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Genre: Adventure, Indie
Developer: Gilp Studio
Publisher: Gilp Studio
Release Date: Jan 17, 2020
Edited by Thorstag
Areia: Pathway to Dawn is a relaxing adventure platformer game that uses beautiful visuals to bring a breath of change to games you may be used to. Areia is described as an adventure taking you through stages of enlightenment. Not knowing this, you will still be absorbed in a game that seems more art than a game that gave me a welcoming experience in the visuals and sound as you journey through it. The story itself is told with no words other than some wise sayings you find throughout the journey, nor is there any sort of combat.
Areia: Pathway to Dawn starts you out in a sandstorm in the desert, only clue given where to go is by the camera pointing you to the light. Following a figure looking a lot like your own avatar. Even when I couldn’t see anything but the brightness in the distance, it was visually amazing. Soon after you get out of the sandstorm, you get absorbed in the details and colors of the environment. Even the sand that has fine detail and animation in it. The gameplay is very straight and simple while not holding your hand. You start only moving and jumping but quickly gain the ability to float to create a temporary walkway wherever you need to go higher or cross gaps. Areia cleverly hides a tutorial in using this new ability to make it seem as if it’s part of the story. This is the bulk of the game, traveling through each of the areas in the game encompassing the use of this ability. As the adventure feels more linear, it gives a strong sense of adventure from the experience from going place to place. Near the end of each segment is a puzzle that will be more familiar and becoming slightly more complex each time but not difficult as you do it a few times. While traveling through and exploring the areas to go further was stunning in visual and music that accompanied, I felt the puzzle parts didn’t live up to the same quality. Throughout the more linear path in the open area, have hidden shrines and objects that give wise sayings to think of as you continue on. These are optional but rewarding to find. I would have loved to see more diverse puzzles or sometimes slightly different to mix things up as these parts were the low point of the game. A plus side to this puzzle is it becomes more and more completed and colored in as a mural. The worst part is that it is only a two to three hour experience, and the complexity of the end level made me wish for more.
The quality of the music was nice, fitting, and as enjoyable as the visuals. The music changes flawlessly as you travel from area to area. The camera zooms out and zooms in at great times to show off the visuals, but you can freely look around to see where you have come from and where you’re going. This added with no visual HUD allows the player to just relax and enjoy all the visuals with nothing in the way. I favored using a controller to lay back and relax as I journeyed through Areia. It felt more fluid and more comfortable than the keyboard and mouse. This is a game I wouldn’t get if you meet the minimum requirements to run compared to the recommended. The lowered graphics don’t do the visuals justice and look more grainy than beautiful. This is also a game where motion blur and all the higher graphics options that I take off on some games are not worth taking off Areia. Some parts taking you away from the red and gold desert to a blue and serene area before coming back makes me wise they go more with the visual and go wilder in the next game. Areia seems to give a vibe of this being a small sample of what amazing things can be done in the sequel.
Areia: Pathway to Dawn was a great experience in total, and I would fully recommend it if you want a platformer that is more so on visuals and music then complex gameplay. It was a relaxing experience and a different one in the best way. The teaser at the end makes me look forward to what is to come next from the next part. I love how the developer is taking the journey of enlightenment and turning it into a game a great concept as it is something that I haven’t seen in a game before. Though the game is short, it is worth the price of ten dollars. Anyone seeking something different in a platformer or something more relaxing should look into this and give it a try.
Pros
- Great Visuals and Music
- Relaxing Gameplay
- Very Unique
Cons
- Very Short
- Repetitive Progression
FoxieEXE gives Areia: Pathway to Dawn a Drastik Measure of 8 (80)
You can find the game on Steam
