Subaeria is the last rogue like developed by the Canadian study Illogika. This being the first major title of the study after its passage through mobile devices with the turn-based game Hitman GO.
In Subaeria, you will have the opportunity to take on the role of up to 4 different characters. They all come from different backgrounds and are as diverse as people are in reality. Each of these characters has a rich history behind them and their backgrounds and resulting in a sort of alternative possible endings. As you move through the story, you can unlock new skills for different characters and how you complete the levels will help make these skills worse or better.
A very curious thing about Subaeria is that none of these characters can use any weapon, and you must use the elements that you find around to overcome the problems that each level presents.
The aesthetics of this title is one of its great strengths. In the first run, you can see a clear influence on the design of characters and sets of the most emblematic titles of the late 90s and early 2000s of Naughty Dog. This helps the game to be familiar, and saving two or three more similar aesthetic, Subaeria owns a unique aesthetic that you like to relive more than once.
His musical section comes as a ring to the finger. Well-known genres in the latest electronics such as dubstep or electro, they become more light and melodic so that you can enjoy and increase your adrenaline depending on the moment and level at which you find yourselves.
It’s mechanics are quite simple. A classic puzzle that will progressively increase in complexity. Having a simple mechanics doesn’t mean that the resolution of problems is simple, Subaeria is meticulously organized, and several versions evaluated by various testers have helped polish their game system.
Each room is a very well-crafted puzzle, composed of robots (static or moving), traps and various mounds with specific characteristics. In Subaeria the difficulty increases as the player advances through the labyrinth and an aspect that the Illogika boys have achieved is to adapt this progression of the difficulty to the level of your character.
As I commented at the beginning, as you discovered the world of Subaeria, you understand the reason for your adventure. It is no coincidence that 4 such disparate characters cross their paths and fight for a common goal, although you don’t want to uncover the surprises argumentale, you can say that you have enjoyed equally the two genres (rpg + puzzle) that make up this great title.
Verdict
A different game to everything, that drinks from different genres trying to keep the best of each of them. On the one hand, it has the deep history of a role-playing game, on the other, the diversity of situations and mechanics of the best platforms with puzzles. All this together by a visual aspect result in, which reminds me of classics of the 90s, and a soundtrack more than adequate for the atmosphere that is shown. Yes, it could be more ambitious, long or spectacular ... But neither does it lack what it is.
Overall Score: 8/10
Developer: Studios Illogika
Publisher: Studios Illogika
Release Date: 9th May 2018
Price: Xbox One/Steam – £11.99/$14.99
Xbox One copy provided for review purpose
Available on Xbox one and Steam
Everything that has always left us in an RPG has also left Subaeria. The long moments reading texts are as subtle as they are clear in your title, and all the maturity that some of us always miss in a good platform puzzle, you can find it in the store for only $14.99.