Greak: Memories of Azur vs Risk of Rain
Greak: Memories of Azur
Greak: Memories of Azur is a gorgeous action-adventure game featuring a young boy in search of his sister in a world engulfed in turmoil, no thanks to the bloodthirsty Uglars. Playing as the boy Greak, you’ll venture across various regions in Azur, exploring every inch of it for hidden stashes, completing quests, and battling enemies along the way.The game starts off like a relatively regular action platformer, where you’ll get to jump, swing your sword around, and solve relatively simple puzzles by switching characters once you manage to reunite him with his sister. This part is actually pretty similar to the gameplay in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, a favorite of mine.
In fact, you’ll get to control both characters at the same time, which is interesting, though it does complicate things a bit during combat especially considering that the sister is a magic user and deals damage from afar while the brother is a sword-wielder and does best dealing damage from a much closer range.
In a way, Greak: Memories of Azur also feels a bit like a Metroidvania in the sense that the game hides secret chests and rare flowers in places that you, if you don’t pay too much attention, might miss. Even if you spotted the items, you will still need to figure out a way to get to them, which usually involves some creative and sometimes very precise jumping. Expect to get frustrated… a lot!
The gorgeous hand-drawn art in Greak is definitely one of the highlights of the game as well. The out-of-focus background in the distance matches well with the stuff at the front too.
In a nutshell, not only is Greak: Memories of Azur a gorgeous action-adventure game with a heartwarming story about a brother trying to reunite with his sister in a world embroiled in war and infested with dangerous creatures, it also comes with a fun gameplay that's perfectly "midcore". So, if you're into story-driven platformers, you'll want to check out this one!
Risk of Rain
Risk of Rain is a rogue-like, action platformer that is difficult enough to be challenging and is punishing (perma-death). You can choose to face the constantly spawning enemies alone - well, not exactly since you'll have your drone - or cooperatively with up to 3 other friends in hopes of collecting all the tools you need to find the teleporter machine and to finally, head back home. The enemies you fight are randomly generated by combining traits and abilities from a fixed yet extensive list as well, making the game a lot more unpredictable and hence, enjoyable.In addition to the 12 unique characters that you can unlock and a plethora of powerups to use, the game is also set on a mysterious planet with diverse biomes, ranging from dark forests to the frozen tundra. There is even an engrossing storyline which you can slowly piece together by collecting items and monster logs in your adventures.
Risk of Rain is definitely a fun and challenging platform game to play alone, but it particularly shines when you play it with friends. Time just seems to fly by in co-op mode and of course, let's not forget about the hilarious moments when one of you messed up (intentionally or otherwise).