Arise: A Simple Story – Definitive Edition

Genre: 3D Platformer / Puzzle-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

(Note: Review code provided by the kind folks at Untold Tales)

(Note: This game is a part of the Arise + What Lies in the Multiverse Bundle, along with What Lies in the Multiverse)

Arise: A Simple Story is a 3D Platformer with Puzzle-Platformer elements first released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2019, with a “Definitive Edition” port coming to Nintendo Switch in 2022 with an exclusive artbook and soundtrack (downloadable via QR codes in the game’s menus), as well as Switch-exclusive gyroscopic support and a photo mode.

Arise begins with us watching an old man on a funeral pyre being set ablaze, and then we see him awaken in a distant land. From there, he will travel on a journey seemingly depicting the events of his life, with statues depicting the noteworthy people in that life.

The primary gameplay mechanic in Arise is that players can use the right analog stick to fast forward and rewind time. The Nintendo Switch version also gives players the option of doing this with gyroscopic controls, but I far preferred using the analog stick for this task. Additionally, players can get a second player to take over this task, but this hardly seems necessary. Quite frankly, Arise is not a particularly difficult game.

The puzzles that are present here can often be exceptionally clever in their construction, but they’re not especially challenging to solve. Usually you’ll be able to easily see what to do just by rewinding and fast-forwarding time a few times and observing the environmental changes. The complete lack of challenge here isn’t necessarily a flaw though – it gives players the opportunity to have a more laid-back experience and just take in the game’s aesthetics and non-narrative story.

I suppose one could say that the platforming here is challenging, but that’s mainly because it’s… well, bad. Players cannot control the camera, and often the perspective makes it difficult to control jumps properly. Also, in at least a few sections, the mechanics for climbing are frustratingly finicky, and I had to retry one area multiple times because the game was particularly picky about detecting a hand-hold I was jumping to.

While these are issues, the game thankfully places most of its focus on the wonderful time-manipulation gimmick, and it is here that Arise shines. Not only is it a sight to behold to see seas rising and falling, snow building up, or flowers following the sun across the sky as you manipulate time, but this game does a magnificent job working this element into the gameplay. What’s more, the delightful variety of ways this mechanic is used keeps things interesting throughout the game.

However, even this is largely in service to the game’s story and presentation, and Arise is phenomenal when it comes to these elements. The unnamed old man players take the role of only speaks in grunts and other nonverbal vocalizations, but even these small sounds make it perfectly clear the emotional journey he’s going on as he revisits different times in his life. I won’t go into any more detail here because one of the great joys of this game is experiencing its story for yourself.

And bringing all of this together is an absolutely stunning presentation. The detail in the 3D environments, the beautiful look of tracks in snow, the play of light and shadows on the landscape, all of these things are made even more stunning by your ability to manipulate them at will. The old man himself has a fairly simple character design, but it works well with this game’s imagery as it all has a very abstract feel to it.

There is one thing I should note here, though – the Nintendo Switch version of the game does have a few technical issues. Load times are longer than I’d like and there’s noticeable pop-in, and issues like these detract from the audiovisual experience this game is aiming to deliver. However, even despite the occasional graphical issue that pops up, this is still a very good-looking game.

However, I would argue that the soundtrack here may very well top those visuals. The orchestral soundtrack with some simple piano tracks and some vocal tracks is truly gorgeous and does an amazing job drawing out the emotions of each scene as you pass through it. For an idea what to expect, have a listen to Arise and Remembrance. Suffice it to say, this game’s soundtrack is gorgeous, and being able to access it on its own is certainly a selling point of the Nintendo Switch version of the game.

Ah yes, about the Nintendo Switch-exclusive features… I’ve already mentioned the underwhelming gyroscopic motion controls, the soundtrack and artbook, but I should take a moment to go into the Photo Mode. At any point in the game, players can pause the action and have the camera zoom around to capture the action from different angles, and the game includes numerous filters and settings to give you the opportunity to capture the perfect photo. Honestly, this sort of thing has never appealed to me, but if you like taking picturesque screenshots, you’ll likely find this a nice addition to a game that already looks gorgeous.

Overall, were these additions worth a 3-year wait for this game to finally release on Nintendo Switch? Well, probably not – I think most of these additions are niche in their appeal. However, the core game itself is still a beautiful experience to play through, roughly comparable to games like Journey, Abzu, and Gris in that this isn’t about challenging gameplay as much as it is about an emotional audiovisual experience.

In that regard, Arise: A Simple Story is an absolutely wonderful game that’s well worth experiencing, and it plays beautifully on the Nintendo Switch, albeit with a few minor issues here and there. If you’re looking for less of a challenge and more of a tug at the heartstrings, this is going to be a game you’ll enjoy.

tl;dr – Arise is a 3D Platformer with Puzzle-Platformer elements where players can fast forward and rewind the flow of time to solve puzzles. The platforming isn’t very good, and the puzzles aren’t especially difficult, but that’s also not really the point – this game is all about delivering a beautiful audiovisual experience that takes you through a journey of an old man looking back on the events of his life. In that regard, this is a wonderful, moving experience that should not be missed.

Grade: B+

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