Arietta of Spirits

 Switch
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Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6 Ratings

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  • Summary: Arietta of Spirits is a charming adventure game with emotion-filled narrative, no-filler gameplay, and fast paced combat. The game tells the story of Arietta and her family, visiting their Grandmother's cabin for the first time after her passing away a year prior. However, the family tripArietta of Spirits is a charming adventure game with emotion-filled narrative, no-filler gameplay, and fast paced combat. The game tells the story of Arietta and her family, visiting their Grandmother's cabin for the first time after her passing away a year prior. However, the family trip takes an unexpected turn when Arietta meets a mysterious new friend and gains the ability to see strange spirits that inhabit the island.
    -Explore a mysterious island with lush forests, murky caverns and dark secrets
    -Beautiful retro-styled pixel graphics and inspiring original soundtrack
    -Meet fascinating characters and discover the deep lore
    -Fight a wide range of enemies in reaction based combat
    -Easy to approach game mechanics, suitable for everyone     … Expand
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Arietta of Spirits - Official Gameplay Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Gaming Age
    Jan 25, 2022
    75
    Arietta of Spirits won’t wow you like some of the best Zelda-inspired games, but it’s still got some niceness at its core. That may not make it a classic, but it’s enough to make it fun enough while it lasts.
  2. Noisy Pixel
    Aug 20, 2021
    75
    The story is filled with emotional and meaningful moments, even if they interrupt the pace a fair bit. While the combat and world design can get repetitive, there are plenty of cool moments in terms of boss encounters and learning new abilities. So if you’re after a comfortably paced and unique Zelda-style adventure, then Arietta of Spirits certainly won’t disappoint.
  3. GAMES.CH
    Aug 20, 2021
    73
    Arietta of Spirits is a cute, sterotypical action adventure, which tells a meaningful and emotional Story about friendship, family and death. Arietta fights together with her new spirit friend Arco for a better world and try to defeat the monsters which hunts the little island. Eventhough you can play through the story in about five hours, you can choose different difficulty levels and enjoy the game again.
  4. NintendoWorldReport
    Aug 20, 2021
    70
    In essence, Arietta of Spirits plays out like a pleasant introduction and first chapter of a larger story yet untold. It has a protagonist who is easy to root for and the framework for development into a larger scope story, broader cast of characters, and a larger variety of combat tools that this game currently lacks. Arietta of Spirits keeps those issues from becoming more glaring thanks to a brisk game length, but I hope her next adventure is a tad more, well, adventurous.
  5. Shindig
    Sep 4, 2021
    70
    But even if it doesn’t always hit that mark, Arietta of Spirits still shows how well a short-form Zelda-like game can work, and with so many games competing for time and attention, that’s an exciting prospect that I’d love to see explored further. More importantly, this is a game that has a poignant story to tell about coping with loss and treasuring what’s dear to you—the kind of intimate tale that benefits from a less-is-more approach, and in daring to go small in a genre you’d normally associate with grand, world-saving adventures, Arietta of Spirits carves a memorable, heartfelt journey.
  6. KeenGamer
    Aug 24, 2021
    70
    While it may be a little on the short side, Arietta of Spirits is an enjoyable experience. Overall, there's not much to fault here - an original story, beautiful visuals, fitting soundtrack and engaging gameplay. What it lacks in length and replayability, it makes up for with its charm and solid execution.
  7. COGconnected
    Aug 23, 2021
    50
    Arietta of Spirits just isn’t enough game. I’d say it’d be perfect for very young adventure game enthusiasts, lacking any cryptic puzzle-solving, or difficult combat, but the hitboxes are just too unfair. Fans of old-school 2D adventure games might find some enjoyment here, but only a few hours’ worth. Just expect something a little less Link To The Past, and a little more Twisted Tales of Spike McFang, and players should be fine. If you are looking for an excellent 2D top-down adventure game, and all you’ve played all the Legend of Zelda titles, check out the modern classics Blossom Tales or CrossCode, or the PS1 gem Alundra.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. TheLinkgirl
    Sep 15, 2021
    8
    I wish I was able to score this a 7.5 really, but an 8 will do. Arietta of Spirits is a good game. It's not a masterpiece, but for me it's aI wish I was able to score this a 7.5 really, but an 8 will do. Arietta of Spirits is a good game. It's not a masterpiece, but for me it's a reminder that not every single game needs to be a masterpiece, or have an end of the world scenario. Sometimes, you need a game that's just good, with a story that obviously has some larger implications, but only really impacts the main characters during the game. The game is short, it took me about 3 hours to beat, and the gameplay can feel a little clunky at the start.

    I don't think this game is similar to 2D Zelda titles. It does borrow elements from those games, but a lot of Arietta of Spirits feels like a corridor of gameplay that acts as a way to take you to the next part of the story. I feel like I would recommend getting the game when its on sale if you're interested in it.    … Expand
  2. Key19
    Dec 30, 2021
    8
    The combat is pretty basic and doesn't really progress. Short sword with a single slash animation, roll, and eventually a force field shield.The combat is pretty basic and doesn't really progress. Short sword with a single slash animation, roll, and eventually a force field shield. That's the whole game. No other weapons, no sword upgrade. Not the end of the world because the game isn't very long (100% completion, hard mode, first blind playthrough save file clocked at 4 hrs and 8 mins), but I can see some people finding it tedious despite the game's brevity.

    The real draws here are the emotional storyline and beautiful pixel art, but it's worth noting that the bosses were fun despite the basic combat mechanics of the game. "Bullet hell" attacks were commonly utilized in boss battles, so make of that what you will.

    Overall, a short, simple, beautiful game with an engaging storyline. Not the greatest game ever made by any means, but certainly an enjoyable one. I paid $10 for it and I think that's the sweet spot for value.    … Expand
  4. heybranny
    Jan 14, 2023
    6
    Nothing incredible, but a cute adventure with a decent enough story. Nice casual game. Worth picking up on sale.
  5. NindieSpotlight
    Dec 17, 2021
    6
    This is one of those tough ones where I can’t outright fault the key elements of the game design, but I also can say some of the choices inThis is one of those tough ones where I can’t outright fault the key elements of the game design, but I also can say some of the choices in implementation brought it down a bit for me. Working in the mold of a classic 16-bit adventure, you’ll play as a young girl who gets caught up as someone able to operate in both the everyday and spirit worlds. I do appreciate the attempt to flesh out a story tied to her grandmother who had passed a year before, but the story to gameplay ratio in the first hour or so is pretty brutal and it just felt like the same objectives could be accomplished with a tighter script. Throw in movement from objective to objective often being multiple screens where you face the same repeated enemies and there don’t feel like many, if any, rewards for taking the time to explore anything or even engaging in combat and it has a tendency to drag a bit between major battles and beats. Arietta isn’t necessarily a bad title, it has plenty going for it, just up against much more engaging titles on the system it comes up a bit short.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/08/mini-reviews-august-20th-edition.html    … Expand
  6. PrismPak
    Sep 27, 2021
    6
    I really wanted to like this game. It looked very interesting from the other reviews I had seen on steam as well as the launch trailerI really wanted to like this game. It looked very interesting from the other reviews I had seen on steam as well as the launch trailer footage. The art looked good, the premise of a story-centric adventure game piqued my interest. And while that is all technically there, when I finished the game I felt like it wasn't enough. The biggest problem I have with this game is the amount of content that exists within the game itself.

    I finished the game in just over 4 hours. During that time, I had found the combat to become very repetitive, supported by the fact that the variety of enemies within the game is low. Exploration wasn't rewarded very well for the player, and most of the areas felt very linear. There were a few puzzles, but for the most part they were really just quests of running down hallways to click one of two switches to open the next area.

    Because of the short run time, I felt as though the story beats were very rushed. The relationship with Arietta's parents, the herbalist lady, your spirit companion. I did, however, really like the pacing of the carpenter (birdhouse maker). I thought it was a nice little sidequest on top of the current story beat that was being played out.

    The story is definitely the strongest aspect of this game aside from the sprite work. The game really does try to create a meaningful experience through its narrative and does succeed at times, but the game's length really rushes those moments along at times, leaving the overall feeling as though there wasn't ENOUGH time to experience the story the developers were trying to tell.

    When it was all said and done, I felt as though I had just completed the opening chapter for an adventure game, not an entire game itself. The conclusion of the story felt very rushed and as a result left me with a feeling where the story itself didn't have enough weight. I think this game is perfect for someone who is looking for a game to play and experience that is under 5 hours, or perhaps as a game to introduce a younger audience to the adventure game format.

    Art/Spritework 9/10
    Story 7.5/10
    Gameplay 5/10    … Expand

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