Review – Aztaka (PC)

Inspired by the legends of the ancient Aztec civilization, Aztaka is an action role-playing game with an old-school flavour. Reminiscent of classic console titles such as Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, the inaugural title from independent developer Citérémis pays homage to the golden age of gaming. With some fresh ideas and a gorgeous visual presentation, Aztaka is a great title for both new and old fans of the genre.

The story of Aztaka follows a young Aztec warrior named Huitzilo as he attempts to lead his people to salvation. A child of destiny, Huitzilo is burdened by the task of finding the Path of the Gods – a legendary gateway through which mankind may transcend into the Heavens. To do so he must locate the seven hidden Phonograms – ancient relics that act as keys to the Path of the Gods. Thankfully, Huitzilo is not alone in his quest. Sharing his destiny is Ayohpa, a young Aztec woman trapped in the body of a hummingbird. Though cursed with her avian form, Ayohpa possesses the knowledge of magic – a gift that will greatly benefit the pair in their journey.

The gameplay will seem simple and familiar at first – travelling left and right on a two-dimensional plane while attacking monsters and jumping over obstacles. However, Aztaka brings several fresh ideas to the table that really help to distinguish it from other games in the traditional action RPG genre. Each of the creatures that Huitzilo and Ayohpa encounter on their journey possesses a different kind of lifeforce energy, of which there are four in total. Whenever a creature is defeated, this energy is left behind for Huitzilo to collect. Each type of energy can be used in a different way to manipulate the game world or to directly aid the protagonists. For instance, the green energy – known as Vital Energy – is capable of making branches grow on trees, allowing Huitzilo to navigate them like platforms. But when used on Huitzilo directly the Vital Energy will restore lost health points, and donating the green energy to fallen allies may restore them to good health. Throughout his journies, Huitzilo will obtain containers capable of storing the individual types of energy. Many of the puzzles in Aztaka involve using the four types of energy in clever ways in order to proceed, so storing them becomes a necessity. Unfortunately, most of the puzzles are quite easy, and the solutions are often very obvious. However, some require an energy that you may not have discovered yet, or may originate from a difficult monster, requiring you to come back to the puzzle at a later time.

Another interesting gameplay mechanic is the method in which Ayohpa’s spells are cast. To cast a spell, you must click on the spell icon and then click again on your desired target. Once your target has been selected, a series of icons will appear on the screen in a pre-determined pattern. Clicking on these icons in the appropriate order will result in the successful execution of the spell. Missing one of the icons or failing to click on it fast enough will result in the spell failing. The action goes into slow-motion during this process, but trying to cast spells with the mouse while using the keyboard to make Huitzilo dodge incoming attacks can be a stressful experience. Thankfully, placing skill points into Ayohpa’s Heaven Focus skill makes the process much easier. For each point spent on the skill the time allowed to cast the spell increases, and the icons in the spell-casting pattern will become easier to click. This is achieved by increasing the lock-on radius for each icon, allowing your mouse cursor to snap to the next icon automatically as it gets closer.

The character development in Aztaka is surprisingly deep. Both Huitzilo and Ayohpa possess unique skills and attributes that can be improved as the game progresses. With each creature that they defeat, the pair earns experience points toward attaining their next levels. Whenever one of the characters gains a new level they earn one skill point and one attribute point. These points can be spent right away or saved for later, but always have a noticeable impact on the game when used. Each of the skills have their purpose, allowing each player to tailor their character to their preferred style of play. Further experimentation with character builds will also make additional playthroughs seem much less repetitive.

Skills and attributes can be further augmented with the use of items and equipment. Both Huitzilo and Ayohpa are capable of equipping themselves with a variety of artifacts and jewellery, each of which can improve attributes or add levels to skills. These items are sometimes dropped when monsters are defeated, but the best items are typically reserved for quest completion rewards or found hidden on levels. Merchants can also be found in some of the villages offering a random assortment of goods for sale, but the gold needed to buy them can be rather uncommon. Thus purchasing an item can often be as vital of a decision as spending a skill or attribute point.

Travelling from level to level is done by selecting a destination on a world map populated with known locations. Unfortunately, the auto-save feature in Aztaka will only save the progress of a game when the player returns to the world map. There is no manual save feature in the game, and the only way to leave a level is to locate one of the exits – some of which can be a great distance away. This can make dying in Aztaka a very frustrating experience, especially on levels that culminate in a boss battle. Huitzilo is only granted one life per level when the game begins, but can earn more by spending points on the Divine Favor skill.

The levels themselves are a work of art – quite literally. Each level and environment in Aztaka is beautifully hand-drawn and rich with style. It is abundantly clear that the art team at Citérémis spent a great deal of time studying Aztec culture and have lovingly recreated it. Every temple is lined with pictographs, and every statue resembles actual Mesoamerican craftsmanship. The artifacts and jewellery found throughout the game also adhere to the style of those worn by real Aztec priests and warriors. The cultural accuracy is remarkable.

The outdoor environments are equally well-crafted. Each rock formation, flower, and blade of grass is drawn with a great attention to detail, and every background looks like a gorgeous watercolour landscape. Bringing each environment to life are the characters and creatures that inhabit them. While not hand-drawn like the environments, every character and creature model is carefully textured to resemble the hand-drawn art style. This technique was executed so well that it can be very difficult at times to believe that the character and creature models are actually three-dimensional. Some animations spoil the illusion, but overall the visual presentation of Aztaka is that of a beautiful, animated storybook.

Accompanying the gorgeous visuals is the equally enchanting music. Whimsical and tribal, the music in Aztaka further delivers upon the cultural themes of the game. Each level features a unique music track befitting of its atmosphere and can really help immerse a player in the action. From aggressive drumbeats to soothing rhythms, some of the music in Aztaka is immediately memorable. Unfortunately, the sound effects don’t live up to the standard set by the musical score. In most cases, the sound design is generic and flat, rarely adding to the character of the game. However, the quality of the sound effects is not distracting enough to diminish the overall presentation of the game.

Aztaka is a remarkable achievement. For a first release from an independent developer, the game shows an incredible amount promise. While the game may be lacking a little in polish (something that may come with additional patches), it is difficult to ignore Aztaka’s gameplay innovations and visual presentation. The action role-playing game genre is not as prevalent as it once was, but in following with the Aztec cycle of life, death and rebirth, Aztaka is doing its part to revitalize it.