Greak: Memories of Azure – Review

Our Rating: 8/10

Greak: Memories of Azur begins with the story of Azur being overrun by the terrifying Urlags. Greak, the youngest of three, is on the lookout for his sister, Adara. This occurs right from the start of the game, and we’ll proceed by controlling a small young man armed only with a small blade and all his bravery. The courage that will make you cross a bridge that will collapse. We will fall from a great height becoming unconscious.

When we regain consciousness, we find ourselves in a small village preparing to depart Azur with its inhabitants. The lack of security and fear of invasion by the Urlags make every second count. They will need to prepare a means of transportation to be able to leave, but materials are a problem. As you might expect, since we want to find Adara and investigate those regions, we’ll lend a hand to these inhabitants. We need to assist them in gathering some of the materials they require.

To give you an idea, reuniting the siblings in Greak: Memories of Azur will probably take between 8-10 hours. Especially if you like to explore everything down to the smallest detail. This is when the game becomes quite difficult.

Memories of Azur are divided into numerous sections, each of which is large and filled with puzzles. They are simple at first because we only have one character to use; however, once we have our sister, they become puzzles that require both characters to solve the problems; and later on, we will require all three to progress in the game. This occurs frequently as a result of each person’s unique abilities.

The Siblings

Greak can jump, double jump, swim and walk underwater for a short time. Additionally, the village guards will teach him three more sword swings. Because he is small, he is also the one who manages to get into small holes. We occasionally discover them in various locations to pull and turn levers that open doors for the other brothers to pass through.

Adara is an arcane spellcaster. It can cast spells, jump and float/fly for a few seconds, and swim underwater for a few seconds. It’s ideal for getting to places where double jumps aren’t always enough; as well as swimming to places where the two brothers can’t.

Azur is now a warrior who, in addition to being the fastest with the sword, is also the one who inflicts the most damage on his foes. It also has a shield that protects it while also blocking rays, arrows, and other game elements. He will block all of these threats, thereby assisting his brothers. It also has a steel cable that clings to certain parts of the scenario. This allows him to reach places that would be impossible to reach without this equipment. His issue is that he does not know how to swim and will drown if he falls into the water.

It’s important to note that you can switch characters at any time, or even walk with all three at the same time, and these will behave exactly like the character you’re controlling, including jumping, attacking, and so on. Because they all have different sizes, attacks, and jumping styles, defeating enemies with all three at the same time is extremely difficult. Getting your job done is much easier if you do them one at a time.

Puzzle Galore

There are a plethora of puzzles that can be created using these three variables, and believe me when I say that the Navegante Entertainment team stretched their imagination, as there are some quite intriguing ones, but fortunately, we can figure out what we need to do with varying degrees of difficulty.

Enemies are a fascinating subject as well. I must admit that the majority of them are relatively simple to dispatch, particularly once we understand their attack sequence and type; however, the bosses are the ones who require the most effort. Many of them are simple to dispatch, but when all three characters are in the same scenario, and we are commanding one of them, and some enemies can attack the others, things can quickly devolve into chaos.

Characters, thankfully, attack enemies as they approach when they are not being commanded by us. The issue is that their artificial intelligence isn’t very good, and it’s not uncommon for them to take more damage than their foes. This is one of the points that has irritated me on numerous occasions, given that fighting a boss while keeping an eye on other characters can be frustrating and even depressing. It would have been preferable if we could choose which characters we wanted to take to that zone; now that they are forced to go, it only serves to annoy us, and the game gains nothing from it.

Beautiful Scenery

Greak: Memories of Azur’s strong points are its locations and map. The game was hand-drawn, and it was well worth the effort because the scenarios of the various locations in the game are all unique and beautiful in their way. Many of them have that touch of destruction, as Azur is invaded, but it’s still a scenario that touches us, and we realize it has a beauty that few games can have. Then seeing that the places were taken care of in a unique way aids us in remembering the paths we’ve already traveled.

Aside from the bosses, the game isn’t particularly difficult, and there are a few places where you can save your progress along the way. There are also quick travel places (not many), and my advice is to save whenever possible, because planning can be difficult if something goes wrong, and having to return to certain locations can be tedious, so saving whenever possible is the best option.

Final Thoughts

Everything about Greak: Memories of Azur gameplay is flawless, whether it’s jumping, attacking, running, or swimming. Except for something that will almost certainly require an update later, in which we are walking a character in one direction and when we come to a halt, he turns the other way, although we had not given him the order to do so. This may not appear to be a problem, but when enemies appear in front of you, they stop the character, tell him to attack, and he turns to the opposite side, causing you to take damage. Believe me when I say that it will drive you insane.

The graphics are flawless in terms of the appearance of the scenarios (as I mentioned earlier). The characters are also quite adorable, with excellent animations for running, attacking, jumping, and swimming. Also, the cutscenes, which are all done by hand and look like an authentic cartoon, are incredible. One of the game’s strongest points is its graphics. In terms of sound, this game is competent, with excellent background music and sound effects, whether attacking, walking in water, or anywhere else.

Greak: Memories of Azur is a game that has left a lasting impression on me. There are a couple of points that could be improved, but overall, it is a work of art that will appeal to the majority of players.