Hidden In The Shadows

Aragami is what I wish Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China was. Though at times frustrating and sluggish, it’s an excellent example of what a low-budget stealth game should be.

You play as Aragami, an assassin-ninja-shadow-demon. While this is a concept that seemingly materialized from the teenage guide to angst. You’re tasked with freeing the girl that summoned you from the evil light warriors. To do this, you’ll have to move between shadows and determine whether or not the mindless drones of minions are worth allowing to live.

This is a decision you’ll have to make a lot during Aragami’s one repeating objective. Oh yeah, Aragami really only has one objective: Disable the light barrier, but more on that later. You have two play styles in Aragami: Offensive and defensive. The difference between the two is self-explanatory. I found myself playing almost solely as an offensive character. I would clear entire areas of enemies before moving on to the next section of the chapter. This was often a rewarding experience as you usually have  your run down by the third try.

But now the bad. I’ll be honest, most the issues are nitpicky with the exception of a few. A jump button would be nice, as shadow hoping often doesn’t work right. The one-hit-and-you’re-dead mechanic gets needlessly frustrating. The most aggravating is the fact that you only do one thing. For a game with so much potential, it’s a shame that the development team would do so little with the objectives. Oh, and the story and writing are pretty shit.

All in all, Aragami would be an awesome foundation to build on. Everything works. The art style is beautiful. it isn’t by any standard perfect, but it’s got real replay value.