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Last week, I received a review code for a game that piqued my interest—Aura of Worlds. It’s a roguelike with procedurally generated levels and just the right amount of frustration to make it fun. As of writing, I’m still stuck on the last levels, but I’ve seen enough to give you my honest and unfiltered opinion.
Let me take you through my Aura of Worlds review to see if it’s worth your time and money.
It’s Random
By its nature, Aura of Worlds can be addictive. While writing this segment, I picked up the game to refresh my memory and ended up wasting an hour playing without noticing. But what makes it so addictive?
Since every run is randomly generated, you’ll get a different experience each time. You’ll still encounter the same enemies and traps, but the map and upgrades will always be different.
Furthermore, every time you die, you’ll earn experience and currency to purchase new weapons and spells.
Weapons vary from swords to daggers, crossbows, hammers, and even spears. My go-to was always a sword combined with a crossbow, as it felt balanced for any situation. Hammers are too slow, I can’t get used to the spear hitbox, and I don’t like throwing daggers since it leaves me vulnerable.
Spells offer utility and projectile damage. They can give you the ability to dash, slow time (super useful later), or deal damage by throwing fireballs or poisoning enemies. I found spells more balanced and used several of them during my runs—they were always helpful.
Not all items are available from the start and require you to reach certain points or defeat bosses to unlock blueprints.
You’ll also encounter NPCs to rescue. When you do, they’ll set up shop in the hub area, allowing you to purchase new gear. This progression system keeps things satisfying and encourages you to come back for more.
Player vs. Environment
One thing that makes Aura of Worlds stand out is the smart ways you can interact with the environment to deal with enemies. Before rushing in, check if there are rocks you can shoot down or torches to light your arrows for fire damage. My favorite strategy? Using a skull to explode a lamp and rain fire on enemies.
These interactions make the gameplay dynamic, offering multiple ways to tackle challenges.
Is it Hard?
The game offers different difficulty levels to match your play style. I started on moderate, switched to easy to learn the mechanics, and now I’m working through hard mode—which is frustrating but rewarding! Higher difficulties grant more experience after each run.
As for the bosses, they start simple but become more creative and challenging. One giant worm boss in particular has become a personal favorite.
The Movement
The movement feels good, but there’s room for improvement. The roll mechanic is too slow. It would be better if we could cancel out of it faster or use it while jumping, adding more fluidity to movement and giving more options for dodging enemies.
Other than that, the character controls as expected, though with so much happening on-screen, it’s inevitable to get hit and die occasionally.
Performance Issues
While the gameplay is great, it’s hindered by performance issues on the Nintendo Switch. Slowdowns happen frequently, and while some are manageable, others make the game difficult to play.
These performance drops have ruined some of my runs during critical moments. However, the developers are actively working on improving the game with patches, so there’s hope that things will improve soon.
Aura of Worlds Review — Final Verdict
Despite being developed by a small indie team, Aura of Worlds has the potential to be a great roguelike. The gameplay is addictive, the progression system is rewarding, and the boss fights grow more complex the deeper you go.
There’s creativity in how you interact with the environment, adding depth to the combat. Each run is different thanks to its randomly generated levels.
However, the performance issues on the Switch are a drawback. Once these problems are resolved—which the developers are focused on—the game will definitely be worth your time.
The end to this Aura of Worlds Review is bittersweet. I had a great time with it, but for now, it’s difficult to recommend due to the performance issues. If you choose to buy it now, remember that you are buying the promise of a great roguelike.
To close, I’d like to thank Cognitive Forge again for the review code.
Pros:
- Addictive, procedurally generated gameplay that keeps each run fresh.
- Varied weapons and spells that offer flexibility and encourage experimentation.
- Creative environmental interactions that add depth to combat.
- Rewarding progression system that unlocks new gear.
- Multiple difficulty levels cater to different play styles and boost replayability.
- Challenging boss fights that become more complex as you progress.
Cons:
- Performance issues on the Nintendo Switch, especially during intense moments.
- The roll mechanic feels slow and could benefit from more fluidity.
- Some weapons, like hammers and daggers, feel unbalanced.
- Visual clutter in certain sections can lead to frustrating, unavoidable deaths.