This is one of the few “overhauled” reviews I intend to re-evaluate, as the game in question has improved substantially since my initial impressions. It wouldn’t have been fair to just post a disclaimer or only a few added words here and there. We’re doing this the right way, as always. While I’m not exactly a glutton for digital punishment, I won’t deny the appeal which a rogue-like title can cast upon my daily gaming-related activities. The need for an extra challenge from a platforming subgenre that is inherently regarded as anything but child’s play, if you will. In fact, Aura of Worlds describes itself as a “roguelite” focusing on creative tactics and it does hit most of its intended targets once you get the hang of it. As the Steam debut for developer/publisher Cognitive Forge, the Early Access label suits it fine as it passed over a year since its release and following updates which chiseled the gameplay along with the narrative.

Indeed, a storyline is finally emerging in Aura of Worlds’ case. I know that given its current state and its pricing, I shouldn’t have expected anything near the territory of Dead Cells, Sundered or Hollow Knight since these cost more than double, to begin with. But I can at least compare it to the similarly priced and more recent Rift Keeper which also makes a minimal effort to convey a story along those lengthy dungeon/cave treks you embark upon. Aura of Worlds offers some context right in its intro video and the tutorial section further goes into detail acreoss its two levels covering the obvious basics. The irony that it doesn’t actually prepare you for the game itself, was to be expected. It’s meant to be tough-as-nails without necessarily having the charm of a full-fledged Metroidvania representative. The recently added Easy Mode featuring reduced XP yields along with fewer foes, ensures that even game reviewers can now proceed without significant delays.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1849696450

What more can we say about the narrative thread? It’s better than a static screen with some writing on it, even though it still has a hard time establishing an atmosphere. A step in the right direction, at least. I had to gather more details from a very unlikely source: the game’s Steam Achievements. You see, Aura of Worlds at least bears some resemblance towards a frame story. The titular Worlds are distinct from each other, so we can’t discuss continuity either. Grotto of Guidance is the first scenario you shall visit and invariably perish within it at least several times on the Normal or higher difficulties. The other two environments currently available are, Gnarled Gardens and Celestial Temple. From the level selection screen, you can see a few others greyed out as “work in progress”. Fingers crossed. The stages are filled to the brim with traps and foes, yet the boss fights are usually the final nails in the coffin of our nameless hero.

I couldn’t find plenty of intel on this title’s graphics engine, other than it being a “strain” of OpenGL. It’s certainly not Unity since it gave me a lot of headaches when I tried to capture even a few screenshots, like I do with all my Steam games. All that remains in the past, however. True to their word, the dev team worked hard at improving support for the Steam Overlay. I’m pleased to say that they even went above “the call of duty” by providing a HUDless option for both hardcore players and screenshots nutcases such as yours truly. There are no more crashes to report and images are captured and linked to Steam profiles, without further issues. Character customization for cloaks, arsenal and even skin tone, are just icing on the cake at this point.

It would have been truly ironic if Aura of Worlds had any voice acting, considering the lack of a convincing storyline so far. But no, audio assets are limited to a repetitive soundtrack which I ended up muting and listening to my own playlists instead. You can’t have them all and this isn’t really a deal breaker even if there won’t be further changes to the OST.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1763609550

Aura of Worlds sure is lacking in some ragards but it will deliver its gameplay just as it’s being advertised. When you can die multiple times just from a game’s tutorial, you know that you’re only about to witness more digital torture in the subsequent levels. These titular Wolrds are are divided into over a dozen stages each. Randomly-generated maps filled with traps and bosses, during which you’ll certainly perish more than a few times. It certainly doesn’t help that health potions are hard to come by, while some lootable chests are in fact traps as well. Pretty much the entire environment will try to murder you as a few stages contain a so-called “polen cloud” which is essentially a poisonous gas that will rapidly descend and fill those caves, indiscriminately killing rogue protagonists and foes alike. Predictable patterns for the enemies shouldn’t be fully trusted as you won’t have an infinite amount of time at your disposal, to simply observe before swiftly striking.

What could make these already hard conditions, considerably worse? Well, there’s also a timer on each stage. You dwell too much in one place and you’ll get “visited” by an immortal boss called “The Hunter”. You can use this giant floating skull as an incentive to find the stage exit sooner, but take my advice and keep a close eye on that timer. No hidden treasure is worth THAT much hassle. You could try the lowest difficulty setting now. I did and no more timers or immortals to worry about. The crossbow was my favorite offensive choice and while it takes some practice before you can eliminate most threats from afar, I like how gravity is simulated in the decreased damage and range of those bolts. Between certain stages, there’s also an in-game store where you can purchase power-ups and items with the coins you have plundered previously. Further more offensive choices have been added recently. It’s Hammertime!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1849696581

I’m rarely surprised by a game’s updates, since most of them don’t really add more content unless we’re talking of a DLC format. Aura of Worlds is no longer an excruciating experience in which you either adapt or quit. It may still be random to a fault, but the gameplay’s complexity remains consistent and may prove a worthy challenge for noobs and genre veterans alike. It’s worth a purchase especially during a Steam Sale, but you probably won’t regret paying the full price if you’re perfectly aware of what you going to face head-on. This title shan't hold hands while dishing its own brand of justice upon unsuspecting rogues. No cutting corners this time around. Just git gud, scrub!

+ Steam Achievements.
+ Gameplay features adequate diversity.
+ Difficulty enhanced by random factor and permadeath.
+ Supportive developer, constantly improving the project.

- Storyline still needs further context.
- No Steam Trading Cards yet.

Rating 75/100

This review was submitted for Imperial Reviews through the generous contribution of the game’s developer. Following my Curator Page, will help me keep publishing new reviews as soon as I can. I appreciate your support!

Review copy provided by developer

There are a million considerations for making a great platformer, but I always point to the movement as chief among them. Just like shooting in an FPS and economics in a management sim, the movement in a platformer is absolutely core to its appeal. It seems like the folks making Aura of Worlds get that, because they’ve rounded up all kinds of fun movement mechanics for their game and stitched them together with some pretty tight controls. This attention to detail makes traversing their deadly dungeons a right romp, even if at times the freedom of movement seems a little at odds with the rest.

I’m not actually sure if Aura of Worlds is going to have a story to its spelunking, but it might not be all that important here. Right now you can take your little hooded adventurer into three different subterranean realms, covering caves, overgrowth, and temples. More are planned for the future but each of these areas has three or four randomized levels to get through, and then a boss to beat before moving on. There’s plenty of treasure to be found in the many chests and crates and vases along the way, but you’ll also run afoul of all kinds of skeletons and slimes and magical beings that would really prefer you dead.

If this sounds a bit Spelunky to you, you’re not alone. Levels even feel laid out in similar ways, with floors to weave your way down through to the exit at the bottom. There are spike traps and boulder traps, water to swim through and lava to burn in, ladders and vines to scale, and even more familiar foes like bats and snakes. The big difference is that the movement and combat is much more Terraria playing out inside Spelunky levels. Your little dude has some huge jumps, and can get magical abilities that grant additional jumps, dashes, or teleports. You can get a wonderfully-implemented grappling hook with incredible range and swinging mechanics, or anti-gravity pads, or just blow chunks of the level up with grenades.

This goes for the combat as well, swinging swords and jabbing spears to knock numbers out of foes before they knock all of your numbers out. You can get really creative here though, picking up just about anything in the game world to throw or swing, and triggering some neat interactions by breaking lanterns to set enemies on fire or luring them onto spike traps. The whole game is set up to allow you the freedom to approach challenges in any way you want, which is a fine goal but right now doesn’t quite mesh with the incredible freedom of movement you have. Even on hard there’s not much reason to even engage with enemies, sprinting or blinking past and snatching up treasure on the way to the exit. In Spelunky you didn’t have the speed or mobility to ignore foes (at least until late in the game), but here you essentially start with the option of straight speedrunning levels, without a whole lot of reason to stop and explore. And sometimes the levels have you outrunning a threat like poison gas, which makes exploration even less of a consideration.

Part of that is because the equipment and rune systems still need to be fleshed out to provide something to search for (and something to buy with the gold you accrue), and part of this is because meta-progression is more focused on how far you get than what you do along the way. You’ll gain permanent experience when you die, and leveling up grants coins to spend on unlocking new gear, new starting traits for runs, or shortcuts to later areas. It’s a fun little romp, particularly for how fun it is to move around in and outwit foes, but it still feels a bit thin without more to really explore for or challenge yourself with. Aura of Worlds gets the movement right, the most important part of platforming, and now it just needs a little more to do with it to become truly great.



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I have been playing video games all my life, throughout the 80's and 90's the video arcade was my second home.

Playing Aura of World brought back a lot of memories from those times. It is a game that is reminiscent of many games from the golden age of video arcades. Games like Rygar, Black Tiger, Ghosts n Goblins, Wonderboy and others.

This game does not tell an epic saga and it doesn't have AAA graphics, BUT what it does have is engaging gameplay, great mechanics and features and the sounds, music and effects all combine to make a game that is engaging, fun and easy to get into. Also it does not require a huge investment of time, the Rogue-Like nature of the game means you can play for 10 minutes and put it down, then come back to it later for a slightly different adventure. Play a different way, use different gear, get further and further every time you play.

Aura of Worlds is a perfect example of a game made on a modest budget that plays to its strengths and delivers a great game. The developers have done an excellent job of making this game something I would heartily recommend.

I normally do not buy Early Access games and I would normally advise people to wait until the game is finished but Aura of Worlds is an exception. The game is well developed and in all the time I have played it I have not encountered any bugs. I have played fully released games (with bigger budgets) that were less complete than this Early Access game. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, especially to those like me who remember those old arcade games of the 80's fondly and want to experience their spiritual successor.

I have been following the development of this gem of a roguelite since its days in early alpha and really stoked to see it finally reach Steam.

If you are a hardcore roguelike/lite platformer enthusiast you will appreciate this game's rich variation of mechanics - slow time, deflect missiles, cloak yourself to survive; grapple, double jump or 'port your way round the level; grab background items and hurl them at enemies or nullify obstacles with them. Watch out for the deadly fog or lava filling out levels, and see explosions reshape the "terrain"... That's just a few of the nifty features you can find with AoW' s dynamic, procedural level generation.

As an Early Access entry AoW has plenty of room for improvement, especially in the general presentation and UI - but coming from a team of passionate, dedicated devs there is much promising potential for the game's growth and future release.

CAN YOU NAME ALL 59 REVIEWS?
Aura of Worlds is one of the most underrated roguelikes out there. The sheer amount of effort put into this is astounding, The controls feels good, the music is great... Everything has so much potential.

You start out with a tutorial teaching you all the basics. You can jump, climb, dodgeroll, T E L E P O R Tㅤ B E H I N Dㅤ E N E M I E Sㅤ A N Dㅤ F U C K I N Gㅤ O N E S H O T ㅤ T H E M, the usual. You can also backstab enemies from behind if they haven't noticed your presence, which stuns them for a couple seconds.
You're able to use traps to your advantage by luring an enemy into a stalagtite and completely and utterly destroy them.
Talking about the enemies, the combat is something else. With the amount of tools you have, you could literally ANNHILATE enemies using even the weakest of weapons. For example, the shield allows you to parry projectiles or stun melee enemies, return to sender style. This will make the projectile more effective and take out the enemy. You can also jump while near the roof of the room, jump, and in that jump throw your boomerang at the ceiling causing a ton of rocks to fall down.
The bosses in this game are also great. You got your standard knights and slimes, worms, D̸͈̕̚͠Ȩ̸̦̳̱̦̥͋̚̚M̷̗̈́̓̄O̴̺̰͙̰̙̒͗̄N̵͓̟̗͕̹̩̬͊̏̇Ǐ̴̫͓̂̍̎̅̅͠C̸̹̪͓͉͍͇̾̓̀͜ ̴̘̦̞̦̋́̽̅̄͛͝Ç̶̡͎̩̯͉͓͑U̸̮͈͊͌͝L̸̢̛̛̳̯̏̈̓͠Ţ̴̡̡̳͓̥̓̓̏͜I̴͙̘̬̮̣̓͒͜Ṣ̸̛͇̝̬̦̃́̅̀͝T̸͉̪̹͓͛̉̌͋S̸͖͙̲͕̻̣̥̍̈́̉̓̈́ and more. There is a ton of ways to beat each one of them like for the bronze knight for example you can perfectly time your roll to his charge and completely avoid the damage.

I just want to speedrun this speedrunning section real quick, I think this is the most fun I had speedrunning a game aside from super meat boy, It's so fast paced and full of quick strategizing, I completely adore this and it's the best way to play the game after finishing it 100%, even if there isn't any reward for doing so. Movement slaps as well, unexpected amount of tech.

Please get this game, it's a painfully unappreciated gem. Shotout to aggresive to gifting me this, although it's worth the price to buy it.

Couple of issues with the game: The game sometimes generates unnecesary paths with no reward, and the pacing can be a bit off at times. Grotto of Guidance sucks as an introductory area also.

Also you can ride a worm with a shield. 10/10 (actual score is 8/10 to clarify)

Big shoutout to aimbot9000 for gifting me this game all the way back in 2021.
Link to the only current guide for Aura of Worlds https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2696521372

Aura of Worlds is so cute. And hard. It is definitely both of these things. I'm absolutely in love with the look of it. Can't get past the Bronze guy! Need to git gud.

Definitely pick it up if you like platformers, a challenge, and awesome sprite art.

Don't be like me and be too busy appreciating the floating skull's design and colour to save yourself from it. >.>

my 3rd favourite game, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ buy it already if you love roguelites/roguelikes

It is a roguelite with some awesome weapon/tool combinations that keeps things fresh. I am still trying to master it, it is good balance of challenge, discovery and figuring out your own combinations for a gameplay style you like.

I have bought this game on itch.io first, and I must say, the game has come a long way in the past 4 months. The dev is very dedicated to the game and improving the game all the time. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to get into roguelites or veterans who are looking for a new one to explore. It can only get better from now.

If you are a fan of pixel graphics and love challenges then this game is just what you have been looking for! It is very smooth and can get very challenging and intense but nothing that you cant handle or rage quit from it! Even if you lose you are still rewarded which makes the game addicting and a lot of fun! Moreover there is a lot of different places to explore and enemies to fight even if it is still early access. I highly recommend buying the game,it is amazing! :D

I was really impressed with this retro inspired game and enjoyed exploring it. It looks really great and the music is delightful as well.

You can tell that a lot of work and passion has gone into developing this quaint roguelike experience. It’s remarkable that such a tiny team of developers have created such a polished game which has the potential for hours and hours of replayability.

I must admit, I found it quite brutal and challenging to play but that just made me more determined to make it out alive in each level.

I love the feelings of nostalgia it evoked in me! Reminding me of the hours spent in front of my Commodore 64 as a child. Of course, stylistically, this game is a lot more refined yet it still feels true to form in it’s tribute to the classic pixel genre.

I highly recommend playing this game and I look forward to enjoying more of it as it evolves and develops.