Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC

Publisher

Idea Factory International

Developer

Idea Factory, Compile Heart, Hyde

Genre

Action, RPG

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

1.2 GB

Release Date (NA)

Mar 24, 2026

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Steam

Ariana and the Elder Codex is a beautiful, action role-playing game (RPG) that shines in its smooth mechanics and character skill setup. However, there are a few areas that could be refined to elevate it to masterpiece status.

Fixer Upper

You’ll play as a young woman named Ariana, a librarian tasked with restoring the Seven Hero Codices. These codices are ancient magical books that have been corrupted and only Ariana can help restore them to bring magic back to the world. Ariana must enter each book to fix the corruption that lingers within. You’ll encounter many enemies that’ll try to stop you from completing the books.

It’s an interesting tale of how magic was once used and suddenly removed from society. The story digs into its history and provides a short story that makes it intriguing to explore in order to understand the book’s end. Some stories touch on a variety of themes such as freedom and sacrifice.

Well Equipped Librarian

While playing Ariana, players can utilize a variety of skills to take out enemies, from sword swinging to different types of elemental magic (e.g. water, fire, wind). These skills can be arranged on one of your controller’s D-pads. Some skills have a cooldown before they can be used again, putting you at a disadvantage unless you have a quick skill, like the sword skill. 

Like many RPGs, your character will level up to increase stats such as health points and attack strength. You can also create items with the loot enemies drop to increase your stats and prevent too much damage from enemies or pitfalls, which can take a chunk of health from your gauge. By attaching the health spell to your controller command, you can regenerate your health. Additionally, players can increase their skill levels to improve power, cooldowns, etc., making it goal-oriented for players to collect and power up the character.

Landing attacks and maneuvering in battle feels fun, though it can feel a bit constrained when trying to swap between sprinting, jumping, and attacking. On the contrary, it doesn’t drag down the fun in the game, and players will enjoy taking out enemies with the customized setup they equipped for Ariana. 

To complete each codex at 100%, players will have to seek out torn rifts that resemble a hole with a glowing eye peeking out. Many are not visible and require certain goals to make them appear, such as defeating all enemies in the area. Once you enter these rifts, you’ll be challenged to complete them within a time limit, and you will be graded on your time length. These enemies also tend to showcase more difficulty than many of the areas on the level. Once completed, return to the torn hole to exit. The timer continues to run, and it can be frustrating to see your letter score drop between defeating the last enemy and running back to the hole. Utilizing Ariana’s skillset and combo moves is key for swift battles. Completing these rifts brings you one step closer to 100% completion. It’s not required, but it gives players the opportunity to strive for it. 

Don’t expect to complete the book at 100% on the first try, as some areas require new skills from Ariana, such as double-jumping. Players can return to the codex at any “chapter” save points they encounter, whether they completed the book or not. The difficulty does feel at times uneven but does offer a set of difficulties that can be changed during the game only in Ariana’s room. The option to have this is at least satisfying whereas games like Pragmata only offer a one-time deal.

Artistly Charming

The art designs are beautiful and it’s what gravitates players towards this action RPG. The hand painted art style gives it a storybook feeling, which ironically is the theme of the game. Character illustrations are gorgeous, and some of their 3D models carry that charm over. However, many of the NPCs that hang out in the library, including enemies in the codices, feel more like a copy-and-paste with not enough variety. Bosses are visually much better than the random enemies you’ll encounter. The boss fights themselves are surprisingly entertaining than expected as you maneuver around their themed attacks but they do create heavy damage outputs. Boss fights carry a screen-width health gauge that looks intimidating but players should fret too much on looks. It’s best to have upgrades placed on your skillset for an easier battle or change the difficulty setting if things get too rough.

Each codex’s level designs are uniquely laid out that resemble metroidvania styled games. Depending on the book you explore, the design closely resembles that element. For example, most of the levels in the Codex of Earth are underground, along with crystals added for decoration. Overall, the designs are easy on the eyes and  stand out, not looking generic.The soundtrack itself serves to be more of a background music without disrupting the gameplay, filling in the void.

The Final Codex

Ariana and the Elder Codex is a visually stunning storybook world with fun combat. However, it does have some rough edges of repetitiveness and other minor flaws that prevent it from reaching masterpiece status. Still, it’s a story well worth exploring.

A PlayStation 5 review code provided for this review. Ariana and the Elder Codex is available now for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC (Steam). Players can visit the game’s official website for more information and purchasing options.