Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 04/Jan 03:07

Ahro – Review

Today’s review is a triple whammy: It marks the return of publisher nakana.io to the Switch, it’s the return of our semi-regular backlog review feature and it’s this writer’s first review of 2025! A happy new year to you, dear reader! If you’ve been with us for a while, you might remember that we’re fans of nakana.io’s selection of off-beat titles, but they haven’t released anything new on the Switch since 2021’s Stilstand. That is until late September of last year when they released Oeh Interactive’s side-scrolling puzzle game Ahro. The game got snowed under in the avalanche of end-of-year releases, but now that things are calming down post-Christmas, we can finally take a look at Ahro. Story Given that Ahro’s story is told without any words whatsoever, you might expect that there isn’t a whole lot of depth to it. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as Ahro is very much a narrative-driven experience. It’s also a deeply personal story that mirrors the real-life struggles of game developer Joel Vile. Protagonist Ahro isn’t your typical video game hero. He’s not on a quest to save the world, or trying to become the best at something. No, Ahro is suffering from panic attacks and mental breakdowns. He’s able to keep things in check through meditation and medicinal herbs, but ultimately, he wants to find a permanent cure for his burden. It’s worth mentioning that there is a disconnect between what the game actually tells you and the underlying lore. At several points in the game, you’ll run into QR codes that you are supposed to scan with your phone. These take you to a web page that expands on Ahro’s lore. We much rather would have seen a self-contained version of the game though, as having to reach for our phone mid-game does ruin the immersion. Graphics Visually, Ahro keeps things deliberately simple. The hand-drawn art style keeps things grounded, allowing the game’s story to take center stage. The game’s color palette is limited to mostly greens and grays. Individual character designs are void of personality, because this is a game that is all about the protagonist himself, and not those around him. Visual performance is as good as you’d expect from a game as basic as this. Sound The simplistic approach seen in Ahro’s visuals is present in its audio as well. The soundscape mostly relies on subtle ambiance, like the chirping of birds and the rustling of the leaves. There is a beautiful tranquility here that ties into Ahro’s themes. While there is music in the game, the soundtrack is as subdued as it gets. There is no voice acting present here, but we didn’t feel like there needed to be. Gameplay So how do you turn something as complicated as mental health issues into a video game? In Ahro’s case, the struggle is represented by specific mechanics. In essence, Ahro is a very simplistic side-scrolling puzzle game, where the aim is to collect shards that are hidden throughout the world. Said world is made up of different levels. The puzzles are very simple affairs, but solving them is necessary to obtain most shards. Collecting all shards in a single level results in them being combined into a symbol, allowing you to progress to the next area. Ahro isn’t a linear experience, and there is a lot of backtracking here. This is deliberate, as it represents the repetitive cycle of the struggles that our protagonist has to overcome. Likewise, the game is very slowly paced, to the point of being tedious. We mean this in the best way possible, because Ahro isn’t about delivering thrilling gameplay, but as a tool to communicate the struggle that many people go through daily. You’ll need to keep an eye on Ahro’s mood meter throughout your journey. Along the way, you’ll find medicinal herbs and spots where you can meditate. Should the mood meter run out, Ahro will suffer a panic attack, represented by the game shifting towards darker-tinted visuals and gameplay slowly coming to a halt. At this point, you’ll need to complete a mini-game, representing Ahro finding his inner peace. There are also instances that are the complete opposite of this, though: When traveling between different areas in the game, Ahro’s spirit will literally leave his body, resulting in flying segments where the aim is to collect resources. We’re familiar enough with nakana.io’s previous releases that we already knew what to expect in terms of atmosphere. Even then, we felt Ahro is probably the game with the least wide mainstream appeal out of their library. This isn’t a game that we’d consider a fun time. In terms of gameplay, things are kept too simple. The slow pacing and tedious nature of the levels make for a game that could be considered a struggle by and in itself. However, if you’re looking to better understand how people with real-life panic disorders feel, then Ahro provides an accessible and poignant tool to do so. With only limited save points and no in-game guidance of where to go next, you’ll likely find that you’re always short on herbs. The longer you take to complete the game, the more difficult it becomes to overcome the darkness before it overcomes you. Conclusion Our final score doesn’t represent Ahro’s merit as a game, because if we were to look at Oeh Interactive’s title purely from a gameplay perspective, we wouldn’t give it a passing grade. Sometimes you need to look at what a game sets out to achieve, rather than how it achieves it. Ahro is one of those titles where the sum is greater than the individual parts, and where the underlying message is much more important than what the game offers at face value. Ahro isn’t going to be for everyone, and that is more than okay. If you happen to be a part of the very specific niche that Ahro clicks for, you’ll understand and appreciate it for what it is.