Arise: A simple story Reviews

Arise: A simple story is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2019

...If you’re a big as of a sap as I am but not as fussy about controls, Arise: A Simple Story is well worth the time. It's a story that stayed on my mind well after the closing credits.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2019

A beautiful, creative indie platformer that’s held back from classic status by its infuriatingly imprecise controls. The sumptuous journey is still very much worth it, though.

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7 / 10
Dec 7, 2019

Playing Arise is often frustrating so I’d suggest being aware of that before playing it, but when the music, visuals and moments in the gameplay just mix perfectly it’s this colourful cocktail to pull on your feelings out of nowhere, because although it’s a simple tale, it’s one we can all relate to.

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9.7 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2019

A little and warm pat to heart of platforms games.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Dec 11, 2019

While it may be simple in concept, Arise: A Simple Story delivers a real showstopper when it comes to its gameplay, offering up an innovative blend of aesthetic splendour and strong themes. It’s a beautiful, poignant journey not to be missed and one of the best games of the year.

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10 / 10.0
Dec 3, 2019

Arise: A Simple Story is a special game and it deserves your attention. The narrative, although like the title suggests is ‘simple’, how it’s told is not, and the game deserves to be lauded for this. The puzzles are fun with suitable challenge allowing you to progress through the game and experience the unique chapters with a smile on your face. If you’re a fan of artistic indie titles such as Brothers: A Tale of two Sons, Rime and Limbo then do yourself a favour, and check out this game. Not only does this game get the rare Thumb Culture Platinum Award, it’s also a game of the year contender!

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8.8 / 10.0
Dec 12, 2019

Arise: A Simple Story has done something no other media has done to me in quite some time, send me on a rollercoaster of emotions. The game’s environments are visually very pretty and often quite quirky, while the musical score is truly moving and compliments the game perfectly. While the time manipulation concept is nothing new, it is done very cleverly and makes for some interesting platforming sequences. Platforming precision may be a minor irritation but it doesn’t impede the overall experience in the slightest.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2019

One of the biggest surprises this year and and the great debut of the Spanish studio. Arise: A Simple Story is a beautiful artistic game that also offers interesting storie and challenging gameplay.

Review in Polish | Read full review

Dec 2, 2019

Arise offers a beautifully crafted narrative in the skin of a 3D puzzle platformer. Though it’s not a game-changer, Arise manages to excel in everything it offers to the player providing a well-refined experience.

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8.1 / 10.0
Jan 15, 2020

Arise: A Simple Story is another example of the excellent health enjoyed by the independent Spanish scene, capable of developing products (such as the aforementioned Rime, GRAY, Etherborn ...) that work in the playable, but also in the narrative, in the technical and artistic. If you are one of those who, like me, believe that the greatest emotions grow from the simplest stories, do not hesitate and embark on the adventure of love and death that this game poses.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Dec 19, 2019

Arise : A Simple Story is a simple game from both story and gameplay perspectives but it is this simplicity that makes all the different parts of it come together and make it a unique experience.

Review in Persian | Read full review

8.8 / 10.0
Feb 4, 2020

Not much negative has been noticed. In the game there is only one collectible in the memories. Unfortunately, these small works of art only minimally awaken the discovery value of remote places, so you don't always want to deviate from the main path. Sometimes the controls get a little stuck and the camera perspective is not always an advantage, because some distances to be crossed are not easy to estimate and more often you fall into (deadly) darkness. So you often start again from a memory point. But these are set very fair. Frustrating moments did not occur. Since there is also the possibility of local co-op mode, I will definitely play it again. The two of you will take this emotional journey once again and enjoy the story to the fullest. One player controls the man and the other manipulates time. So you have to trust and coordinate with each other. A certainly beautiful, but also challenging journey. With Arise: A simple story you get for 19,99 € an atmospheric game, which becomes a real surprise with an emotional story, exciting gameplay and loving details.

Review in German | Read full review

XboxEra
Harm0nica
7.5 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2021

‘Arise: A Simple Story’ is a well-designed Platform Puzzler with a very clever time manipulation mechanic. The game is very striking visually and the musical score picks you up and carries you along the way with it. The puzzles are not over-taxing but are challenging enough to keep you interested and create a nice, chill gaming experience. If you are looking for a platformer game that will take you on a bit of an emotional journey, you should check this out.

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Dec 6, 2019

Arise: A Simple Story lives up to its namesake, telling a captivating tale full of charm and heartbreak that hit me right in the feels. It's an experience I won't forget anytime soon, and while there are a few flaws, they cannot outweigh what a meaningful experience this turned out to be, and I couldn't recommend it more.

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Liked-a-lot
Apr 27, 2022

Arise: A Simple Story – Definitive Edition is a bittersweet tale of an old man’s life and the memories he shared with a partner. It relays a tale of love, heartbreak, hardship, and an emotional journey through his life. It’s a story that stayed on my mind well after the closing credits. The platforming sections may prove fiddly; however, the storyline, narrative and visuals make up for the platforming shortcomings.

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8 / 10
May 27, 2022

Arise – A Simple Story contains a beautifully told story within a charming puzzle adventure. With poignant moments and joyful visuals, this game has the ability to capture a breadth of emotion with ease. It’s a short but worthy edition to narrative driven puzzle games.

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7 / 10.0
May 4, 2022

Although it's a game without much pretensions, Arise: A Simple Story - Definitive Edition could have had more refinement in the narrative construction, as well as more polish and development both from an artistic and gameplay point of view. However, the title by Piccolo Studio has good ideas in its level design, has some beautiful scenes and conveys a beautiful and simple message from its developers, and deserves to be appreciated by fans of platform art games, although they should try it without great expectations.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Apr 29, 2022

From its story to its platforming, Arise is simple in many ways and is not afraid to try new things with its mechanics. While its platforming makes things more difficult than it needs to be at times, it is the journey through the narrative that matters the most. If you’re up for a simple yet satisfying journey that tugs at your heartstrings, Arise will do just that.

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9 / 10.0
May 2, 2022

There were no spoken words to explain the story, yet they were still able to convey emotions through body language. Small cutscene moments would play out as you found statues that revealed the character’s life journey to the player. To bolster the impact of these moments, the orchestral melodies became a major contributor to emotional impact. It was amazing to be led down the garden path as the atmosphere would shift from mysterious yet hopeful to immediately hitting me with a pang of sadness. Even when things seemed to be at their lowest, they still managed to circle back the feeling of happiness with the addition of collectable hand-drawn memories of his happiest moments with his partner.

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6.5 / 10.0
May 4, 2022

Overall, then, Arise remains an interesting platform experience. The gameplay is fun, the time manipulation is a well-used and well-developed mechanic, the visuals and sound are solid, yet the narrative goes to some strange, tone-deaf places and the overall message is, at best, mixed. Joyful at the beginning, borderline offensive in places in the middle, and thoroughly bleak by the ending.

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