Winds of Arcana: Ruination Review

If you love the Metroidvania genre and you want something new to test you, you may wish to look at Winds of Arcana: Ruination. This almost Prince of Persia-like affair is a classic indie title. However, it has some minor, unique elements to keep you interested. With a nice blend of spells and melee combat, tough bosses, and the classic Metroidvania mechanics, this will keep you playing for around 15 hours.

This 2.5D side-scrolling platform adventure was developed by Brewed Games. It is a single-player experience with some testing moments. Yes, it follows many tried and tested mechanics, but a blend of weapons and magical Soul Crests helps to keep things fresh.

Winds of Arcana: Ruination tells a tale of a ruined world.

You play the role of Aryn. This warrior is all alone after a catastrophic event decimated the world. Determined not to be the only survivor, this heroic fighter explores dangerous environments while trying to find mercenaries to join their cause.

The story doesn’t dominate proceedings. Instead, it is the use of fun and smooth exploration tools that keeps you focused. Gliding, grappling, parkour, and more must be mastered if you are to get past every obstacle. In typical genre fashion, you must use plenty of back and forth as you find new powers and reach otherwise unobtainable stages.

Combat and hellish bosses.

The combat elements are exciting and smooth. With a focus on timing and mastering each weapon, your skills will be tested. Additionally, there is a nice array of monsters and creatures to overcome. Thankfully, the Soul Crests help to improve the hero. You’ll be granted new spells and abilities that’ll help you kill everything in sight and explore further.

Winds of Arcana: Ruination demands that you explore an array of forgotten civilisations. Here, you’ll master your spells, find masses of treasure, and discover the origins of the destructive event. The story is beautifully told, and the full-voiced narration was a treat. However, it feels very similar to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, so this delivered a lack of originality.

As you explore the world, you’ll encounter some brutish bosses. These huge behemoths are tricky to overcome. With testing combat patterns, almost unpredictable movement, and ungodly health bars, you will be pushed all the way. Yet, once you memorise their movements and understand what is required, you’ll feel a welcome sense of reward and relief.

Winds of Arcana: Ruination has a wonderful fantasy edge.

I adore the crisp 2.5D approach and the exceptional fantasy edge. Consequently, Winds of Arcana: Ruination looks fantastic, and the developer has worked incredibly hard to deliver a smooth and eye-catching game. With impressive frame rates, limited glitches, and a nice roster of characters, this was great to look at. The audio is aggressive, memorable, and perfectly balanced. There is a nice blend of drama and angst. Moreover, the fully voiced story was a welcome addition.

The controls are extremely responsive, and the clean UI and well-placed hints are great. As new skills are adopted, you are given time to bed them in. This makes it the ideal game if you are new to the genre or if you are slow at picking things up. However, the tough bosses take some patience, so this may put some people off. Replay value is limited to your love of the genre. If the thought of traversing back and forth and getting your ass kicked by huge bosses is a no-no, then you will not like this indie experience.

Winds of Arcana: Ruination is a great addition to the genre.

Despite my minor complaints, I enjoyed playing Winds of Arcana: Ruination. The story, unique character builds, spells, and exceptional graphics are great to experience. If I were to be critical, I think the bosses are too tough, and this will impact many casual gamers’ experience. However, I think it is great, and I recommend grabbing a copy from the Xbox Store!