I found out about Arietta of Spirits during E3 and was immediately intrigued. A Zelda-like RPG that involves bridging the gap between the human world and the spirit world just seemed really interesting. Arietta of Spirits provides an interesting, engaging experience. However, it has a few issues that make it stop just shy of greatness.

Arietta of Spirits puts you in the role of Arietta, who joins her family to visit the island her grandmother lived on after her grandmother passes away. It is a family tradition to visit the island during the summer, so despite the sad occasion the family goes to visit. It is on this trip that Arietta meets Arco, a spirit guide who makes a pact with Ari so she can help lost souls cross over.

Without spoiling anything else from there, Arietta of Spirits is your average Zelda-like, with puzzles, sword combat, and lots of things to collect. Arietta can use her sword, she can roll, and she can use (after a certain point in the story) a bubble shield that the game calls the Spirit Shield. The controls are simple and smooth, and when you start the game it gives you the option for multiple difficulties, which is nice.

The problems with Arietta of Spirits are simple. For one, the hitboxes on the enemies are inconsistent. Rather, sometimes when you hit what you think is an area that will do damage to an enemy, it won’t do anything. This becomes frustrating particularly during boss fights that summon smaller enemies because killing them quickly to get to the boss becomes an issue.

The other main problem that I had with Arietta of Spirits is actually two-fold. The problem is that it is a pretty short experience, somewhere between 6-8 hours, 10-12 if you’re trying to get everything. Normally I don’t have an issue with shorter experiences, except it doesn’t telegraph that you’re getting close to the end.

On top of that, the ending is surprisingly abrupt, and a little bit anticlimactic. Yes, it leaves things open for a sequel, but it feels rushed. In fact, with the teaser for a potential sequel at the end, it almost feels as though the game is merely a prologue to something bigger. The gameplay is fun, and I enjoyed my time with Arietta of Spirits, but I definitely feel like there was a lot left to be said and done.

I’m all for a game that doesn’t overstay its welcome, but when you reach the end of a story and don’t feel like it is complete, that’s kind of a problem. I hesitate to say that it isn’t worth full-price because it is a really fun experience for the hours you get. However, there isn’t much replay value, and the story isn’t satisfying so I don’t feel compelled to play through it again to try and complete all the side content.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Arietta of Spirits, but it somewhat just feels…average? I mean the pixel art and the environments are well done. The game looks great, and I can tell that a lot of love went into the animations and even certain aspects of the story. However, the abrupt ending and the lackluster conclusion to things really keep it from being truly great. Third Spirit Games did a decent job, but I think Arietta of Spirits needed either better pacing or a little more content to truly set it apart.

A Nintendo Switch copy of Arietta of Spirits was provided by Red Art Games for this review.

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Arietta of Spirits

$14.99 USD

5

Score

5.0/10

Pros

• Great Controls
• Intriguing Premise and Gameplay
• Nice Graphics
• Multiple Difficulty Options

Cons

• Not Much Replay Value
• Very Short Game
• Abrupt and Lackluster Ending
• Feels Somewhat Unfinished