Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC

Publisher

Team17

Developer

Navegante Entertainment

Genre

Action, Adventure, Platform, Puzzle

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

1.6 GB

Release Date (NA)

Aug 17, 2021

Purchase From

eShop

Steam

Greak: Memories of Azur is a side-scrolling, adventure game developed by Mexico-based, indie studio Navegante Entertainment and published by Team17. This single-player game lets you control three siblings with unique abilities: Greak, Adara, and Raydel. You will have fun controlling each character but expect challenges along the way.

Escape the Invasion

The land of Azur is in chaos. The Urlags, monsters living in the shadows, are invading the peaceful lives of the Courines, creatures who look like elves. The invasion has been going on for far too long, and it’s pushing the Courines to flee their land. The game doesn’t go too much into detail about the war. Instead, it focuses more on three siblings looking to get back together and leave Azur.

When you start, you’ll start the game as Greak, a young Courine boy looking for his two siblings. The game gives you a quick demo in the beginning on how to control multiple characters. Afterward, Greak wakes up in a rundown building with other lost Courines. You find out that the remaining Courines are building an airship to get away safely from the Urlags. Greak is willing to help, but his top priority is to find his two lost siblings who are lost somewhere in Azur. Don’t worry: you’ll be tasked to help build the ship while exploring Azur and looking for your brother and sister.

Three’s Company

Greak, Adara, and Raydel, the three siblings, each have their own unique set of abilities. Each one is useful and required to learn to complete the game. Greak, the youngest brother, is small but quick in reflexes and skilled with a sword. Greak can swim, but his lungs are mediocre at best for exploring underwater. The young Courine can double jump, which is useful in battle.

Adara possesses spells that can attack enemies from afar. She can also levitate across areas for a limited time. Exploring underwater, Adara is best to use with her larger air supply. While her speed in battle is fairly quick, she cannot maneuver as fast as her brother Greak.

Raydel, the oldest brother, is a knight with a sword and shield. With heavy equipment, Raydel cannot be relied on for speed, but he makes up for it with a shield. His shield can turn away enemy attacks and also create paths for his siblings by blocking flame and beams that are preventing them from moving forward. However, Raydel cannot swim and, instead, sinks, causing you to lose a life orb in your character’s gauge. To get around, you’ll have to rely on Raydel’s hookshot to get across tough areas. Using his hookshot is tricky at first, but after a little practice, you’ll get the hang of it.

Players can control each character all at once or separately. You can call the team together by a simple press of a button, if they are nearby. To control them all together is the tricky part, making the game challenging. You’ll need to hold down the trigger button to get all three to sync, and you’ll need to continue holding down the trigger to maneuver. Thankfully, if you use Greak, you can still do your double jump. Your siblings will continue to follow you as long as the trigger button is still held.

In controlling all the siblings, you also need to be aware of their location and health. You can leave the character in a different area as you explore, but if they are attacked, you need to be attentive and act fast. Once their life orbs are fully depleted, the sibling perishes, and it’s game over. You can switch between characters easily, and the game does a great job indicating where the other siblings are and what’s happening.

With having to control multiple characters, you would think the game would let you have a friend or two join in for some multiplayer fun. Unfortunately, that’s not available, but it feels like it’s achievable even if everyone has to share the same screen.

Each character can increase their life orb count and increase their skills by completing trials throughout the game. These locations are scattered across Azur, and it’s worth challenging them even if they are difficult to complete. For example, for Raydel’s challenge, players will need to destroy each crystal by maneuvering around obstacles in a limited time. Don’t worry: you can continue as many times you want.

A Gloomy, but Beautiful World

Exploring Memories of Azur is similar to many Metroidvania-style games: exploring areas by unlocking paths, acquiring new skills, solving puzzles, and fast-paced combat. The game’s levels are beautifully drawn and fun to explore, always making you want to see what’s next or do one more thing. When the camera zooms out for a few seconds, your eyes are drawn toward the gorgeous layout, even if the land of Azur is dark and gloomy. Cutscenes are hand drawn and, while short, they add depth and emotion to the game’s story. Seeing the siblings back together for the first time and their emotions are well worth animating.

The game’s soundtrack was recorded by a live orchestra. While it doesn’t continue to play throughout your adventure, it’s a welcoming sound to the ears when it does. The intense parts creep up when exploring the rainy, gloomy atmosphere, while passionate tunes celebrate when your siblings are about to come together. Bravo!

Puzzles are fulfilling and challenging. Many of the game’s puzzles require more than one character to solve, making them entertaining. However, some require you to be overly precise and become a bit annoying as a result. For example, there’s a beam of light that needs to reflect across the level, and you’re required to move mirrors by rotating them with one of the characters. Once you have one reflected, you need to do the other mirrors. If one of them doesn’t reflect correctly, you have to backtrack to fix it.

Boss battles are straightforward but can be a handful, especially when controlling multiple characters at once. Expect to perish multiple times. However, there’s a simple trick to take down many of these powerful enemies. Using Greak, if you use a special item to increase your attack power for a timed period, you can stand in the center of the boss and go to town with combo attacks. Greak’s quick reflexes make it easier to maneuver and attack compared to his other siblings. When in a pinch, switch a character to help Greak out. Just make sure you are aware of your siblings’ locations. If any one of them perishes, it’s game over.

Getting Around

The rundown building Greak first woke up is your team’s home base. There’s a shop, a free inn, a cooking pot, a transporter, a lookout tower, and your airship. The transporter only works if you have come across a similar stone fixture around the land of Azur. Activate one by walking by it, and you have yourself a fast trip back home.

The game’s map isn’t as useful when compared to other platformers like Super Metroid. Instead, players have access to a simplified map that shows general areas and transporter spots across Azur.

Your home base’s shop is very small compared to those in many other games. There are a limited number of items to purchase and earning money is challenging. Better items are available from a travelling merchant, and some are key items to progress the game’s story.

The number of inventory slots you have access to is small and varies per playable character. You can increase your characters’ inventory slots but not by much. If you have a full inventory and there’s a special item that needs to be picked up, at least the game won’t force you to drop an item to free up a spot. You can also stack the same items up to a limited amount to avoid filling your slots too quickly.

Let’s Get Cooking!

A cooking pot appears not only in your home base but also all across Azur. Using it is simple, and if you’ve played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this isn’t something new to learn. You’ll add three ingredient items that’ll make a dish that can be used to help you heal. Just like Breath of the Wild, you can make a nasty dish with the wrong ingredients. Consuming it can actually damage your health!

Eating items is not automatic. Instead, the character has to consume it to work. Once your character eats a food item, a timed gauge appears, and once it depletes, you’ll regain your health. You’ll need to time your food intake and think ahead before taking on a boss battle.

DualSense Goodies

Playing Greak: Memories of Azur on the PlayStation 5 utilizes parts of the DualSense’s capabilities. Switching between siblings changes the controller’s color. For example, playing as Greak is yellow, Adara is purple, and Raydel is green.

That’s not all, the adaptive triggers also come into play. Whether you are calling your siblings together or shooting an arrow, the response the controller gives feels great. This should be the standard that all games on the PlayStation 5 follow in utilizing the DualSense.

The Final Gathering

Greak: Memories of Azur is fun and challenging. While it’s difficult to control all three siblings at once, they are a force to be reckoned with when players get a handle on them. Those who enjoy Metroidvania games should not pass up this unique adventure. Azur awaits!

A PlayStation 5 code was provided for this review and gameplay footage.