Greak: Memories of Azur Review - A Cute and Cuddly, Puzzly Metroidvana

Greak: Memories of Azur takes place in the world of Azur. There are two main races that make up this world, the Courines and the Urlags.

These two races are polar opposites and are locked in a battle over the lands. The Urlags have wreaked havoc on the Courines, forcing them into small camps, barely able to survive.

Players will take the role of three siblings, starting with Greak, in order to help save their race from the destruction of the Urlags.

The Courine Siblings

Players start the game as the lovable Greak, a dexterous sword-wielding character that can dodge, double jump, and perform various sword combos.

As the game goes on, players will unlock his sister, Adara, a young mage with the ability to float in mid-air and shoot magical projectiles.

Finally, players will get the third sibling, Raydel, a strong fighter with a sword and shield who traverses the world using a hook shot.

Once the players have all three characters, they can switch between them at will, moving them by themselves to position for puzzles, or travelling as a group by holding down a button.

The latter is a bit cumbersome, and it would have been nice for Greak to offer players a toggle to let them split a character off of the party instead of having a button to keep everyone together.

While Greak: Memories of Azur does not offer much new in the world of 2D platformers and Metroidvanias, it is polished to a sheen.

It is an increadibly solid game with tight controls, and lovable cast, and an excellent atmosphere.

Time will tell if this is a title that gets lost in a sea of similar titles, but the game's charm may be enough to seperate it from the rest a bit.

Audibly and Visually Stunning

One of the strongest things Greak has going for it is its fully orchestrated soundtrack and hand-animated visuals.

The look and feel of the game mesh so well with the score that it is almost impossible not to be fully immersed into the world of Azur while playing.

While Greak offers players three different characters to switch between, it, unfortunately, does not offer players the ability to play co-op.

This feels like a missed opportunity, especially with each character offering such much difference in gameplay.

Several puzzles feel like they are perfect for a co-op situation.

They feel a bit too slow for a single player to complete by positioning and switching between characters to solve them.

Verdict

Greak: Memories of Azur offers players an exciting and visually pleasing experience with plenty of puzzles and hack-and-slash combat to satisfy most Metroidvania fans.

Unfortunately, the necessity of having to hold down a button to have the other characters follow the active one is a bit cumbersome, causing some frustration during play.

Still, it is not enough of a hindrance to keep Greak off players' radar.

Greak: Memories of Azur is certainly a game platformer fans will want to check out, especially at a low price point.

3.5/5

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Reviewed on PC.