missed the mark. This game was simply not enjoyable and after this review I do not see myself going back to play more. I made sure to play all 4 characters in an effort to see if it got better, however I was let down. Movement, Combat, and level progression are not interesting in the least. Boss fights feel like choirs rather than fun encounters. To wrap it all up the look and feel of the game is boring and drab, lacking the uniqueness to have it stand out amongst the other Action RPG’s on the market. If you are interesting in an Action RPG to buy your time, look somewhere else; AereA is not that game.

Full Review

43%