Greak: Memories of Azur

Greak is a beautiful action game with a few flaws, but I enjoyed it and appreciated what it tried to do. Starting with the eponimous Greak, you eventually find your sister, and later your brother, to form your 3-person team. The movement and combat are pretty standard, though the world is beautiful with an excellent soundtrack. Unfortunately, the game takes a little too long, at least compared to its total length, to get all three characters, so it doesn't do enough puzzles where you have to use their unique abilities. The last dungeon was good for that. Combat isn't really good, though the last character did feel like the better soldier he was. Again, there's no reason to switch around. In fact, the difficulty might increase due to them having independent health bars. The story is fine, though I left wanting to know more lore. I also don't know why the game is named after the first character. I didn't see it as a coming-of-age story for him, like the younger boy in "Brothers." What I think I loved most about the game was the tone. Spoiler warning: You don't "win" in a traditional sense. Greak's people are beset by an invading army and a plague that spawns monsters. His people are leaving. You don't save the land, you save your people by making escape possible. It was actually sad watching the airship leave the fort, and their homeland, behind, even though it ended on a hopeful note as they met other survivors and landed in their new home. I really appreciate that difference, and it stuck with me throughout the game. This was especially true in the last chapter, as your characters attempt to comfort a young girl after her brother died. The scene is mostly quiet, punctuated by sounds of rain and her soft sobs. Good job, game!

So after playing and finishing I can say that I found the game to be a great time that overall begins to wear out its welcome and ends just as you begin to get invested in the characters stories in such a way that makes you wonder if they ran out of resources to extend it to its proper conclusion, ending on the promise of a future game. Is this worth the price point? If you like a metroidvania with light puzzle, simple combat, that maintains quality throughout and ends before it gets tiresome then yes it is. Otherwise buy on sale.

Visually game is really gorgeous, but gameplay is just horrible. To be more specific, you control multiple characters, and when you control only one game is enjoyable. Then game forces you to control two characters in a boss fight, and this is where you find out that inventory management and character control is beyond useful when you must control two characters, and that you have to either spend lots of time fighting uninituitive controls or uninstall a game. I choose, of course, not to waste my life with bad gameplay design. Too bad, game had such a potential, really a shame.

Team 17 has had a few titles I have enjoyed playing quite a bit in recent years (Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos in particular!). I'll add Greak to that list, after eyeballing this one for some time since it's release. I'm several hours in and really enjoy the experience. The gameplay is smooth. Animations are fantastic for being hand drawn, though with a few extra frames, whether drawn or procedurally generated or some form of AI/shader smoothing, they would be perfect. The story seems original and immersive, with memorable characters and emotional story ties. Not all is apparent as far as the story goes or the origins of the characters' race. Which is both good and bad. Some mystery to ponder, some things I wish were more clearly conveyed. I love the game, but controlling multiple characters at the same time is a steep learning curve. If I could swap them out in real-time, controlling one at a time or swapping characters at the main camp, for me that would be preferable. That seems like the only aspect of the game that holds me back from giving it five stars. Like others have mentioned, the music, atmosphere, and everything else about the game is fantastic for a metroidvania game. One other thing that bugs me is what seems to be a 'point of no return' mechanic as the story progresses. As I stated, I'm several hours in and haven't completed the game yet, but there are a few things that are lost if you don't jump on them before continuing past certain plot points. Which was unexpected, as I returned to certain areas to find that important characters were nowhere to be found. Regardless, I would definitely recommend Greak to anyone that likes platformers and metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, Steamworld Dig, Unepic, classic Apogee platformers, Jazz Jackrabbit, etc etc. Thanks Team 17 and GOG!

Greak is an extremely enjoyable way to spend between 7 and 8 hours of your time. Graphics: Perhaps the best part of this game. The art direction is simply wonderful. Characters, enemies and the scenery in general is very well designed and each of them stands out and is memorable. Story: Is what you might expect from reading the short synopsis the developers wrote about it. It's set in a dying world and while such a storyline is nothing unique, I feel like the devs really nailed the general atmosphere and tone of it. Despite the short run-time they've managed to make the central hub feel like a home-like refuge and the connection between the three main characters believable. The short tidbits of lore offered seemed interesting as well, but there simply wasn't enough time or opportunity to really flesh it out. Gameplay: This was sadly the weakest part of it. While it was fun, the platforming, puzzles and combat didn't really offer much of a challenge or variety. Simultaneously controlling three different characters during the final two boss fights felt a bit clunky and off. It's still fun, but it could've been better. Overall, it was a good maiden project by a new developer and I sincerely hope they'll get a bigger budget for their next game (hopefully a sequel). I wouldn't recommend buying it for $20, but definitely pick it up the next time it's on a sale.