![]() However, the final stage apparently has no checkpoint. You would be forced to try stages multiple times to see what worked, which was usually fun rather than frustrating. In general, the checkpoints weren’t too far apart. I liked the game, even through the fact that you couldn’t save and had to make it to checkpoints instead. This review is for the Aragami: Shadow Edition - Nintendo Switch - United States (2019) release Unfortunately the rest of the game lacks the novelty and variety to keep it engaging. The game certainly has some highlights, it looks artistically nice at times and some of the skills like the Shadow Trap are fun to use. As I was playing through Aragami, I found it shockingly bland. But even accounting for those players, there are much better and more fun stealth games out there (the Dishonored series comes to mind). Overall Aragami will only appeal to a certain niche of gamers, the kind who enjoy both hardcore stealth and speed running. There are other occasions where a platform can be clearly shadow stepped to, but the game refuses to let you blink there for unknown reasons. There are a couple times where the shadow stepping physics is busted and blinking to a platform causes Aragami to slide off it. The problem is the cloak often gets obscured by the environment or wraps around itself ruining the whole experience. The game purposefully lacks a UI with all of the vital information conveyed on Aragami’s cloak. It maxed out my GPU constantly even though nothing visually impressive was on screen. Players who don’t have the patience of a Buddhist monk or the twitch reflexes of a progamer will find the game utterly frustrating. I found this way of playing more fun as it demanded a higher skill ceiling and mastery of shadow stepping around enemies. An alternative method to playing the game is to deftly speed past enemies to hit the next checkpoint before getting caught. The only issue with this playstyle is that it can take several minutes to clear a map and one small mistake will reset you back to the last checkpoint. It's easy to cheese the AI by luring a foe to a secluded area one at a time. The game becomes a stunningly simple game of patience. The difficulty makes a 180 once Aragami gains the ability to lure enemies. ![]() This makes the early game exceptionally harsh due to the lack of abilities. If Aragami gets caught by a Kaiho warrior, there are a few seconds of reprieve before instant death. Aragami charges his shadow magic meter by staying in the darkness while being near light sources drains the meter. He can blink to nearby shadows, mark enemies to track them through walls, throw kunai to assassinate foes from afar and more. Aragami can use his shadow magic to gain the upper hand on foes. The main hook in Aragami is the shadow magic mechanic. There are also collectible scrolls in each map that can improve Aragami’s skills and reveal additional lore. The challenge is to adeptly avoid and assassinate these foes using Aragami’s range of stealth skills. The levels are populated with Kaiho sword and bow wielding soldiers who can kill Aragami in one hit. Paths are sometimes blocked by light barriers or raised bridges forcing the player to make detours to remove these obstacles. Usually the objective is to navigate to the end of the level or collect a talisman for Yamiko. The game plays like a typical stealth game. The catch is, Aragami must rescue Kaiho before dawn because he will cease to exist once the sun rises. To do so, he must collect a number of talismans that will free Yamiko from her imprisonment. ![]() Yamiko informs Aragami that the Kaiho have pillaged her people and that she has summoned Aragami to help her. Yamiko has been captured by the Kaiho, an army of light wielding soldiers. You play as Aragami, a shadow spirit summoned by Yamiko. ![]() The only reason to keep playing is if you are a masochist and enjoy trial and error gameplay. After the first 3 chapters you kind of see everything there is to offer. The narrative, while interesting, is a very predictable revenge tale. Aragami is developed on a modest budget, there is no facial animation, no voice acting and the game does not convey any personality or emotion in the characters. After surpassing the initial difficulty bump, the rest of the game is a series of levels featuring the same two enemies in traditional Japanese style gardens and temples. The game does not make a great impression for newcomers as it is punishingly difficult. Aragami is a stealth game that caters to hardcore fans.
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