Wheels Of Aurelia
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Critic Reviews for Wheels Of Aurelia
You’ll want to play Wheels of Aurelia several times to see all the paths you can take, but practical issues make that a chore
An original mix between interactive fiction and arcade racing that brings you in the Italy of the seventies: a truly unique game that deserves to be played.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It might sound like Wheels of Aurelia is a slog, and although it can feel that way on occasion, it is still an enjoyable jaunt across the Via Aurelia.
As a visual novel, Wheels of Aurelia is a lacklustre experience. As a driving game, it's even worse. However you wish to identify it, this title lacks genuine substance; it's a solid idea executed poorly. The key themes and settings are deceptive, making the title seem like it is built on strong foundations when in reality, it's made up of a series of convoluted verbal exchanges between characters who forcefully touch on an array of dicey topics relevant but not always central to the time. The historical-links also suffer as this information is often overridden by an aggressive sense of agenda-setting that robs the exchanges of impact. Then there's the main narrative focused on a person you're likely to not even care about due to the concise nature of each road trip. It's simply not on par with the best titles this genre has to offer, and although you could argue that the esoteric nature of the game means it will illicit wildly different emotional reactions from different people, the core package just isn't compelling, challenging or appealing enough to back up that line of debate.
Wheels of Aurelia presents a captivating premise and its dialogues are nothing short of interesting. Unfortunately the game's execution does not allow it to become a fully enjoyable hybrid between a visual novel and driving simulator and the dialogue's mechanics often disappoint, which along with an unpolished visual component makes this an unfulfilled promise.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
undefined.We certainly need developers willing to take risks and experiment with different ideas to move the industry forward, but unfortunately not every new idea is going to work. As with every niche I'm sure there is an audience that will appreciate the beautiful visuals and pleasant soundtrack, but for me I just couldn't get past the uninteresting back stories and repetition of playing through the same experience to get slightly different endings.
Wheels of Aurelia is about the road trip not the destination, we’re told. Santa Ragione should feel proud of their efforts to bring to light stories and events in Italy’s history, in educating a generation that may well be less aware of them. I’m just not certain that this was the best way to impart what they learned.
