Grade: C+
Cyberpunk Stealth Adventure Game
Aerannis is a game set in a far cyberpunk future where a matriarchy has been established, and men cease to exist. You play an assassin, Ceyda Farhi, who lacks morals, is a badass, and will take any job that pays. However, some political machinations are happening in the background with shape-shifters that also control the social order. Ceyda, throughout the story, gets pulled inexorably into this political thicket.
Gameplay style, Aerannis is a 2d side-scrolling pixel art game that alternates between shooter, stealth, and exploration.
Enjoyment of the game relies on the enjoyment of stealth mechanics
In the overall Rolodex of missions in Aerannis, there’s a good portion where you have to stay hidden the entire time. If you get seen, you reset, sometimes far back in the level. This kind of stealth mechanic has never been my gaming preference.
Part of my experience with Aerannis boils down to my personal aversion to this type of gameplay. In the video clip, this is more a battle with my attention span and feeling of wanting to rage quit than the game’s actual challenge. The challenge is simple. Throw a potato-looking thing that emits noise and draws the guards’ attention. Then, when all the guards look away from you, sneak up behind and take a guard hostage. This allows the game dialogue to spawn and unlocks going to the next area.
Impressions
I think I came into Aerannis with a sufficiently open mind, but the gameplay style wasn’t for me. Just when I started getting into the story’s politics engage in the cyberpunk setting, I got stuck on a few levels requiring high-skill stealth operations. That was a roadblock I couldn’t overcome, which was the end of my Aerannis experience.
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