Aspire: Ina's Tale

 Switch
Aspire: Ina's Tale Image
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: A journey of self-discovery set across the grand landscapes of a living tower.

    Ina was trapped, placed in perpetual slumber inside the Tower – where she dreamed. Suddenly and unknowingly, she is woken. Ina must now explore the Tower’s inner chambers in search of a way out and a reason for    A journey of self-discovery set across the grand landscapes of a living tower.

    Ina was trapped, placed in perpetual slumber inside the Tower – where she dreamed. Suddenly and unknowingly, she is woken. Ina must now explore the Tower’s inner chambers in search of a way out and a reason for her imprisonment.

    Along the way, she’ll traverse marvelous scenery, meet enigmatic characters, solve intuitive puzzles, and conquer platforming sequences as she comes closer to her goal - but farther from innocence.

    For this isn't a story about how Ina was saved. This is the story about how she discovered she could be so much more.

    Explore a Living Tower
    Get lost in a mystical side-scrolling adventure through beautiful sprawling levels, each with their own distinct feel. Every region presents its own peculiarities to unravel.

    Engaging Story
    Ina's dreams shape reality while the Tower feeds. Hopes and imagination satiate its hunger. How are the two connected?

    Meet the Tower Dwellers
    Learn about the other denizens of the Tower as you search for the truth. Uncover their pasts, their memories, and set them free.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Impulsegamer
    Jan 24, 2022
    80
    While it has its fair share of issues, Aspire: Ina's Tale was a delight to play through. The developers did an excellent job of crafting a beautiful and immersive world. The puzzles are challenging, and the brief narrative is engaging.
  2. Vooks
    Dec 23, 2021
    80
    Aspire: Ina’s Tale still leaves an outstanding impression. Traversing the big ol’ tower and solving puzzles with Ina was satisfying despite a few tricky hiccups. The brilliant art style is the absolute star of the show, however. Aspire: Ina’s Tale is a game with striking visuals that’ll keep you agasp through its entirety.
  3. COGconnected
    Dec 16, 2021
    73
    Aspire: Ina’s Tale is an audacious game that manages to create a remarkable world which you’ll want to explore. The incredible design is consistent for the duration making each area a joy to discover. Puzzles vary and offer a suitable level of challenge, however, the stiff movement in platforming segments hinders the experience. Whilst the game’s runtime is relatively short, this memorable stroll through a stunning gallery is worth your time.
  4. Pure Nintendo
    Jan 3, 2022
    70
    Aspire: Ina’s Tale combines a puzzle platformer structure with a rich magical story and a beautifully designed world to create a fun, if brief, adventure.
  5. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jan 23, 2022
    70
    Well attached to its inspirations and classic patterns in terms of narration and game design, Aspire: Ina's Tale offers above all a very beautiful show. The game draws its uniqueness from an absolutely masterful soundtrack and attractive architectures. On the other hand, it sins in its duration, its short story and some levels that are not always well thought out.
  6. Shindig
    Jan 9, 2022
    60
    Aspire: Ina’s Tale sets itself apart with stunning visual design and a story that, in knowing exactly when to leave things unsaid, encourages reflection just as it does adventure and excitement. It’s vivid, brimming with little details, but also leaves the door open to personal interpretation. It’s a shame that the game itself can’t reach the same heights, though, with lacklustre puzzle design and lots of little frustrations that get in the way of Ina’s inspiring tale, rather than enhancing it.
  7. Switch Player
    Jan 20, 2022
    60
    Aspire: Ina’s Tale is easy on the eyes and ears, but a little harder on the hands. A short and sweet little puzzle platformer, while it doesn’t present a challenge, the art and soundtrack are worth sticking around for.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. NindieSpotlight
    Dec 20, 2021
    8
    From an “elevator pitch” angle there’s something great about being able to cite popular and successful titles as a shorthand to describe otherFrom an “elevator pitch” angle there’s something great about being able to cite popular and successful titles as a shorthand to describe other ones succinctly. In the case of Aspire, whether it was intentional or not, the easy choice is the gorgeous and smart adventure GRIS. Right off the bat the game’s great aesthetic style is on display, and the action has an old-school cinematic feel in line with classics like Prince of Persia. All of this works pretty well, and it makes an impression, but there are also some cracks in the facade that hold it back from the next level in spots. The first is that I think the game takes it a little too much for granted early on that people will experiment to understand both the nuances of the controls and how best to contend with your enemies. The second is that exacerbating that issue are hiccups with the at-times finicky controls when trying to interact with objects under duress. Granted, with a little repetition you’ll work things out and progress, but they are rough edges in an otherwise compelling adventure that could discourage gamers in the early going.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/12/mini-reviews-december-17th-edition.html    … Expand
  2. thryce3
    Mar 29, 2023
    6
    While it is certainly striving for and emotional, story-driven effect, it doesn't quite reach the heights is aspires too (pun obviouslyWhile it is certainly striving for and emotional, story-driven effect, it doesn't quite reach the heights is aspires too (pun obviously intended). It has a beautiful art style and soundtrack. The puzzles aren't too and are clever enough, but it's sometimes unclear. The story seems to hit some emotional beats, but I was never that invested in it and didn't quite know what was goin on. On top of that, it's very short even when compared to other games of it's ilk. All in all, it's a fine diversion ,but won't set the world on fire.… Expand
  4. rvncto
    Jan 13, 2023
    4
    This game looks gorgeous, but it is awful to play. Was this game not play tested?
    Its like they wanted to make the short game longer by    This game looks gorgeous, but it is awful to play. Was this game not play tested?
    Its like they wanted to make the short game longer by making you move in slow motion.
    Every single action is so tedious ... forget it , can't go on... delete.    … Expand

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