AER: Memories of Old

AER: Memories of Old is like the beautiful lovechild of Journey and The Legend of Zelda. It has the unmistakable indie whimsy of the former and takes clear inspiration from the latter. It's a simple but wonderful little experience, focusing on exploration, light puzzle elements, and relaxation.

Featuring a stunning low-poly art style, a wonderfully well-integrated soundtrack, an ingeniously simple control scheme, an interesting transformation mechanic, and impressively designed temples, AER has a lot going for it. It’s unfortunate that the experience is as short as it is and there is no way to keep track of what’s been seen. A few more environmental puzzles and a simple journal would fix...

A beautiful 3D platformer set on floating islands in the sky and ruined puzzle dungeons, with flying that feels wonderful.

I very much enjoyed my time with AER Memories of Old. It’s not perfect; it’s a little on the short side, its puzzles are a bit lacklustre, and it has an overt religious message — although if anything, that it adds to the world that AER creates. It’s beautifully designed, and if you stop often enough to take in your surroundings, you’ll find a very strong, moving narrative. If nothing else, though,...

Transforming into a bird and soaring through skies and between the floating islands of AER Memories of Old is simply fantastic, and you’ll be easily drawn in by its vibrant yet minimalist art style. It doesn’t quite make the best use of the shattered world they’ve created, but for a few hours, it’s a gorgeous game and an intriguing story to explore.

AER is a pretty and charming game, but doesn’t have enough of its own original ideas to feel fresh, and it is plagued by a few flaws that prevent it from being a true standout in the genre of artsy indie exploration games. That said, the experience itself is fun and pleasant, even if it isn’t particularly memorable. If you already like these kinds of games, you’ll enjoy AER, but if you don’t, this...

After the monumental success of Journey, the indie-game-that-could, it is only natural for there to be a legacy of other indie titles who try to capture a similar magic, come flight or fall. AER Memories of Old visibly takes inspiration from a variety of great games, but never quite manages to put together a deep, coherent whole, skimming off the tops of the likes of Journey, The Legend of Zelda, ...

If video games allow us to embrace the deepest parts of our imaginations, then AER is the game that lets players fly free. How many times, despite my almost irrational fear of heights, have I wished that I could simply leap from the edge of a precipice only to be held aloft on wings, soaring through the air as effortlessly as breathing? The inevitability of a stylized indie game in this era of gam...

AER Memories of Old has some rather lofty aspirations. The game’s world, made up of a myriad of floating islands, is reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Wind Waker, and its visual style brings to mind indie favorites like Journey and Bound. It’s a bold ploy by developers Forgotten Key. Sure, you could argue copying from the best is a sound strategy, but if you crib your notes fro...

The five hours I’ve spent exploring AER - Memories of Old’s world passed by without me really noticing. Its highest point is clearly in the seamless transition between human and bird form and the fluidity of the movement. There are missteps, as well, in some repeating, unimpressive assets and the handling of its story. The small size of the world does end up taking away from the feeling of freedom...