This is not typically the kind of game I enjoy Mighty Switch Force (and its sequel) is the singular exception. Most stages have at least one bonus item to find and grab (gems, hot dogs), but they're entirely optional and usually off the beaten path. Jackie will also get sent back to the beginning if she’s hit by an enemy or environmental hazard, which means that getting certain bonus items becomes an exercise in tedium, which I did not enjoy. Once it clicked, I was fine, but it probably took the majority of the first ten stages before I really felt comfortable with this mechanic. I found that teleporting correctly has something of a learning curve-you’ll quickly be asked to throw the knife very accurately in between spiked floors or through narrow shafts. This allows her to bypass various deadly obstacles, find bonus items, and just plain move through each stage quicker. She’s equipped with a knife-like object that can be thrown and stuck to platforms in any direction, then a quick tap of the A button will teleport Jackie to the knife’s location. Running, jumping, sliding, and attacking all feel great, but it’s Jackie’s teleportation ability that gives this game a little extra oomph. Thankfully, each stage is littered with little batteries to pick up and collecting five will let Jackie add five precious seconds to the timer.Īny platformer that deals with speed running must have rock-solid controls, and I’m pleased to say that Aeon Dive largely meets that demand. For reasons I was never clear on, she only has 30 seconds per stage to do this or else her ship’s AI will Groundhog Day her back to the start of the stage. The threadbare story sees our heroine, Jackelyne (usually shortened to “Jack,” which I found distracting) crashing her spaceship into the futuristic city of Neo Barcelona and racing through stages in an effort to find energy cores for her busted ship. Aeon Drive takes the opposite tack-while precision platforming does come into play, you're trying to plow through each of the game’s 100 stages in about 30 seconds, give or take. This is different from something like Super Meat Boy or Celeste, where precision is the most important factor-not necessarily speed. Aeon Drive is a fast-paced platformer where your primary goal is to get from the start of every short stage to the end in the fastest possible time. Almost all of the focus is on leaderboard chasing.If you’re the kind of gamer who goes bananas for speed running, have I got the game for you. That’s the single largest misstep Aeon Drive makes. Hunting for these is fun, but not everyone will care. Some collectibles unlock art or information in the gallery. Additionally, there are three types of collectibles strewn throughout the levels: gems, cubes, and… uh, hot dogs. Levels all have multiple routes you can choose when making your way, and figuring out which path is fastest is one of the best parts of the game. There are a few levels toward the end of the game where the difficulty kicks up a fair deal and you might actually have to use some of those time items to make it through. The level design is similarly great, even if the game is far from difficult. This is how she’ll get past beams and other obstacles. When Jack shoots the warp device at something, she can then warp directly to it with the press of a button. You’ll find enemies in each level, and slashing your way through them while dodging death beams and picking your routes is so satisfying. There are conversations between these two characters in between level sets and they’re not only voice acted, but the voice acting is surprisingly good. I’m not sure what’s going on here exactly, nor am I sure how racing through ten stages gets Jack a power cell, but it has something to do with Vera slowing down time. An entire city is about to explode and the only way to stop it is to retrieve power cells in each section, or something. Taking place following the ending of Dimension Drive, Aeon Drive sees Jack and her AI companion Vera on a new adventure. Regardless, this is a very well-made game that will satisfy people who want to vie for leaderboard dominance. However, it’s also extremely short, has a mostly useless gimmick component, and doesn’t do nearly as much as it could have to attract people not likely to take part in leaderboard chasing. It’s got good graphics, wonderful controls, and the mechanics are a blast. If competing to get to the top of the leaderboards is something you’re into, then this game will likely be very interesting to you. Aeon Drive is a 2D platformer based around speedrunning. However, it’s not remotely the same, as it’s in a different genre completely. Aeon Drive is the sequel to the shoot ’em up Dimension Drive.
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