Imagine spending ten dollars on a twenty-minute experience. Perhaps a decent burger at a restaurant, or a helicopter ride over the beach. Except imagine that burger isn’t memorable and is actually a bit grotesque, or the helicopter ride is over a cloudy sky. This equates to the experience I had with Wheels of Aurelia, a game that I wish I hadn’t downloaded for free off of the Epic Games Store last week.

I enjoy games with replayability, especially when a game revolves around it. Rogue-likes such as Binding of Isaac, Rogue Legacy, and Enter the Gungeon are ones I can keep coming back to and getting something new out of a playthrough each time. Yet for a game to have a clear-cut story that is dependent on subtle choices, only for them to barely steer conversations into a different direction doesn’t make much sense to me.

This doesn’t sit well with me because I have no reason to go back and try something new if there’s no gravity to my decisions. Wheels of Aurelia‘s small segways are determined by marginal differences in dialogue. However, you only have two choices, unlike the vast majority of choices-matter games having at least three different ideas of thought. In many cases in Aurelia, you’re essentially saying the same thing each time, just with different wording.

Now, the title’s setting and premise aren’t all that boring. Rome in the 1970’s is out of left field, and the game does a good job of creating this landscape with the buildings you will pass in your drive. The topics of discussion bridge into an encyclopedia the player can learn about once their playthrough is done. To give credit where credit is due, the lengths gone to capture this period of neo-fascism is exemplary.

Unfortunately, the vast extent of the twenty-minute runtime of the game is spent discussing abortion with your passenger Olga. This does not let you focus though these moments are urgent, demanding the player race someone or chase down a potential hostage situation. This unnecessary multitasking dilutes the seriousness of Olga’s situation and makes this crucial dialogue and dynamic feel unimportant. On top of this, your driving is inconsequential. You can crash into other cars, crash into the wall, or drive as fast or slow as you want. The conversation doesn’t halt for your crashes like it would in Grand Theft Auto V.

There are sixteen endings within Wheels of Aurelia, but I am only sticking around for one. This is because the dialogue choices I made are the ones I would always make given the situation. My playthrough represented my choice. Why would I want to stray from my assessments of the situation? It’s not like a Mass Effect situation where the game can be as much fun playing the Paragon or the Renegade.

Is there room to improve for Wheels of Aurelia? Absolutely. If the game offered several options within more-weighted dialogue trees, had consequences for bad driving as the game’s main mechanic, offered more than a measly twenty-minute drive, and fixed the audio issues, there could be an enjoyable experience here. Yet sadly, that is not the case with the final product. This game is only catered to masochists that enjoy niche Italian history with no access to Wikipedia.

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Wheels of Aurelia

$9.99 USD

2

Score

2.0/10

Pros

• Good aesthetic
• Informative

Cons

• 20 minutes long
• Choices DON'T matter
• Buggy