TL;DR

Areia: Pathway to Dawn is a visually stunning journey through the different stages of enlightenment that intends to evoke a range of (mostly positive) emotions. It uses very simplistic story-telling and gameplay, coupled with one of the most gorgeous art-styles I know and heavy inspiration from both Buddhism and Hinduism and therefore has a huge spiritual undertone. It also takes a lot of cues from what made the PSN exclusive game Journey as massively successful as it was and manages to feel like a spiritual successor to that masterpiece in many ways, establishing itself as one of the few existing games in the "Journey-like" subgenre. I wouldn't say it's quite as good as Journey but it's pretty damn close.

Lock the room, turn off your phone and play with headphones on to lock out the stress and hectic of the world for a bit.

Gameplay is simple and mostly self-explanatory. You walk/jog through the world, regularly solve small, simple puzzles that gradually grow more complex but never excessively difficult and shape and reshape the world around you by doing so. At a certain (early) point in the game, you acquire a terrain shaping ability that allows you to build temporary towers and/or bridges that you need to progress. Additionally there are optional cairns or other Zen constructions throughout the world where you can sit down to meditate. If you also include the jump, you have a total of three keys + movement + camera — and the game doesn't need more than that.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1970605551


The "story"/plot of the game is presented in a very minimalist way. You're thrust into the surreal setting of the world without a word and the camera, architecture and landmarks naturally guide you along the right way. Once again, this feels very Journey for me.

Where this differs from that game is in its Buddhist and Hinduist inspiration and for some people this might pose a slight problem: While few of us have an extensive knowledge of the religious, spiritual and cultural values, symbolism and references, most will at least vaguely recognize the Indian-looking imagery. Whereas Journey had created its own identity and was only really recognizable as "fantasy", Areia evokes feelings associated with Indian culture. Whereas Journey conveyed its spiritual plot without a word and was all the better for it, Areia will leave some scratching their heads, longing for explanations to the symbolism.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1970258625
Perhaps this game would benefit from some sort of Glossary or Journal that procedurally unlocks new entries as you progress through the world.

Update:
In response to my all the player-feedback, the developer is working on a way to incorporate this kind of information to a "New Game+" mode.

The score in Areia perfectly complements the emotional atmosphere the visuals achieve, ranging from unintrusive ambient melodies to fully vocalized songs that once more evoke an Indian / Oriental flair. Sadly, at least for me, the game tends to stutter for a brief moment whenever a new track is loaded.

To the developers:
Release the Soundtrack as low(!)-prized DLC - I'm sure some would love it for their meditation playlist.

Update:
Soundtrack allegedly coming to Steam for free soon.

The art-style of this game is amazing. It delivers on its promise to be a relaxing, spiritual experience and makes it look easy. Everything - from the colors used, the way the sand glistens in the sun to the clever use of Film Grain to enhance sandstorms and more - contributes to an atmospheric journey like no other. Much like in the gameplay department, the devteam at Glip Studio clearly took notes on what made Journey stand out without creating a straight up rip-off.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1970058514
All that isn't to say that Areia is without its flaws. The game currently doesn't natively support resolutions higher than full-HD (although editing the game's Unreal Engine configuration files can do the trick), and some of the animations aren't as smooth as I'd wish. Sometimes (though mostly in the beginning when slowly climbing uphill on the dunes) the protagonist seems to be floating in a different direction than where he's pointing.

Classic:
Buy the game, play the game.
No paid DLCs, items, lootboxes.

If you enjoyed Journey or always wanted to get it but lacked the SONY console to play it on, this is definitely a game for you. The art-style is similar but unique, the ambiance is as strikingly powerful and the game doesn't feel like a straight up rip-off in the slightest. It took exactly the right lessons from Journey's success and offers enough new things to forge its own identity. It's a tranquil experience that will put you in a peaceful mood if you let it. It's a rather short experience (~3 hours to complete) but one worth replaying every now and then for the "therapeutic" effect if not by much else.

So yes, I definitively recommend Areia: Pathway to Dawn - at least to this person!

Post Scriptum

With this being the first game I reviewed that feels like a true spiritual successor to SONY's exclusive title, I'd like to coin the term "Journey-like" to define this game and any that might come in the future. If you want to support me in establishing the term, add "Journey-like" to the game's tags on the Store Page. 😉

This product was reviewed using a free key provided by the developer.

If you're looking for more quality reviews like this, follow our curator page, Devils in the Detail.

[h1][i]»Pain gently dissolves as peace solidifies No time is lost when joy stands nearby«[/i][/h1] [quote][h1]TL;DR[/h1] [spoiler][i]Areia: Pathway to Dawn[/i] is a visually stunning journey through the different stages of enlightenment that intends to evoke a range of (mostly positive) emotions. It uses very simplistic story-telling and gameplay, coupled with one of the most gorgeous art-styles I know and heavy inspiration from both [i]Buddhism[/i] and [i]Hinduism[/i] and therefore has a huge spiritual undertone. It also takes a lot of cues from what made the PSN exclusive game [i]Journey[/i] as massively successful as it was and manages to feel like a spiritual successor to that masterpiece in many ways, establishing itself as one of the few existing games in the [i]"Journey-like"[/i] subgenre. I wouldn't say it's quite as good as [i]Journey[/i] but it's pretty damn close. Lock the room, turn off your phone and play with headphones on to lock out the stress and hectic of the world for a bit.[/spoiler][/quote] [h1]🎮 Gameplay[/h1] Gameplay is simple and mostly self-explanatory. You walk/jog through the world, regularly solve small, simple puzzles that gradually grow more complex but never excessively difficult and shape and reshape the world around you by doing so. At a certain (early) point in the game, you acquire a terrain shaping ability that allows you to build temporary towers and/or bridges that you need to progress. Additionally there are optional cairns or other Zen constructions throughout the world where you can sit down to meditate. If you also include the jump, you have a total of three keys + movement + camera — and the game doesn't need more than that. https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1970605551 [h1]📖 Story / Presentation[/h1] The "story"/plot of the game is presented in a very minimalist way. You're thrust into the surreal setting of the world without a word and the camera, architecture and landmarks naturally guide you along the right way. Once again, this feels very [i]Journey[/i] for me. Where this differs from that game is in its [i]Buddhist[/i] and [i]Hinduist[/i] inspiration and for some people this might pose a slight problem: While few of us have an extensive knowledge of the religious, spiritual and cultural values, symbolism and references, most will at least vaguely recognize the Indian-looking imagery. Whereas [i]Journey[/i] had created its own identity and was only really recognizable as "fantasy", [i]Areia[/i] evokes feelings associated with Indian culture. Whereas [i]Journey[/i] conveyed its spiritual plot without a word and was all the better for it, [i]Areia[/i] will leave some scratching their heads, longing for explanations to the symbolism. https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1970258625 Perhaps this game would benefit from some sort of Glossary or Journal that procedurally unlocks new entries as you progress through the world. [quote][u]Update:[/u] In response to [strike]my[/strike] all the player-feedback, the developer is working on a way to incorporate this kind of information to a "New Game+" mode.[/quote] [h1]🎼 Soundtrack[/h1] The score in [i]Areia[/i] perfectly complements the emotional atmosphere the visuals achieve, ranging from unintrusive ambient melodies to fully vocalized songs that once more evoke an Indian / Oriental flair. Sadly, at least for me, the game tends to stutter for a brief moment whenever a new track is loaded. [quote][u]To the developers:[/u] Release the Soundtrack as low(!)-prized DLC - I'm sure some would love it for their meditation playlist. [u]Update:[/u] Soundtrack allegedly coming to Steam for free soon.[/quote] [h1]💻 Graphics / Art-style[/h1] The art-style of this game is amazing. It delivers on its promise to be a relaxing, spiritual experience and makes it look easy. Everything - from the colors used, the way the sand glistens in the sun to the clever use of [i]Film Grain[/i] to enhance sandstorms and more - contributes to an atmospheric journey like no other. Much like in the gameplay department, the devteam at [b]Glip Studio[/b] clearly took notes on what made [b]Journey[/b] stand out without creating a straight up rip-off. https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1970058514 All that isn't to say that [i]Areia[/i] is without its flaws. The game currently doesn't natively support resolutions higher than full-HD (although editing the game's Unreal Engine configuration files can do the trick), and some of the animations aren't as smooth as I'd wish. Sometimes (though mostly in the beginning when slowly climbing uphill on the dunes) the protagonist seems to be floating in a different direction than where he's pointing. [h1]💰 Business Model[/h1] [quote][u]Classic:[/u] Buy the game, play the game. No paid DLCs, items, lootboxes.[/quote] [h1]📋 Conclusion[/h1] If you enjoyed [i]Journey[/i] or always wanted to get it but lacked the [i]SONY[/i] console to play it on, this is definitely a game for you. The art-style is similar but unique, the ambiance is as strikingly powerful and the game doesn't feel like a straight up rip-off in the slightest. It took exactly the right lessons from [i]Journey's[/i] success and offers enough new things to forge its own identity. It's a tranquil experience that will put you in a peaceful mood if you let it. It's a rather short experience (~3 hours to complete) but one worth replaying every now and then for the "therapeutic" effect if not by much else. So yes, I definitively recommend [b]Areia: Pathway to Dawn[/b] - at least to [b][url=http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/my]this person[/url][/b]! [quote][h1]Post Scriptum[/h1] With this being the first game I reviewed that feels like a true spiritual successor to [i]SONY's[/i] exclusive title, I'd like to coin the term "Journey-like" to define this game and any that might come in the future. If you want to support me in establishing the term, add "Journey-like" to the game's tags on the Store Page. 😉[/quote] [quote]This product was reviewed using a free key provided by the developer.[/quote] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37072886][quote]If you're looking for more quality reviews like this, follow our curator page, [b]Devils in the Detail[/b].