I don’t know why I sat on Aura of Worlds for so long to review. Because it is great! It is a roguelike taking place in randomly generated mazes in five different broad themes. There are bosses. There are special levels like one with rising and falling water. The key to the game’s success lies in the wealth of options at your disposal to get around a situation. See a trap? Set it off with an attack. or grapple around it, or teleport through it. You can pick and throw most anything, including enemies. And what you have access to changes with every run, Aura of Worlds is a roguelike after all.
When you die in Aura of Worlds, and you will, you get coins. Coins are used to unlock new stuff to use and things like permanent buffs, and backgrounds(more buffs). Unlocking new stuff will also give you stars, which are also needed to unlock other stuff. There are also pets, and clothing to unlock to. Many of the features are only unlocked by saving specific people in specific levels. Finally, coins can be used to start in different zones other than the first.
The wealth of options in Aura of Worlds gives it its charm, though some stuff just ain’t as useful as other stuff, like the grappling hook. But even then, they still have their uses. Now what to score it. This is a tough one between Must Play and Recommended. I’ve wrongly aired on the side of caution in similar games. I will slide it into a Must Play with a nine back-end score. While it isn’t perfect, it is pretty damn good, and you’ll want to play just one more run. That’s really all Aura of Worlds needs.
Overall: Aura of Worlds is an engrossing roguelike that presents countless ways to approach situations. You’ll keep coming back for more.
Verdict: Must Play
| Release Date | 9/24/24 |
| Cost | $14.99 |
| Publisher | Hidden Trap |
| ESRB Rating | E10+ |
Game received for free from the Publisher!
