Aurascope
Preview

Aurascope is a retro running and jumping game that combines elements from other genres. The platform action is central but you also have a lot of collecting and exploration to do. As much as the gameplay, the game stands out for its fast skill-based action and rich ways to interact with the world as you run, jump and puzzle your way around. The result is a game that harks back to classics like Turrican, Fire and Ice and Sonic, while also offering new twists of its own.

Play involves working through each maze-like level to access hidden areas and find all the Energy Cores scattered throughout. These enable you to restore power and access more areas. You can use your metallic arms and your magical aura to manipulate objects, pick up and throw things, and deal with enemies. There's a focus on fast movement as you jump, dive and traverse your way around the level. You have a wide array of movement abilities to acrobat roll, leap and wall jump.

The result is a game that is as intricate as it is fast. You need quick reactions and a good sense of flow to get around, but you also need to use your head to solve puzzles and find all the secrets.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Aurascope 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 17 months ago.