This affected my gameplay a small bit and made me have to change strategies in a couple sections, but it was a sparing enough issue that it never caused me any major grief during play. Originally I assumed this had something to do with killing them in areas that were too well lit but as the game progressed I would occasionally find bodies that I couldn’t clear even in pitch dark. First I noticed that after killing some enemies I wasn’t able to make their corpses disappear like normal. I was routinely impressed with how polished Aragami felt but I did still notice some bugs along the way. At first I was concerned that I’d have to commit to killing everyone or no one in order to get myself a top tier S rank, but I was actually able to score that high on most levels with a mixed selection of kills. You’ll also receive a letter rank that can be bolstered by getting through the level completely undetected, killing everyone in the level, or killing no one in the level. After each stage the game will present you with a score summary that shows you how many collectibles you found, how many enemies you killed, and how many times you set the guards on alert. There’s plenty more abilities which you can unlock by finding the plethora of scrolls hidden throughout the game’s thirteen stages.Īs I mentioned earlier, the way by which you clear stages is entirely up to you. My favorite character build included the Kunai, a ranged dagger that came in particularly handy when dealing with archers the decoy, which summons a replica Aragami that will distract enemies in a very large radius and the trap ability which will suck enemies into a deadly vortex when you trigger it. There’s plenty of other moves to acquire as well through the game’s skill trees. It won’t take long before you’re dashing around levels tearing enemies into pieces (or avoiding them if you’re one of those people). If you find your environment lacking in shadow you can also summon a temporary pool with a quick pull of your right trigger. Really though it’s incidental, the story doesn’t take up much of your time, and the core gameplay of Aragami more than makes up for whatever thrills it may lack on the plot front.Ĭhief among Aragami’s arsenal of abilities is a shadow step or teleportation move that will carry you between the shadows in the environment instantaneously. There are a few surprises and turns to be found in the narrative but I had pretty much figured out the game’s big twist within the first few chapters. The tale itself is serviceable if not somewhat forgettable. The game doses out its story quickly and effeciently, never trapping you in a cutscene for any longer than necessary. It’s a refreshing change of pace from a genre that feels bound and determined to shame me for my insecurities.Īragami tells the story of a vengeful spirit (the titular Aragami) who is summoned from the grave by a young girl who is being held captive by an enemy force. Want to be a big wimp and teleport away from danger at every opportunity, that’s fine too, no judgment here. Want to filet everyone you meet with your ninja sword? That’s cool. So I was refreshed when I saw that Aragami, the new stealth game from Barcelona based developer Lince Works, would not be passing any judgment on how I decided to deal with its enemies. Mankind Divided makes sure to give you an angry talking head chastizing you for dicing people into bits with your cool robot blade arms, and Dishonored will actively make the game harder the more you use the same creative kills they demo in their marketing material. And that’s why I’m left dissatisfied by some of the bigger stealth games of late. No, when I stealth my way through a heavily guarded area I like to make sure that nobody in the vicinity will be waking up ever again.

I don’t know why but I just don’t deal well with the idea of leaving armed guards slumbering on the ground until their friends can come over and wake them up. I hate leaving people alive in stealth games.

Aragami review