Everdeep Aurora review

At its core, Everdeep Aurora seems like a simple platformer about a cat who descends into her meteor-battered world to search for her lost mother. But peer past this poignant premise, and you’ll find mechanics that inspire exploration and experimentation. Sure, many modern games bombard players with complex systems and meters to monitor. But Spanish developer Nautilus Games’ inaugural effort understands the power of restraint.

Movement for the game’s feline protagonist is confined to walking, jumping, and digging. The latter becomes a fundamental for Shell, since it’s used for both navigation and pushing the plot along. She can use a drill to excavate the blocks immediately around her, uncovering secrets, encountering NPCs, or the sporadic puzzle elements that are all buried beneath Everdeep’s surface.

Unearthing Curiosity

Like SteamWorld Dig, each quarry reveals something new. Sometimes there’s a tenacious obstacle or ally. But occasionally, you’ll uncover an unexpected bit of worldbuilding during your mining. Remarkably, Everdeep’s world is both compact and dense. You’ll probably wonder if you’re progressing properly at times. But elegantly, some visual novelty will habitually catch your eye, providing a breadcrumb for you to pursue.

Like Image & Form Game’s engaging title, level design embraces verticality. Everdeep directs players downward in a mostly linear fashion. But there are just enough branching paths and detours to reward your curiosity. Hidden alcoves and NPCs encourage exploration, providing a rewarding sense of discovery as Shell digs downward. Thankfully, blocks regenerate after leaving the screen, preventing players from permanently digging themselves into a corner. That said, some prudent route planning can save you some time later.

A Tranquil Trek

Pacing is another of Evergreen’s strengths. There is no combat, no time limits, and essentially, no fail state. That said, there’s tension as you plumb into the unknown. As Shell descends, there’s also a sense of mystery and melancholy conveyed through ambient sound design and a subdued color palette. This lack of traditional enemy encounters encourages you to engage with the environment. So instead of just trying to survive, you’ll also be trying to make sense of things.

While NPC interactions are minimal, they can be emotionally resonant. Most characters offer a short line or two, but these fragments craft a tone that touches on emotions like grief, loss, and perseverance. Interestingly, the storyline doesn’t use long-winded passages of dialogue. Instead, drilling delivers bits of exposition, so you’re literally and figuratively digging deeper.

Are You Willing to Take the Plunge?

While some players might find the game’s mechanics too spare. But Everdeep Aurora try to do more than it needs to. Every jump, dig, and dialog box serves a specific purpose. With that kind of restraint, this is a meditative experience. Instead of challenge or conquest, Everdeep’s conveys connections. Not everyone will value this kind of quiet design. But for those with an open mind, the game’s descent into the unknown might prove memorable.

 Everdeep Aurora was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.