Initial release date:Â April 18, 2024
Genres: Adventure game, Simulation video game, Indie game, Casual game
Developer:Â EpiXR Games
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
Publisher:Â EpiXR Games
Series:Â Aery
I’m currently at Aery’s fifth stage. There might be further ones. I was originally curious because I didn’t understand how this series about birds could have lasted for so long. Next, I played a few notes on Relaxed and quickly got into the easygoing rhythm. Then it was Bemused since I felt like I had played the level previously after every release. Finally, there was anger at the ridiculousness of releasing the same game every month, and boredom since, yes, I was playing levels I had already played.
Since I’ve played every Aery game, I should probably take a break from them as they won’t go away. For my own sanity, I might as well take a break if they won’t. But I just can’t help but be a perfectionist. I must play them all, whether I’m upset or not.
Aery’s big neon hit?
Initial impressions were favorable. The bird-soaring simulator in Aery – Cyber City is the same as in all the other games (not much would change there), yet the initial stages seemed fresh. Drawing from Cyberpunk 2077, it delves into a neuromantic metropolis through many perspectives. It would seem like a flying taxi from Blade Runner as we glided through industrial warehouses and then onto scenery reminiscent of Casino City. There are several futuristic cities in Aery that we have seen, but they aren’t nearly as vivid or detailed as this one.
Even if the artwork is still rather polygonal and primitive, each scene has so much depth that it begins to work together well. Though CD Projekt Red won’t be sleeping much, it’s a decent indie game for less than ten pounds.
Though we can’t say for sure, we believe there has also been a significant alteration on the engine side. Due to the fact that entire mountainsides might suddenly materialize and strike you in the face, Aery frequently has some of the worst pop-ins in gaming. However, we hardly saw any pop-in at all. We believe there’s something more going on, but that’s partly due to the deceptively applied chromatic aberration, smog, and gloom. Even the strange spatial level has a sense of expansiveness.
And then there aren’t any bugs at all. We believe that brings the total number of Aery releases where we were able to complete the game to two. Give the parrot some credit! Although we shouldn’t need to celebrate, we can’t resist raising a glass because we’ve been let down by Aery so many times in the past.
What is this? Aery levels updated?
which is all very encouraging. If Aery – Cyber City did not decline in a different category, it would be an indication of possible improvement, a feeling that Aery might be turning a corner. Because enjoyment is opposed by Aery – Cyber City. It is poorer as a result of forgetting outdated guidelines and lessons it has learnt from the previous billion entries.
In case you are unfamiliar, Aery requests that you fly a bird across an environment in pursuit of feathers. You have to find each feather in the chain as it appears, and you have to keep going until you find the last one. It’s a comfortable experience with very little time spent thinking. You have complete control over switching off and fumbling between collectibles.
Except you can’t turn off Aery – Cyber City. It throws the breadcrumbs into the air and lets them fall where they may, instead of leaving a trail of them, like to an aerial Hansel and Gretel. The next arrives when you collect a feather, although it could appear anywhere. It doesn’t appear in your field of vision; instead, it can be directly above, below, or even behind you. That often involves repeatedly going back to familiar places.
In Aery – Cyber City, it is entirely feasible to discover a feather, sigh, and then turn around completely to look for the next one. You then dip and elevate your nose to determine if it is above or below because it is a three-dimensional space. Then you flutter around, hoping to spot a feather glimmering on a far-off horizon. We would move in a certain direction only out of hope at least four or five times in a level.
You will have to go looking for those feathers.
One feather in particular made us curse the developers. On level 5, we had to go through a ring that resembled a Stargate for five solid minutes in order to get Feather 23. Then, just as we were about to give up and go the other way, the feather emerged. This strategy of keeping feathers apart is not very useful when Aery is so painfully slow to recover. It’s a strategy we believed Aery had abandoned long ago.
As a result, a casual game becomes less casual. At Aery – Cyber City, we couldn’t settle in because another feather was a few kilometers away from the last one, so we were always pouting and crabbing. It seems like you’re lying down to rest your muscles during a massage, only to have your ribs poked at random times. A constant threat of frustration makes it impossible to unwind.
Aery-Cyber City turned into a bit of a mixed bag. We enjoyed the technological and artistic advancements while flying about without the constant reminder that we had been there before. That’s fresh. We don’t even consider that to be a given. Apart from the last level, which is ambiguous (it is possible to have excessive chromatic aberration, EpiXR), this has a significantly bigger proportion of fresh, readable, and visually appealing levels.
What is the least entertaining game on Aery?
If only we could have enjoyed them without being extremely irritated. When the feathers appear to be arranged randomly, it isn’t enjoyable or calm to fly from one to the next. We believe that Aery – Cyber City may be the least fun Aery game when it comes to gameplay alone.
Review Overview
Gameplay – 60%
Story – 55%
Aesthetics – 75%
Content – 60%
Accessibility – 70%
Value – 60%
Overall Rating – 63%
Fair
Summary: Which begs the inevitable question: how can the most recent Aery game be possibly the least fun out of the several that have been released? That is a unique kind of accomplishment.