Aura-Aura Climber

Genre: Arcade / Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Aura-Aura Climber was first released on the DSiWare service in 2010, which was later grandfathered into the Nintendo 3DS eShop when the Nintendo 3DS released. It features Arcade-style gameplay with Platforming elements… of a sort.

This is because Aura-Aura Climber doesn’t feature actual platforms, but instead has players using a grapple-like ability to climb, swing, and fling themselves upward, avoiding hazards and enemies and grabbing bonuses and power-ups.

While it’s a simple enough premise, this game manages to inject plenty of variety into that premise by having a wide array of different types of points to attach to, and different enemies and hazards to avoid, so the game never quite falls into a predictable pattern.

What’s more, the simple act of bounding your way upward through the game’s levels is enjoyable in itself, and the game’s physics even add in nice little touched like catching yourself after a long fall giving you an opportunity to slingshot yourself back up to recover some of the distance you lost.

In terms of content, there’s only ten levels and an endless mode here, with the latter forming most of what you’re likely to be playing here, as you find yourself playing “just one more” to try to top your last session. And any complaints about the lack of content are completely deflated by the game’s price – at $2, this is a lot of joy packed into a tiny price tag.

The presentation here features bring and colorful 2D visuals, but nothing particularly impressive. The characters are cute but not very distinctive or memorable. And the energetic soundtrack works well enough for the game but isn’t especially memorable either. It all works, but at $2 you wouldn’t expect much, and this game doesn’t have much to offer in terms of presentation.

Frankly, at a mere $2, I think Aura-Aura Climber is a game just about any Nintendo 3DS owner should get. It’s a small price to pay for a unique and fun game with a blend of Arcade and Platformer elements and some really compelling gameplay.

tl;dr – Aura-Aura Climber is a game that has players climbing up a series of points with a grapple-like ability. It’s simple yet highly compelling gameplay that makes this game more than worth the $2 asking price.

Grade: B+

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