The Book of Aaru
Critic Reviews for The Book of Aaru
There’s something curiously promising about The Book of Aaru. The concept is fantastic—a cursed feline in a techno, mythic Egyptian underworld with destructible tombs and time, manipulating combat. It should work. But for now, it’s buried under a tombstone of glitches, clunky design, and uninspired combat. The charm of the setting and music can only carry it so far. Roguelites thrive on tight gameplay loops, juicy upgrades, and a reason to keep returning. Sadly, The Book of Aaru fumbles on almost every count. Hopefully, future patches can resuscitate this title and grant it the nine lives it deserves. Until then, it’s a fascinating but broken relic. The Book of Aaru gets the Thumb Culture Bronze Award
The Book of Aaru is a game that had a fair amount on paper to pull me in. I love a good rogue-like, I’ve poured endless hours into games like Hades and Diablo. The general rule is that the words, “ Indie” and “ isometric,” are enough alone to grab me. Add a relatively original Egyptian world and theme to the mix and I went in hoping that I had a little bit of a hidden gem on my hands. Unfortunately, convoluted skill trees, perk systems, and crafting options, coupled with largely uninteresting gameplay and frustrating technical issues, made for a less than enjoyable time.
