Auro Review

Auro can seem rather intimidating at first, – as you'd expect from a game offering 31 tutorial levels. Stick with it though, and you'll be richly rewarded by a challenging yet well made strategy game. One that requires you to think many moves ahead to get the most out of it.

At its heart, Auro is actually very simple. You merely have to push all the monsters on the screen into the water on the edge of the stage. A vast set of rules, however, means that this isn't as easy as it sounds. The best comparison here is to Chess. You have to think ahead and plan your ever step carefully in order to glean the most benefit out of it.

The tutorials guide you through everything you need to know with movement, magic spells, and learning how different enemies react – all imperative to success. Fortunately, once you've got the hang of much of it you can always step away from the tutorials and focus on the rest of the game, but you probably won't want to. Knowledge is power here.

Each stage (outside of the tutorials) is randomly-generated, with a hexagonal, honeycomb style grid affecting how you move. Everything is turn-based, which is vital when giving you time to plan ahead. You have spells at your disposal, such as the ability to freeze enemies, set fire traps, or implement a slippery floor, allowing you to push foes further. Ultimately though, it's your wits that will help you succeed here.

Auro is tough going at times, especially early on when you're still figuring things out, but it's certainly rewarding. Every level feels suitably different, offering a new challenge and ways to approach things, and it's quite intoxicating for the strategy fan. While it might look a bit old fashioned, that belies a distinctly old school (in a good way) feeling. It should keep you hooked for a long time to come.