AER – Memories of Old

Played through it in one sitting - I could not stop until the credits rolled... It made me smile so bright the first time I hit the transform button and immediately made my jaw drop - what a great ride from start to finish! The controls are a little rough around the edges (at least now - at the release of the game), but who cares when you cannot take your hands off the controller because you want to experience more of this truly amazing world. Thanks so much to the team that made it real!

Very beautiful non-violent exploration game! I finished it in two sittings which for me is the sweet spot: Long enough to feel the immersion, but not too long to overstay its welcome. Nowadays I prefer short and memorable games to games full of content but no essence. In terms of gameplay and story its very minimal and could had been better - the gameplay is mainly flying around (which is very statisfying) and reading scriptures and while the story is nothing fancy, the atmosphere and the world are very tranquil and quite pleasant to linger about. Not sure it classifies as game since there is no challenge, but it's for sure an experience. Overall would love to see more exploration games!!!

A gaming experience, I've found lately, doesn't always have to be enjoyable only when you're being coached to achieve. This is almost like watching a relaxing, zen-like movie, except with greater participation on the viewer's part. The story, the puzzles, mechanics, they're nothing ground breaking or flawless. But they're put together in a lovely way that'll on occasion call to mind bits of dreams you might have had that are whatever is the opposite of the nightmarish kind. If you're looking for some ambitious, amazing title that'll be in the game of the year lists (and nothing wrong with that; I often do too), well sure, skip this. Or actually, on a second thought - maybe you shouldn't.

I enjoyed every second of it, but quite exactly 4h of playtime is just too short for the asking price. Plus there was one potentially game breaking bug. Still with 8h I would have given it five stars. But let's begin at the start. AER is a peaceful exploration game set in a mysterious world of floating islands where the hero, a girl named Auk who can transform into a bird, is on a on a pilgrimage to collect artifacts from three temples. The graphics are presented in an artsy low poly style with beautiful lighting and colors. The islands are populated by different animals and a few humans but the main focus is to explore the world to find the three temples and the according keys to open them. The caves holding the keys and temples are indoor scenarios with a loading screen transition. Also you can't transform into a bird there, so it comes down to a mixture of some (easy) puzzles and a bit of platforming. There are no enemies and Auk cant's die as there is no falling damage. The storytelling is done by some dialogs with humans and animals, but mainly through scrolls and ghostly remnants of the past that you can make visible with a magic lantern. Where AER really shines is flying around as a bird though. It's just total relaxing and fun to explore the world while cycling around mountains and dashing through the clouds (which is totally stunning). Besides, the scrolls, remnants of the past and some landmarks/easter eggs make exploration worthwhile. Still, the world isn't very big and there's not an awful lot to do. Besides there were some bugs like Auk falling through solid rocks and most severe, falling though the remaining columns of the bridge in the ice cavern. This made it impossible to reach the key and I needed to exit the game and reload to continue. Meh. Still, this game gave me one of the best (if not the best) flying experiences in my gaming history and for this alone and the beautiful graphics, it was sure worth playing.

Ever watch the Marshmello "I can fly" music video and think, "wow! I that is so beautiful! I wish I could fly..."? Well, this is the closest you will ever get to that experience. First, this is not a long game. I'm talking... story line wise, if you blaze through and go to the next point of importance, like maybe 3 hours or so. (maybe less if you rush.) So, for an in depth story with lots of plots and twists... go elsewhere. Second, if you like good, simple, impactful story telling, this game has that. The main focus is flight and exploration. True, there is not a ton of things to find, but that makes it all the more exciting when you actually find something. You have a lamp that can allow you to see the afterimages of dead people from a dead civilization... Sometimes you might be surprised by what you find, or saddened by others. Sometimes they point the way to something interesting to read. Either way, it's fun to TAKE YOUR TIME relaxing and flying around the open world looking for these lore building areas. Third, YOU CAN FLY!!! I've never experienced a game that has such a great flight mechanic. Skyward Sword tried, bless it's heart, but even that doesn't come close. The art style combined with the music and atmosphere, plus the great flight mechanic make this such a wonderful gem. Though I completed the story line I will definitely be returning to this game just to fly around and relax a bit. Now... THE CON: I did experience some bugs in the second temple- I fell through the floor at one point, and couldn't stand on a particular platform to jump somewhere I wanted to go. Thankfully, these did not affect my ability to progress in the temple, though they threw me off for a bit. If you know what you are buying ahead of time there is no reason to complain about this game. Most of the bad reviews are from people who expected some deep drawn out story and didn't get one. Don't buy it if that's what you are looking for. If you want art in motion, get this game.