Sands of Aura is a dark and sinister experience that throws you into the action immediately. This massive fall off a chasm may feel overwhelming, but the opening elements act as a thorough and impressive tutorial that sets you on your way. Despite this good start, the developer lets many key elements surprise you. Accordingly, there are moments when you feel out of your depth and frustrated.
This dark fantasy RPG was developed by Chashu Entertainment and published by indie.io. It is a single-player game with Soulslike combat. Now, I know everyone says that tough fighting mechanics are Souls in nature, but this is 100% inspired by the Souls genre. With respawning enemies and a reliance on dodge and parrying moves, Sands of Aura will test your reactions, mindset, and patience.
The world is dying, and you must be prepared to stop it in Sands of Aura.
This dark fantasy experience is set in the twilight of a dying world known as Talamhel. A tormented god changed the face of this once vibrant place as he smashed the Hourglass of time. The sand emptied across every continent, and death and destruction followed. The night plague is a corrupt force that destroys everything it touches. Consequently, the Order of Remnant Knights must banish the disease and save the day.
The plot is wonderfully told by the protagonist and an array of NPCs. As you explore the world on your Grainwake, you move between isolated islands that act as micro dungeons. Here, you will find survivors that will impact the path you take and the growth of the central hub. This essential element takes a while to evolve, but once it takes hold, many core mechanics make sense.
No levelling up!
An RPG without character levelling is a weird idea. However, Sands of Aura plays with this to great effect. Instead of personal progression, you must find runes and bits of weapons to create hundreds of unique tools. This unusual approach leads to an array of different approaches while ensuring that your playthrough is unique.
The Soulslike combat should have been impressive, but it was a little frustrating. The hitboxes don’t quite work, and timing can be off. This was unfortunate, as I liked the monsters on offer and testing my newly forged weapons. I’m not saying that it is terrible, but it should have been better polished to enhance an essential element of the game.
Finally, a lack of guidance can lead to hours of aimless wandering. A compass has helped this, but I lost plenty of time as I ran around like a headless chicken. A detailed map of every dungeon would have resolved this issue and made the game much better.
Sands of Aura is dark, sinister, and great to look at.
The claustrophobic dungeons, grim colour palette, and array of horrendous creatures were great to look at. Although every opening wasn’t always obvious, I adored exploring each of the islands and the dungeons within. The animation was smooth, and fighting looked great, even if it was occasionally flawed. Moreover, I had no frame rate issues, bugs, or crashes to dashboard.
The gothic art style is complemented by the melancholy atmosphere. The audio delivers a deathly edge that rarely fades. Even when you are successful, minor-toned songs play out. This sense of doom and despair reminds you that the world is on its last legs.
Excellent controls.
The opening tutorial sets you up to enjoy every moment of this game. Sands of Aura has an easy-to-understand controller layout, and the buttons are responsive. Sadly, the aforementioned hitbox issues hold it back, and this has caused hours of frustration.
There is loads of replay value if you can look past the odd problem. The world is a joy to explore, and I loved moving between the islands. The Grainwake element was truly fantastic as it offers a sense of freedom. If you fall for the dark and moody charms, you will not be able to put this down.
Sands of Aura is a good indie experience.
I enjoyed my time playing Sands of Aura. It is one of those indie games that keeps on giving even when you think you’ve mastered it. Furthermore, there are plenty of twists and turns as you create new weapons, rescue survivors, and evolve as a hero. Despite the limited issues, this is a great game, and I recommend buying it here! Can you battle the plague? Explore the world, upgrade your gear, and bring peace and harmony back to a broken land.
