A magical library adventure that redefines side-scrolling RPGs.
A story about magic, memory, and healing is at the heart of Ariana and the Elder Codex. The world’s magic is kept alive by seven strong books called the Hero Codices. When these codices are broken in some unknown way, magic starts to disappear. Ariana comes in.
She is a talented librarian who has the rare ability to get inside these books and fix them from the inside. This simple but effective idea sets the stage for a structure for the story that combines big stories with smaller, stand-alone stories.
It’s like each Codex is its own world, with its own people, plots, and morals. These stories cover a wide range of topics, from emotional studies of sacrifice and healing to more abstract or even experimental ones. The main goal of the game is still to find the person or thing that damaged the codices, but a lot of the story’s strength comes from these smaller, more focused events. They make the game feel like a collection of short stories, giving it a unique beat that keeps it interesting the whole time.
It’s clear that Ariana is the main character. Besides her special powers, she also has a personal burden: her parents have gone missing.
This side story gives her journey more emotional weight and helps ground what would otherwise be a great story.
The supporting figures, like her robot friend and the other researchers, help build the world, especially in the library hub. Even though not all of the characters are fully realized, the dialogue and interactions between them are enough to make the scene feel real and important.
Exploring the side-scrolling worlds inside each Codex is what Ariana and the Elder Codex are all about. The layout of these worlds is kind of like an open world, so players can move through areas that are related to each other, go back to places they’ve been before, and gradually open up new paths as they gain skills. This Metroidvania-style concept works well, especially since each world is pretty small.
Ariana is controlled by the player, who must jump, dash, and fight their way through enemies while finding hidden areas and finishing tasks that are linked to restoring each Codex. Not only does completing the story affect your progress, but so does exploring. You can’t get to some places until you unlock new skills. This makes a satisfying loop of going back to old places with new skills, finding secrets, and finishing the game faster overall.
The library is where all the tasks come together. Players can talk to NPCs, take care of their gear, and find out more about the world here. It’s a nice change from the action-packed Codex worlds, and it fits with the game’s theme of learning and healing.
The game really shines in battle.
Ariana can use both physical strikes and spells, and she can have up to six of them on at once. These are assigned to different buttons, which lets you switch between them quickly and make smooth combos. Her usual close-range attack is quick, responsive, and reliable, and it’s what she uses most of the time in battle.
Adding spells adds another level of detail. Players are encouraged to try out different loadouts because each spell has its own time and elemental alignment. It’s important to take advantage of an enemy’s elemental flaws if you want to do the most damage and be the most effective. When elemental effects are used over and over, they build up to a powerful “burst” state that does a lot of damage and can often turn the tide of the fight.
Ariana can also change into elemental forms that briefly make her stronger and align her attacks with a certain element. When combined with the burst mechanic, this system works well and rewards players who use the elemental system instead of just basic hits.
The puzzle parts are less obvious, but they are still there.
As part of exploration, you’ll often have to deal with platforming challenges, find hidden paths, and connect with things in the environment. Some tasks, like timed trials or combat arenas, have optional goals that give rewards based on how well you do.
One of the best things about the game is, without a doubt, the fighting system. It moves quickly and smoothly, and responds quickly, giving players a strong sense of control. It feels natural to use both melee and magic together, and the elemental system adds a strategy layer that keeps fights interesting. Boss fights stand out in particular. They are hard, have multiple stages, and require players to use all of their tools, especially on harder sets.
That being said, the method does have some problems. At times, the range of enemies can feel limited, since many fights depend on different versions of the same types of enemies. Elemental differences do change how you fight, both physically and in terms of how they act, but some enemies can get old after a while.
Puzzle design is useful, but it’s not really new or innovative. In terms of keeping the game moving along and encouraging discovery, it does its job, but it’s never as hard or creative as in puzzle-focused games.
In Ariana and the Elder Codex, you can move forward by upgrading your gear, unlocking new abilities, and improving your stats. Instead of depending heavily on traditional XP grinding, the game puts more emphasis on rewards that are earned by exploring and finishing tasks. By finishing challenges, finding hidden areas, and fixing up parts of each Codex, players can get better gear.
Different items offer stat boosts and passive benefits, so equipment is very important.
Because these are tied to a point system, players have to be smart about what they outfit instead of just putting everything on at once. This motivates people to try new things and increase diversity.
Also, players can complete optional tasks, like getting high ranks in certain battles, which give them bonuses like more health or attack power. This method makes sure that progress feels earned instead of forced, which fits well with the overall speed of the game.
The game is beautiful to look at in its own way. The style is stylized and chibi-like, which goes well with the fairytale theme. The designs of the characters are bright, expressive, and easy to remember, especially when they are shown in portrait mode during conversation scenes.
Each Codex world has its own look, which helps you tell the different places apart, even though the game is pretty small. The creative way these worlds are shown is always present, whether they are lush woods or more abstract or themed settings.
Still, the game’s low price is clear in some ways. It’s possible for some assets and environments to feel less detailed than others. Over time, it can become clear that some visual elements, especially enemies, don’t have enough variety. Still, the general art direction does a good job of carrying the experience.
The sound design goes well with the game.
The music fits the adventure’s playful and magical mood, with songs that make both exploring and fighting more fun. Even though I don’t remember every piece right away, the music always fits in with the mood and doesn’t get in the way.
It’s nice to find voice acting these days. Players can choose how they want to experience the story since there are choices in both English and Japanese. The acting is well-directed, which gives the characters personality and helps bring the story to life.
The sound effects are good, especially when you’re fighting, where they give you satisfying input for attacks, spells, and how enemies react to you. The sound effects work together to make the experience seamless and engrossing.
The game Ariana and the Elder Codex doesn’t do what you’d expect it to do. At first glance, it looks like a small, niche release, but it turns out to be a really fun experience with satisfying fighting, interesting exploration, and a touching storyline.
Its best features are its gameplay, especially how smoothly it handles battles and how satisfying it is to move forward. The Metroidvania-style design makes it fun to play again and again and encourages discovery, and the storybook structure keeps things interesting and new. The main character, Ariana, is very interesting, and the world she lives in seems full of history and possibilities.
However, the game does have some problems.
It can’t be truly great because the enemies aren’t very varied, and the puzzles are sometimes too easy. Also, some players might want more because it’s not very long, especially since the core systems are so strong.
Ariana and the Elder Codex does well in the most important ways: it’s fun, interesting, and memorable. It’s the kind of game that makes you think of simpler times when adventures could still mean a lot. This is a journey that action RPG fans, side-scrolling game fans, and people who just like well-made games should definitely take.
