Arise: A Simple Story is literally a "simple" story of an old man who died and now is in limbo, reliving the most important moments of his life in a dreamy repetition. A life, however, that is no different from many, with problems that many of us face. Difficult childhood, love, affection, family, problems, loss, death and so on. Piccolo Studios illustrates these common experiences with a discreet lyricism drawn from the vividness of the narrative. The protagonist does not speak, while everything is described by image, not words! All the insight we have for the story comes from what we see.
If you are a fan of adventure games you will definitely come across something similar, at least in terms of style and artistic approach. Arise does not do anything shockingly fresh or innovative, however, in what it does it delivers an extremely even result, which honors the development team, if one considers that this is their first attempt to create a video game ( I would call it an indie title ).
In the same context, the gameplay does not dare to move away from the "safety zone" of the genre, staying away from daring attempts to enrich the mechanisms. Platforming and solving puzzles is, unfortunately, pretty easy, while the time control mechanic is not enough to save the game from mediocrity.
More specifically, while everything is working smoothly, I've not been able to identify a depth that would justify the simplicity of the mechanisms, while at the same time that specific design options seem unjustified. The fixed camera makes the jumping process not that great, often leaving the chance to land not where you were aiming. I have the impression that 3D platforming and fixed camera do not fit together. It is practically impossible to have a sufficient perception of the world without camera control.
Although it cost a lot in platforming, time control is Arise's highlight, being the most basic piece that offers a variety in gameplay. As time relates to the environment, we have a different effect on each level. We control the position of the sun in the sky, the erosion of soil, the weather, such as storms and snow, while, somehow, we solve the scattered puzzles, opening our way to a linear path from the beginning to the end of each memory.
Throughout the game we search for some collectible orbs in inaccessible places that offer an additional perspective to the story and add a few more hours.
Arise, in addition to a simple story, also has a simple gameplay that allows you to finish it smoothly. It helps the fact that if you fall and die, you respawn next to where you died. There is no challenge at all. Some puzzles may make you scratch your head for a few minutes, but that's it.
All we focus is the story and how the game narates it to us.
Also the audiovisual is tasteful and draws your attention completely.
Arise's graphics are also something you'll have seen in Journey-type games, although, despite the lack of originality, it manages to showcase unique style and character, with several chapters that differ completely from each other as scenery settings. There is something poetic about each chapter, from the title and the content, to the location, the colors and the emotions we experience. I would say that setting up allegories works, perhaps, better than the script itself.
The sound in Arise is what left me speechless. It makes sure to immerse you in the game again, every time you are distracted. To be precise, if the emotion I felt while playing, in several places, is due to the music that accompanies the game. Searching a little further, I discovered that it has been composed by David Garcia, a well-known creator of the soundtrack for Senua's Sacrifice.
I easily rank it among the most beautiful OSTs I've heard in a game!
Arise: A Simple Story has a wrong approach to important parts of the gameplay, but ultimately chooses the right path to tell a simple human story, using the right tools, style and aesthetics.
Box Art
Tested on : PC
Developer : Piccolo Studios
Publisher : Techland Publishing
Available for : PlayStation 4 / Xbox One / PC
Release date : 2019-12-03
