Sometimes a game is designed to be cozy and relaxing. Most of the time, I enjoy these sorts of games. However, Aka is a game that is so cozy that I can’t decide whether it is simply a slow burn, or a boring, directionless mess.

In Aka, you play a red panda who was once a warrior. He now seeks to retire from a life of harming other living things and settles on an island recommended by a friend. From here, you help Aka make a new life for himself, one that is driven entirely by helping others and doing good for the land around him.

Aka isn’t exactly a focused, linear adventure. While there are quests, they tend to be driven chiefly by doing various actions like chopping dead logs, using a pickaxe to remove rubble, removing animal traps, and farming certain crops. The main idea of Aka is preserving life and leaving the world a better place than it was when you arrived in it.

As such, Aka spends a lot of his time trying to find inner peace, undoing mistakes of the past by doing good deeds for others. A lot of these things can be done at your own pace, which is good since the game has a relatively short day/night cycle. Normally I’m stressed out by these sorts of clocks, but with the low stakes in place, I don’t mind so much.

Each of the characters in Aka is cute, distinct, and well-rendered. The artwork for character portraits is cute, and the art style of the game itself is colorful and Studio Ghibli-esque. A lot of time and effort went into Aka’s development, and that much is obvious by the attention to detail. However, I have some issues with the game itself.

Aka throws you into the proverbial deep end with very little guidance other than a general explanation of where you are, and what your buttons do. There isn’t even really a tutorial other than a conversation with an early NPC that teaches you how to farm. This lack of tutorial even extends to the mini-games. The rhythm mini-game (where you play music) is self-explanatory, but the card game that can be played in one of the towns is much less obvious to pick up and understand.

In addition to throwing you into the deep end, you also tend to feel a little aimless. After you complete the first few quests on the first island, it may take you a bit to figure out what to do next. Even if you figure it out pretty quickly, there’s no urgency to anything you’re doing. This might be great for people who just want a relaxing game to wind down or relax with, but I found it a little directionless.

There is a lot to do though: exploring, crafting, farming, and the aforementioned mini-games are just a few things you’ll get up to. The controls are a bit hard to get used to, but not everyone will have a problem with that once you get some time in. If you can get past its shortcomings, Aka is an almost meditative experience about respecting the world you live in.

If you like farming sims I don’t necessarily think this has enough of what you’re looking for. However, if you want a cozy game like Animal Crossing that is slow-paced and calm, Aka will do the trick. This might also be a great game to play with kids, as it teaches certain environmental lessons at a very calm, age-appropriate level.

A Nintendo Switch Review Copy of Aka was provided by NEOWIZ for this review.

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Aka

$12.99 USD

5

Score

5.0/10

Pros

• Cute Visuals
• Interesting, Heartfelt Premise
• Cozy, Casual Gameplay
• Lots of customization and crafting

Cons

• Controls are a little weird
• Game feels aimless