Overview – developed by Idea Factory, Compile Heart and Hyde, with Publishing by Idea Factory International, Ariana and the Elder Codex is a 2D action adventure set in a world where magic has vanished. As the Librarian Ariana, venture into the Seven Hero Codices and repair them, battling monster and uncovering the stories within. This title is available for PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and soon on steam, with a link to each version at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Idea Factory International for providing the copy of Ariana and the Elder Codex used for this piece, via the Keymailer Service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. I will be focusing on covering the core gameplay aspects of this release, as I don’t want to spoil any of the secrets or surprises that this game has in store for players. Please note, the game was played on the Nintendo Switch 2, so the experience on original Switch may vary.
Story – The Librarian Ariana’s mission is to repair the Seven Hero Codices, which have been altered. Due to the terrible damages, magic has vanished from the world. By utilizing special Librarian magic that allows her to enter Codices, Ariana seeks to mend the books to bring magic back to the world. Can Ariana safely repair each tome and unravel the mysteries hidden within the Library?
Gameplay – Ariana and the Elder Codex is an action adventure, which mixes platforming, magical combat and light RPG elements together. As Ariana, players are tasked with entering the Seven Hero Codices, mystical books which allow magic to be harnessed in the world. These books have been damaged by an unknown force, causing magic to be lost to the world. Ariana must enter these books and repair them, while learning their stories and their power.
This adventure is split into stages, taking place within the Seven Hero Codices, the magical books that are stored within the Hall of the Seven Heroes. The player must enter these books, exploring the damaged pages and battling monsters while trying to uncover the story within. As the player navigates the worlds inside the Codices, there will be perilous platforming challenges, where players need to dash and jump to avoid the hazards within.
Throughout the stages, there will be deadly hazards, including spikes and poison, which will damage Ariana if she makes contact with them. But the traps aren’t the only danger that players will face, as there are monsters within the Codices which will attack Ariana. As she moves through each page, players will need to use her magic to fight monsters. These creatures vary in size and shape, being able to attack Ariana up close or at a distance.
At the beginning of the adventure, Ariana is able to use a small set of magic spells. The first is a magic sword spell, which lets players strike enemies multiple times in a combo. Then there are the projectile spells, with a fire blast and a shockwave attack. Last is Ariana’s healing magic, which restores health in bursts for a limited time. Magic is split into five types, with Elemental magic of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water, alongside Ariana’s Innate Neutral Magic.
All of the magic can be deployed in battle, fighting the monsters that appear. But don’t be careless, as many of the spells have to cool down before using again. During combat, enemies have two distinct bars above them, with a red bar for HP and a Yellow Stun Gauge. As monsters take damage, the Stun Gauge will be reduced alongside their health. If the Stun Gauge hits zero, the foe will be temporarily unable to move and they will take increased damage from attacks.
However, stunning enemies is not the only way to quickly take down enemies. There is also the Elemental Burst, which is activated by hitting enemies with multiple elemental magic spells. As enemies are hit by the same element magic, a gauge will fill up and when it is full, the magic will burst from them. During a burst, the damage will spread out to other enemies, with the potential to defeat multiple enemies at once in a chain.
During exploration of the Codices, she will be blocked from progressing by a magical force. When this happens, enemies will appear and the player will need to defeat them in order to progress. The monsters will appear in waves, with all of them needing to be eliminated to progress. Once all of the monsters have been slain, the path to progress will open up. These are tied to progression of the story, but they aren’t the only way the narrative continues.
There is a story to each of the Seven Hero Codices, which will be shown to the player as they make their way through each adventure. Each story is split into chapters, with cinematic scenes as well as books that will appear for the player to read. The ethereal passages that appear can only be seen by Ariana, allowing her to understand the magic within. These stories are also tied to the repair points, fractures within the Codices that need to be fixed by Ariana.
As the player makes their way through the each of the stages, they will find the fractures that have damaged the Codices. These rifts need to be repaired to restore their magic, allowing the world to use them once again. Interacting with most of the fractures transports Ariana into an arena, where she must battle monsters to repair it. The creatures within must be eliminated as fast as possible, with multiple waves that appear to stop Ariana.
Then there are the challenge rifts, with the player needing to complete different action sequences to be able to get to the goal. These repairs can be failed in two ways, with the most common being defeat at the hands of a monster in battle. But the Repairs can also be failed by running out of time, as there is a timer that will tick down. If the player can clear the repair, they will be awarded a rank based on clear time, with the chance of rewards for success.
The last type Repair Point that can be found are the guardian rifts, where powerful monsters will reside. There are two different types of guardians that can be encountered, with sub-bosses that appear without entering a rift attacking Ariana around story plot points. The sub-boss guardians are more of a roadblock than a real challenge, as they will have a limited number of attacks. However, the same cannot be said for the main bosses.
At the end of each of the Codices, the guardian will be waiting for Ariana to challenge. These powerful opponents will push the skills of the player to the limit, with multi-phase attacks that can devastate the player if they are careless. There is no time limit to these battles, which does take some of the pressure of from repairing the rift. Once the guardian is felled, the fracture can be repaired allowing the full story to be revealed.
The player will then return to the Library, where the main plot of the game will unfold. The Library itself operates as a base of operations for Ariana, where she is able to interact with various characters. The most important of these Library staff are Vester and Divina, who support Ariana in her adventure. Vester can provide Ariana with the means to access magical items, through purchase or crafting, alongside Divina who can teach spells and enhance existing ones.
To use these services, players will need to use the resources they have collected during their adventure. These magic materials are collected be defeating enemies, breaking crystals and closing rifts as fast as possible. The costs for enhancement and crafting will increase as the player progresses, making exploration and obtaining good ranks in rifts essential. These services can be accessed from the rest points within the Codices.
These rest points appear as chapter checkpoints for the Codices, with Ariana activating them during her adventure. When using one of these points, players can recover lost health during her adventure, while also accessing the Library services and saving the game. It is also possible for players to fast travel between rest points. This comes in handy later in the game, as some areas will need the player to unlock new skills, as they may be unreachable the first time around.
If the player is defeated at any point during the adventure, they will be sent back to a checkpointed rest point or if one hasn’t been found, the start of the stage. This may feel like a harsh punishment, as it would appear that progress has been lost. However, the rifts that have been repaired, paths that have been opened and items obtained will be retained. Unfortunately, the enemy encounters will often be reset upon death, but this isn’t a significant issue.
The last thing to discuss is the relatively non-linear progression of the game. After the first stage has been cleared, the Hall of the Seven Heroes will be unlocked. This allows the player to access the magical books and pick the stages they want to challenge, as well as returning to stages in progress. The different books have a difficulty tied to them, as well as a percentage that shows how close they are to full repair. Once this has been achieved, something special may happen.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – there is a rather easy to use control scheme for this release, with all of the important buttons appearing on screen for players to reference. During the flow of platforming and action, there are no issues in terms of lag or delay, with snappy and responsive inputs that are satisfying to use. The default control layout works well, but if players want to adjust the inputs to their liking, there is the option to reassign most of the inputs.
Difficulty – this adventure has three difficulty settings for players to select from, which will affect the way that the gameplay feels. The Simple option, reduces the challenges of battle, allowing players to enjoy the story. Then there is Normal which balances the combat and story as a whole, with Hard being the choice for those who want to push themselves. The inclusion of these settings makes the game approachable by players of all skill levels.
Presentation – from a visual perspective, this game is stunning, with the worlds of the Codices being highly detailed, alongside character/enemy models are pleasing to the eye. This game also features beautiful anime style art throughout, further adding to the charm of the experience. The sound is also very good, with music that builds atmosphere, effects that have impact to them and an English dub led by Kira Buckland as Ariana, alongside the option for Japanese dialogue.
Final Thoughts – Ariana and the Elder Codex is a rather unique adventure, which initially caught my attention when it was first announced. My interest grew with the details that were dripped out, so when I got the opportunity to review it, I was happy to take it. The narrative is engaging with endearing characters, some humor and depth to the world. Then there is the action, which is balanced well between combat and platforming challenges.
This experience is a lot of fun, with a tremendous amount of depth to the spells, upgrades and player skill options. It does however have one small flaw, which is the amount of backtracking required, and the limitations of the checkpoints/travel points. This can make it feel like a bit of a slog if the player is defeated, but it doesn’t impact the overall quality of the experience. I am happy to recommend this to those looking for a fun and engaging action adventure.
In the end, I give Ariana and the Elder Codex a final score of 4.5/5. This is an excellent action adventure, mixing platforming, combat and light RPG elements together, creating a challenging experience that is both visually stunning and tremendous fun. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below. Please note, Steam version available April 29th, demo available on steam page.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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