I’m a big lover of Action-Platformers and Metroidvania titles. I’ve played probably a few hundred of them over the years, and I can only name a few I didn’t like. However, I can easily spot when an idea that looks good in theory, doesn’t translate well in gameplay mechanics. Greak: Memories of Azur sadly suffers from this problem. On the whole, it is a decent game and has a great concept. However, its core mechanic has some serious issues.

Before we get into that though, Greak: Memories of Azur is an Action-Platformer where you play as three siblings, Greak, Adara, and Raydel. The lands of Azur are inhabited by Courines, light-based beings like Greak, Adara, and Raydel. However, Azur is under an invasion by the villainous Urlags, and it is up to the siblings to not only reunite but also help other survivors of the invasion build an airship so they can flee to new lands.

You initially only start out with Greak, who can double jump and use a sword and crossbow as his main mechanics. Over time, however, you will get Adara and Raydel, who each bring their own mechanics to the table. You have to play as the entire group of characters simultaneously, either by controlling them as a group, or switching between them individually.

This might not seem too terrible at first, and it has some fantastic applications for puzzles. However, this becomes a bit frustrating during things like boss fights, or even combat situations in general. Why? Well, they all have independent health from each other, and if one of them completely dies, you have to go back to your last save.

Normal combat situations aren’t so bad, but in boss battles, this can get absolutely annoying. You’ll have to not only manage the health of each character, but also try to make sure that the boss doesn’t corner them, or that you don’t accidentally kill one of your allies while trying to damage the boss. This would be easier if healing items healed instantly, but they don’t.

Healing items are easy to come by, as you collect various ingredients while exploring Azur. Once you’ve collected 3 ingredients, you can take them to a cooking pot and cook various dishes which heal a certain amount. Certain ingredients can also be eaten raw, for a lesser benefit. The problem is, eating anything causes a timer to start. You don’t get any health back until that timer is empty, which means that if you heal, but the enemy hits you before you get that health back, you’re dead.

Honestly, I think Greak: Memories of Azur would be better without the combat component. I love the hand-drawn environments, and the puzzles are brilliantly done. On top of that, controlling the different characters that have different abilities gives Greak a very Lost Vikings-esque feel that I adore. All the same, I think that having to manage three characters with three inventories and three different amounts of health is just way too much.

I should mention, characters will attack on their own if you aren’t controlling them. However, they won’t move out of the way or dodge incoming damage. So, they’ll literally just let the enemy smack them either until the enemy dies, they die, or you come and save them. I really hate being so hard on the combat and that aspect of the gameplay, but it really feels unbalanced.

The music is really well done and has an orchestral soundtrack accompanying the hand-drawn environments and cinematics. Greak: Memories of Azur is a feast for the eyes and for the ears. I would even say it is great for your brain too because all the puzzles in the game feel very clever and very thought-out.

Sadly, Greak: Memories of Azur’s combat stops it from being a truly great experience. I think if the game allowed co-op (local or otherwise) it actually might tip the scales in their favor. I wouldn’t mind playing Greak with a friend or having a friend tackle bosses with me. As it is though, I can see more people growing frustrated and writing it off, rather than giving it the chance it deserves.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Greak: Memories of Azur was provided by Team17 for this review.

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Greak: Memories of Azur

$19.99 USD

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• Great Puzzle Design
• Beautiful Visuals and Cinematics
• Great Soundtrack
• Interesting Cooking Mechanic
• Lots of Places to Explore

Cons

• Combat Feels too Hectic
• Co-op Would be Beneficial
• Map Isn't Great
• Managing 3 Characters' Health is Ridiculous