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Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is Out Now

 Video games  4 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Apr 152016
 

Aurion-Legacy-of-the-Kori-OdanRemember Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan?

It’s the 2D action RPG we talked about a while ago, back when it was on Kickstarter.

Aurion’s Kickstarter campaign was successful, and it’s available now on Steam! (When it comes to my experience with crowd-funded games, here’s another success for the list.)

Back when Aurion was on Kickstarter, I played through the first half of the demo to get a feel for it. Even though I was using the somewhat-awkward keyboard controls, it was a lot of fun.

And now, thanks to Tales of Zestiria (see, good things have come from it), I have a controller I can use when I’m ready for my full Aurion playthrough!

It’s great to see a game I supported come to life, and don’t forget that Aurion’s combat style is both reminiscent of fighting games and inspired by the classic 2D Tales games… which I also still need to play. One thing at a time!

What do you think of Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan? Are you planning to play it?

In unrelated news, if you never got to read my comedy novella The Accidental Zombie, you can now pre-order the new and improved version, The Zombie Mishap.

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is an African Fantasy RPG

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Oct 072015
 

Aurion-logoIn a market where video game homogenization is a common fear, it’s always nice to see a game try something new. Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is one of those games.

To most people, RPGs come from either Japan or the West (a nebulous collection of regions that in practice means “not Japan.”)

Aurion, however, is being developed by an African indie team, Kiro’o Games. It draws upon African legends and lore to create a new RPG setting not often seen.

You play Enzo, the King of Zama whose throne was taken by his brother-in-law. Alongside his new wife, Erine, Enzo must fight to reclaim his kingdom. To do so he’ll summon ancestral energy called the Aurion, and fight enemies in a battle system similar to the Tales series.

The older, 2D Tales games, to be precise.

It addition to 2D combo-based battles, the game features special Aurionic abilities, NPCs and side quests, and my favorite: A WORLD MAP.

Yes, I was already interested, but when I saw the latest update describe a world map like those found in classic Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger, I could barely contain my glee. I like world maps, I miss them, and I want more RPGs to return to them.

Then I went to the website and downloaded the demo. Check out the first part of my Aurion demo playthrough.

I unintentionally damaged my enjoyment of the demo because I used a mouse and keyboard instead of a controller. Combat would have been much better if I had a controller.

While the dialogue had some grammar issues that should be fixed in the final, polished version and it occasionally felt like Enzo moved slower than he should in an action RPG, I enjoyed the demo overall. NPC interactions are entertaining, the main characters are interesting, and I’m curious about where the plot will go.

Story and characters are my priorities when it comes to an RPG, but I also found the combat enjoyable.

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan has crossed the halfway point of its €40,000 funding goal, but it only has 12 days to make the rest. Head over to Kickstarter and help this unique action RPG become a reality!

(And yes, I’ll admit the first reason it caught my attention is because “Aurion” is my favorite Tales of Symphonia character’s last name.)