Review: Arietta of Spirits

Arietta of Spirits is an indie adventure game with charming pixel art and fast-paced gameplay. Released last year on Nintendo Switch and available on Steam, this lovely RPG is easy enough for casual players but engaging for even hardcore gamers.

Gameplay:

The game starts with Arietta and her family taking a trip to her late grandmother’s cabin located on a small island. While on the island, she meets a mysterious friend and learns that not everything is what it seems. After gaining the power to see the spirit world, she uses her courage and abilities to help her family and the other inhabitants on the island.

The game features reactive-based combat reminiscent of the classic Zelda games. Overall, the gameplay is easy to pick up. And while I personally wasn’t a fan of the fighting style since it felt repetitive, I appreciate how it can appeal to a wide range of gamers and ages. Despite the combat feeling very simple, I like how it balances out the array of enemies found throughout the game.

The story in Arietta of Spirits is pretty linear, so it’s easy to follow the story and stay on the right path. However, there is no map in the game, so it’s just as easy to get lost, especially if you try to complete the side quests. Playing the game without a map wasn’t a huge deal-breaker, but it was still annoying when I got lost and couldn’t find where to go next.

While Arietta of Spirits was an enjoyable game, the story felt rushed, and overall the game was too short. I like games with short runtimes, but the story felt like a prologue for a larger game rather than a complete story. So I was a bit disappointed when I realized that there wasn’t more to the game and the world they had crafted.

Pros:

• Charming retro-style pixel art
• Wide range of enemies

Cons:

• Simplistic combat
• No map
• Story felt rushed

Conclusion:

Arietta of Spirits is perfect if you’re looking for a short pretty RPG to tackle on a rainy weekend inside. But if you’re looking for something with more substance, I’d say this little Indie misses the mark. I enjoyed this game despite its small flaws, so I would still recommend adding it to your Switch library.

Entertainment: 8/10

Replay value: 4/10

Graphics: 9/10

Sound: 7/10

Kid Friendly: Yes