Arise: A Simple Story

Last updated
Arise: A Simple Story
Arise A Simple Story cover.jpg
Developer(s) Piccolo Studio
Publisher(s)
Engine Unreal Engine 4 [1] [2]
Platform(s)
ReleasePS4, Windows, Xbox One
December 3, 2019
Nintendo Switch
April 28, 2022
Genre(s) Puzzle-platform
Mode(s) Single-player

Arise: A Simple Story is a puzzle-platform game developed by Piccolo Studio and published by Untold Tales and Techland. Players guide a recently deceased man through the afterlife as he relives memories of his life.

Contents

Plot

After an older tribesman dies and is placed on a funeral pyre, he relives his memories in the afterlife. Players guide him through various puzzles representing his good and bad memories. [3]

Development

The game's art style was influenced by Studio Ghibli and early Disney animated films, especially Fantasia . The artists used Clint Eastwood's minimalist acting as a model for their character and attempted to convey as much emotion as possible through body language. The puzzles were designed to be reminiscent of the protagonist's mental state and age. When reliving youth-oriented memories, the puzzles were made more active and exciting, while memories from older age took into account the challenges of performing ordinary tasks. Similarly, the art style is vivid during good memories and bleak during bad memories. [1]

It was released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on December 3, 2019. [3] The Nintendo Switch version was released on April 28, 2022. [4] The game sold well in its first week on the Switch store. The publisher, Untold Tales, attributed this to positive reviews from professional reviewers, being featured on Nintendo's official social media, opening with a discount, and positive word of mouth from players, who made connections between Arise and other games that sold well. [5]

Reception

Arise: A Simple Story received positive reviews on Metacritic. [6] Reviewing the Xbox One version, Polygon [3] and Game Informer criticized the platform puzzles as frustrating, though they both praised the game. Matt Miller wrote for Game Informer, "Even with some stumbles, Arise is a game that knows what it wants to communicate, and does so with delicacy and sensitivity." [7] Liam Croft of Push Square called the PlayStation 4 version "an experience that delights every sense imaginable". [8] Will Aickman reviewed the Windows version for Adventure Gamers and wrote, "A few presentation issues aside, it’s a moving, thought-provoking experience that tells a complete story with scarcely a word." [9]

It won best adventure game [10] and best art direction [11] at the 2020 Webby Awards. Arise received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition during the 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. [12]

Related Research Articles

WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. Founded in March 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as the Super NES and Sega Genesis, as well as TV games and PC educational software. In 1997, they relaunched their video games arm, placing the company as a contractor for publishers and working on a variety of licensed assets.

<i>Rime</i> (video game) 2017 video game

Rime is a 2017 puzzle video game developed by Tequila Works. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in May 2017, for Nintendo Switch in November 2017, and for Amazon Luna in October 2020. The game follows a boy arriving at and searching a mysterious island with a fox-like spirit as a guide. The player guides the boy in solving environmental puzzles across five large levels.

<i>2064: Read Only Memories</i> 2015 video game

2064: Read Only Memories is a cyberpunk adventure game developed by MidBoss. It was directed by John "JJSignal" James, written by Valerie Amelia Thompson and Philip Jones, and features an original soundtrack by 2 Mello.

<i>Snipperclips</i> 2017 video game

Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together! is a puzzle video game developed by SFB Games and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. The game was released worldwide as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch on March 3, 2017. An expanded version, titled Snipperclips Plus, was released on November 10, 2017. In the game, the players have a "snipping" mechanic where they can cut the other player into a different shape, which is used to solve the various puzzles.

<i>The Sexy Brutale</i> 2017 video game

The Sexy Brutale is an adventure puzzle video game developed by Cavalier Game Studios and Tequila Works. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in April 2017. A Nintendo Switch version was released in December 2017. A cloud-based version was released for Amazon Luna in October 2020.

<i>Minit</i> 2018 adventure video game

Minit is an action-adventure video game developed by Jan Willem Nijman, Kitty Calis, Jukio Kallio, and Dominik Johann. The game is published by Devolver Digital and was released on April 3, 2018, for Windows, macOS, Linux, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. On May 11, 2018, a Nintendo Switch version was announced on the first episode of Indie World, a web series from Nintendo of Japan that showcases indie games coming to the Japanese Nintendo eShop. It was released for the Nintendo Switch on August 9, 2018. It also came out for mobile devices in June 2019.

<i>Bear with Me</i> 2016 video game

Bear with Me is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Exordium Games. It is described as an "episodic noir adventure game", and was released in three episodes, first in August 2016, final in October 2017. A prequel, The Lost Robots, was released in July 2019. The game draws inspiration from film noir and features Amber and her friend - detective Ted E. Bear, who are set on an adventure to find Amber's missing brother Flint. Bear with Me: The Complete Collection, a compilation of the first three episodes, was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux, MacOS, and Microsoft Windows on July 9, 2019.

<i>Forgotton Anne</i> 2018 video game

Forgotton Anne is an adventure-platform game developed by ThroughLine Games and published by Square Enix Collective. The game uses a hand-drawn anime aesthetic style and an orchestral score performed by the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra and was released on May 15, 2018 on Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. The game was released for macOS on June 21, 2018, Nintendo Switch on November 9, 2018, iOS on June 26, 2019, and Android on December 18, 2019.

<i>The Gardens Between</i> 2018 video game

The Gardens Between is an adventure/puzzle video game developed by Australian studio The Voxel Agents and published in September 2018 for Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. It was later released for Xbox One in 2018, iOS in 2019, Android in 2020, and PlayStation 5 in 2022. The game, which conveys its story through visuals and gameplay rather than dialogue or narration, follows two children, Arina and Frendt, in the treehouse in a garden between their houses. In a dreamscape, they progress through sets of island levels, each representing different shared experiences. The characters walk along a path that winds through each level, and the player solves environment-based puzzles that prevent the pair from reaching and activating a portal at the end of the path. To do so, the player controls the flow of time forwards and backwards and causes the characters to interact with nearby objects and spheres of light, rather than moving the pair directly.

<i>The Lego Movie 2 Videogame</i> 2019 video game

The Lego Movie 2 Videogame is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the 2019 film of the same name, it is a direct stand-alone sequel and the second installment to The Lego Movie Videogame, released on February 26, 2019, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One; and on March 14, 2019, it was released for MacOS. It is the last Lego Movie videogame to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment before Warner Bros. contract with The Lego Group expired in favor of a new one with Universal Pictures in 2020.

<i>Puyo Puyo Tetris 2</i> 2020 video game

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is a puzzle video game developed and published by Sega. It is an installment in the Puyo Puyo series and a direct sequel to Puyo Puyo Tetris. The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on December 8, 2020 with a Windows version released on March 21, 2021. The game was released to generally positive reviews.

<i>Maquette</i> (video game) 2021 video game

Maquette is a puzzle-adventure video game developed by Graceful Decay and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game takes place in a recursive world where every action on a table is recreated in the larger area outside. The game was released in March 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows, with a version for Nintendo Switch as well as Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S launching in May and July 2023, respectively.

<i>Minute of Islands</i> 2021 video game

Minute of Islands is a 2021 puzzle-platform game developed by Studio Fizbin and published by Mixtvision for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

<i>Carto</i> (video game) 2020 video game

Carto is a puzzle adventure game developed by Sunhead Games and published by Humble Games in 2020. It was released in October for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The console versions of the game received generally positive reviews, whereas the Windows version received a mixed reception.

<i>Lost Words: Beyond the Page</i> 2020 video game

Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a puzzle-platform game developed by Sketchbook Games and published by Modus Games. The game was released for Stadia on March 27 2020, then for Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 6, 2021.

<i>Aer: Memories of Old</i> 2017 video game

Aer: Memories of Old is an indie action-adventure open world video game developed by Forgotten Key and published by Daedalic Entertainment. It was released on October 25, 2017, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on August 28, 2019, for Nintendo Switch. The game's story revolves around a girl named Auk who can shapeshift into a bird. Set on floating islands, the main character must solve puzzles, discovering ruins left by an ancient civilization. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its aesthetic and world but criticized its short length and overall lack of action.

<i>Beautiful Desolation</i> 2020 video game

Beautiful Desolation is a point-and-click adventure game by The Brotherhood. It uses an isometric perspective and is set in a post-apocalyptic version of South Africa. When alien technology teleports two brothers into the future, they must find a way back home.

<i>Dordogne</i> (video game) 2023 video game

Dordogne is an adventure video game developed by Un Je Ne Sais Quoi and Umanimation. The player completes puzzles to help a woman recall her past. Focus Entertainment published it for Microsoft Windows and multiple consoles in June 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 Thang, Jimmy (2020-03-19). "Arise: A Simple Story uses its art direction to tie its story and gameplay together". UnrealEngine.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-31. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  2. Booth, Anthony (23 April 2022). "Arise: A Simple Story Reveals Switch Exclusive Additions In New Trailer". ScreenRant. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Campbell, Colin (2019-12-02). "Arise: A Simple Story is frustrating, but worth the journey". Polygon . Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  4. Hagues, Alana (2022-04-22). "Arise: A Simple Story Launches 28th April On Switch With Exclusive Features". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  5. Carless, Simon (2022-05-11). "A Switch game discovery success? Tell us more..." Game Developer . Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  6. Miller, Matt (2019-12-10). "Arise: A Simple Story Review". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 2020-02-22. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  7. Croft, Liam (2019-12-02). "Arise: A Simple Story Review (PS4)". Push Square . Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  8. Aickman, Will (2020-05-01). "Review for Arise – A Simple Story". Adventure Gamers . Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  9. "Adventure Games (2020)". Webby Awards . Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  10. "Best Art Direction: Games (2020)". Webby Awards . Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  11. "2020 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-03-20.