Game Review: Aragami - Stealthy fun

Aragami is one of those few games, which is really true to the stealth genre, especially at a time where most games are made by blending up a bunch of genres in a grinder. It is a game that might frustrate a few with its rigidity in following the genre, but for purist, there will be no greater pleasure than finishing a level with a perfect rank.

As mentioned, Aragami is a pure stealth game. This means that you have to operate in the shadows and kill without being noticed. Get caught and there is little chance of survival. Not to mention, you will have to replay the game from the last checkpoint. Yes, it's hard, but at the end of a level, you will feel the intense satisfaction of actually achieving something.

The game is in third person and you play an assassin that has been bought back to life by Yamiko. You have to rescue her from the fortress of Kyuryu protected by the army of light called Kaiho. The story is run-of-the-mill, but visuals and the way the story develops, makes everything very interesting. The story is mostly expressed through short scenes, and can be pieced together further by listening to guards talk about current affairs. There is a lot of Japanese influence through the entire game, especially in the art and lore. Since you are essentially a spirit you have various powers involving shadows - perfect for an assassin. However, get caught in light and you are essentially a sitting duck minus any powers.

Your abilities include teleportation, invisibility, shadow manipulation, summoning black holes and shadow dragons. These can be upgraded by finding scrolls hidden in the game. The levels can be completed without your character being detected. You can even go on a silent killing spree, the choice is yours. As long as you aren't seen, you can finish the game any way you like. But, how you play does affect your ranking in each level. And, purists might enjoy going through each level multiple times to achieve that perfect ranking. That said, the levels are similar to each other. The game is around 11 hours long, depending on how you play it. Try to get perfect scores on every level and you could be playing it for days, maybe even weeks. The game also features a very interesting online co-op mode, where you can finish levels with your friends.

Aragami is a great game for lovers of this genre. However, if you are thinking Assassins Creed or something where you can use violence as a backup for shoddy stealth work, you might be disappointed.

Aragami
Rating: 4/5
Developer: Lince Works
Publisher: Lince Works
Platform: PC, Mac
Price: 508