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Aragami |OT| Check Your Stealth Before You Wreck Your Stealth

W

Wozman23

Member
aragami_banner.png


Aragami (formerly Twin Souls: The Path of Shadows)

荒 Ara (violent, rage)
神 Kami (spirit, god)​

As Aragami, you will take on the role of an undead assassin who was bought back to life by Yamiko – a mysterious girl that is imprisoned by Kaiyo, the army of light. She is the key to bringing you back to life, and also the key to figuring out your past. Using your shadow powers, you will be able to teleport between shadows, create shadow paths so you will be harder to be detected by your enemies, create shadow decoys and weapons, and even summon shadow creatures that will strangle or decapitate your enemies.


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Genre: Stealth Action
Release Date: October 4th, 2016 (Physical release dates may vary by region.)
Platforms: PS4, PC, Mac, Linux
Developer: Lince Works, of Barcelona, Spain
Publisher: Self Publish (Digital), Merge Games (Physical)
Rating: M for Mature (ESRB), 16+ (PEGI)

Formats & Pricing:
Digital - $19.99 ; £19.99; €14.99, First week 10% discount on Steam

Physical Collector's Edition - $29.99
Includes: disc, digital soundtrack, digital art book

Signature Edition - £30.00 + Shipping (£3.50 International or £2.50 to UK).
Includes: Region free disc, physical soundtrack, printed art book, special edition signed box
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Embrace The Shadows:
Create shadows to become invisible. Teleport to any shadow while you hunt down your targets. Use a wide array of Shadow Powers to creatively dispatch your enemies.​

Choose Your Playstyle:
Multiple paths to beat each scenario and approach every situation. Play as a merciless emissary of death or an undetectable ghost. Your story, your choices.​

Piece Back Your Past:
Fight Kaiho, the army of Light, and rescue Yamiko – a mysterious girl that brought you back to life. Release Yamiko and unlock the secrets hidden in your past.​

Become The Perfect Assassin:
Unlock a vast array of Shadow Techniques to manipulate your victims, sneak behind your targets and kill without being detected. Combine your different powers to become the ultimate shadow assassin.​

TdeVVVI.jpg


Old School Stealth:
Your enemies are lethal and direct confrontation is not an option. Survey the scenario, plan your approach and sneak around your enemies. Be the hunter, not the hunted.

Inspired by games like Tenchu, Metal Gear Solid, Mark of the Ninja, and Dishonored​

Powerful Enemies:
Your foes are not helpless, they can manipulate light to create moving light sources, cast light barriers, shoot incendiary arrows, launch barrages of light from their weapons and imbue their armors with resplendent light.

One hit and you're dead.​

Shadow Powers:
You have an array of Shadow Powers at your disposal. Create areas of darkness to get tactical advantage, use your Shadow Leap to move instantly between any two shadows, feed the bodies of your enemies to the shadows and leave no trace, summon a Shadow Clone to distract and confuse your enemies.
When Aragami is in the light or uses his powers, his energy will drain. Stay in the shadows to refill your powers.​

Choose Your Playstyle:
Each situation has different possible approaches. Will you be the merciless emissary of death? Or maybe an undetectable ghost? Aragami won't force you to kill your enemies, nor will it penalize you for doing it. Both approaches to violence are valid.​

Replay Value:
Replay each scenario to improve your performance score. Depending on your playstyle you will get different outcomes, which will affect the world of Aragami and the story events. Medals and achievements are rewarded for varied playstyles.

There are 3 medals per level:
Yurei 幽霊 Ghost the level. Don't get spotted.
Oni 鬼Kill everyone
Kami 神 Don't kill anybody​

An Immersive Story:
Not everything in Aragami is as simple as it seems. The characters’ past interconnects in different timelines, and every step you take uncovers a bit more about them.

The campaign is 13 chapters and around 8-14 hours.​

Online Co-op:
A 2 player, cross-play, online co-op mode​

T5S26pV.png
Click to expand...

A Cell-shaded Art Style:
Influenced by Okami, Zelda, Sly Cooper, and Journey​

Full Sound Design:
An orchestral score, voice over, and sound effects by Two Feathers Studio​

A HUD-less Design:
In addition to standard menus, tutorials, and a 'weapon wheel,' Aragami's cape and the environment convey information, similarly to Dead Space, eliminating the need for an ever-present HUD.​


smRQDcK.jpg


Shadow Leap Teleport between shadows
Shadow Creation Create shadows to move around unnoticed or to leap to previously lit surfaces
Corpse Vanish Hide enemy corpses by feeding them to the shadows​

Demon Techniques:
Kunai 苦無 Throwable daggers made of shadow
Kurosuna 黒砂 A stunning shadow blast
Shinen 深淵 A black hole vortex trap that can be placed on the ground or enemies​

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Click to expand...

Ghost Techniques:
Banmoku 万目 With the help of a raven, see enemies behind obstacles, and their field of view for a short time
Kage 影 Transparent spectre form
Sakkaku 錯覚 A human-like shadow decoy​

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Click to expand...

Shadow Kills Summon a snake or dragon shadow creature to banish your enemies
​


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Release Date Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOf_5cJcvk0
First 13 Minutes Gameplay Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CONA7fx_buM
Shadow Techniques Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=491pFmcFwDk
Co-op Stealth Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VZlIN2JRpM
E3 2016 PlayStation LiveCast:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-k63j2CPV4
Aragami Announcement Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO5H_UaToTI
Twin Souls E3 2015 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWxHbvYWPqU


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Official Website: http://aragami-game.com/
Steam Page:http://store.steampowered.com/app/280160/
Humble Page:https://www.humblebundle.com/store/aragami
Twitter: https://twitter.com/linceworks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aragami.game/

Still not sold! Download the original Path of Shadows student project from 2013: http://www.indiedb.com/games/path-of-shadows/downloads/path-of-shadows

Thanks to More_Badass, for creating and maintaining the original pre-release thread (as well as being awesome in general).
Thanks to xDavidLeon, for persevering, and always taking time to post updates and answer questions.
Thanks to SixFourMike, for telling me about the command. (You created a monster.)
Headers created with Dry Brush font from http://loremipsum.ro/
 
Karak

Karak

Member
Despite me not rating it very high I have to say the moment to moment bits can get very cool and their setups, especially later with enemies is great. There are some areas where it looks almost impossible but smart skill use prevails.
 
C

ChuckNyce

Member
Nice OT! Got to beta test the first few levels and I enjoyed what I played. Different mechanics and abilities were introduced at a pretty good clip which promoted some good variation in how you approach the areas. The devs were also very responsive and communicative about fixing issues, best of luck to them! Looking forward to getting my hands on the full thing.
 
U

UCBooties

Member
I have the physical version pre-ordered on Amazon and it looks like that will ship next week. If impressions are good I may even grab the Signature Edition but I've never shopped with them before.
 
F

FelipeMGM

Member
Karak said:
Despite me not rating it very high I have to say the moment to moment bits can get very cool and their setups, especially later with enemies is great. There are some areas where it looks almost impossible but smart skill use prevails.
Click to expand...

Yes, some chapters are amazingly designed and do force you to be smart and precise with your abilities, to bad some other areas are not, Some are even frustrating.

The game has a great base to build up a sequel or some espiritual sucessor. They just need to iron out some design choices and mostly performance and AI issues.
 
Moff

Moff

Member
I was lucky enough to play the beta, these were my impressions in the old thread

Moff said:
played the beta and I like this game, a lot

first of all, I do not think it really plays like tenchu, Aragami is it's very own thing with a unique feel. Mostly because of the core gameplay ability that lets you teleport to any shadow near you, called shadow leap. you cannot run, you cannot jump, you cannot fight. you need to move in the shadows and teleport from shadow to shadow all the time and strike from the shadows. you need to do that because you are very vulnerable, not only can't you fight but enemies one-hit you. sure you can escape, but usually it's done after you are spotted and you lose a lot of progress. So you need to be 100% aware of your surroundings at all time. I would also like to mention that I actually expected to play this with a pad, but because of the constant precise shadow leaping you need to do I switched to mouse after 30 seconds.

Shadow leap is a very powerful ability, similar to blink in dishonored and we all know how this broke the game. so I thought Aragami might be very easy, but I was wrong. especially in the beginning the game can be quite hard. The first mission after the tutorial took me 6 tries until I gave up, in the beginning you can't move bodies or anything and if other guards find them it's an instant alarm. so I gave up and ghosted through the level, but that's not really that easy either because there are not shadows everywhere. and although you get the ability to create temporary shadows yourself, this costs a lot of energy (which fills up when you are in a shadow) and you can't do it in areas where there are lights.
I really feel this is balanced well, guard placement and level design work and it's fun and challenging.

aragamia5s4t.jpg


The levels are quite big and open and I am very glad exploration is rewarded, because killing guards only gives you points for the score. to actually improve your character you need to find scrolls that are hidden in the level. I really like that decision because I love exploration and otherwise just ghosting the game would be to inviting.
The first ability I unlocked was of course the skill to let bodies disappear. so I could finally play the game how I love to play stealth games, to empty the whole level of enemies.
new enemies are introduced in later levels, the archers who can see into the shadows to spice the gameplay up a bit, which is of course very welcome. the abilities you can unlock look like a lot of fun as well.

If I had to describe the game I'd say it's a mix between thief (because you need to stay in the shadows constantly), dishonored (blink/shadow leap) and tenchu. My three personal favorite stealth games, so I'm pretty sure I'll like this game a lot.

day 1 for me, it's a very good stealth game, and I am picky when it comes to those.
Click to expand...

It's a very good stealth game made by a gaffer, if you are into stealth, support it.

Sadly, I can't. the game is not available in my country on steam.
 
Tizoc

Tizoc

Member
That's a lame subtitle; a Tenchu reference would've been better.

Moff said:
I was lucky enough to play the beta, these were my impressions in the old thread



It's a very good stealth game made by a gaffer, if you are into stealth, support it.

Sadly, I can't. the game is not available in my country on steam.
Click to expand...
Hmmm there miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight be a way for you to get it digitally at least.
 
C

Corpekata

Banned
Tizoc said:
That's a lame subtitle; a Tenchu reference would've been better.


Hmmm there miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight be a way for you to get it digitally at least.
Click to expand...

Not really. It plays a lot more like something like Dishonored than Tenchu and inviting that comparison will lead to disappointment. Even the dev in one of the threads expressed annoyance at it.
 
Tizoc

Tizoc

Member
Corpekata said:
Not really. It plays a lot more like something like Dishonored than Tenchu and inviting that comparison will lead to disappointment. Even the dev in one of the threads expressed annoyance at it.
Click to expand...

Ah fair enough, I was hearing the Tenchu comparisons and it got me more interested in it.
Not that I wasn't to begin with; I've been interested in the game since its announcement.
 
Karak

Karak

Member
Corpekata said:
Not really. It plays a lot more like something like Dishonored than Tenchu and inviting that comparison will lead to disappointment. Even the dev in one of the threads expressed annoyance at it.
Click to expand...

As someone who just recently replayed Tenchu. The comparisons are there, far less so than Dishonored but its not confusing as to why they are brought up. Its a mix of many things, some more some less.
 
S

sym30l1c

Member
xrnzaaas said:
Is the PS4 performance really that bad?
Click to expand...

No, framerate is inconsistent and fluctuates in some of the big levels, but that's it. It's annoying at times, but it didn't detract from me enjoying the game. So, while it's still worth pointing out these issues, it's not really bad and it doesn't make the game bad.
I'm really liking the game and I would definitely recommend it!
 
W

Wozman23

Member
Tizoc said:
That's a lame subtitle; a Tenchu reference would've been better.
Click to expand...

'Shroud of Tenchu' was in the running, as was 'Cell-Shadowed Stealth.' Ultimately, I'd never played Tenchu, so I went with the Ice Cube lyric pun.

Truth be told, I generally don't like stealth games, but I played the Path of Shadows prototype years ago and was hooked. And while it does have many similarities to Tenchu, David has made it a point to say you shouldn't expect Tenchu on multiple occasions. I didn't want it to have to further live in that shadow - no pun intended - with the subtitle.

Sorry I Dishonored you...
 
C

Clint Beastwood

Banned
Wozman23 said:
'Shroud of Tenchu' was in the running, as was 'Cell-Shadowed Stealth.' Ultimately, I'd never played Tenchu, so I went with the Ice Cube lyric pun.

Truth be told, I generally don't like stealth games, but I played the Path of Shadows prototype years ago and was hooked. And while it does have many similarities to Tenchu, David has made it a point to say you shouldn't expect Tenchu on multiple occasions. I didn't want it to have to further live in that shadow - no pun intended - with the subtitle.

Sorry I Dishonored you...
Click to expand...

should have chosen a big pun lyric instead
 
S

SomTervo

Member
More_Badass said:
Finally downloading. It's been such a long road

These devs really deserve props for continuing to work hard even after the Kickstarter didn't pan out. The evolution from prototype to KS build to release is really impressive
Click to expand...

Really hammers home how important design iteration is
 
W

Wozman23

Member
I still have a soft spot for the simplicity of the Path of Shadows cape, and the dragon accents on the Twin Souls character model.

Granted, the new Aragami is far more functional.
 
Moff

Moff

Member
finished the first two missions as ghost, not detected, no kills

I just love the movement in this game, I never played anything like it. you can move so fast through the shadows.

again, if you are on pc, I definitely recommend playing this with a mouse. I originally planned to play it with a pad but the super fast and accurate movement between small shadows really profits from mouse controls.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Moff said:
finished the first two missions as ghost, not detected, no kills

I just love the movement in this game, I never played anything like it. you can move so fast through the shadows.

again, if you are on pc, I definitely recommend playing this with a mouse. I originally planned to play it with a pad but the super fast and accurate movement between small shadows really profits from mouse controls.
Click to expand...
Moving between shadows is certainly reminsicent of Dishonored, but the speed and ease of movement here makes it much about more planning your movement than as merely a means of traversal.

The limited energy plus the level layout leans the game more towards the puzzle nature of classic stealth games. Observe, plan, execute
 
Rakuyo

Rakuyo

Neo Member
Still waiting for my signature edition to arrive. I hope this will hold me over till Dishonored 2 release, to scratch my stealth itch.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
What's everyone approach to stealth games? I tend to kill everyone or at least not care about killing or being seen occasionally on my first playthrough, and then try to ghost through on my second
 
Moff

Moff

Member
More_Badass said:
What's everyone approach to stealth games? I tend to kill everyone or at least not care about killing or being seen occasionally on my first playthrough, and then try to ghost through on my second
Click to expand...

1. put the whole level to sleep, explore everything, no kills, no detections
2. super fast ghosting, don't touch anything
3. kill everything

in mankind divided I skipped 2 though and in aragami I will likely get all the medals lever after level, so I'll alternate during the whole game
 
M

MisterShine

Member
Purchased the steam version and downloaded it to my home PC. I'll post impressions tonight after I've played it for a bit.

So far 2016 has had two great stealth games in Deus Ex and Hitman, hopefully Aragami + Dishonored 2 can finish out the year strong.

More_Badass said:
What's everyone approach to stealth games?
Click to expand...

First playthrough is almost always a ghost run. It just makes it that much more challenging to not even know the level layouts that I really like. My ghost runs tend toward proper ghosting however: I almost never do knockouts or full exploration for stealing, I take what is strictly necessary and bounce. Second+ is usually just doing whatever I want. Rambo playstyle is pretty much never fun for me, but I just tend to be more thorough in exploration, which usually necessitates killing.
 
B

BraXzy

Member
Moff said:
finished the first two missions as ghost, not detected, no kills

I just love the movement in this game, I never played anything like it. you can move so fast through the shadows.

again, if you are on pc, I definitely recommend playing this with a mouse. I originally planned to play it with a pad but the super fast and accurate movement between small shadows really profits from mouse controls.
Click to expand...

How is performance on PC?

The reviews I read mentioned performance issues but all seemed to be PS4 copies.
 
H

Haroon

Member
BraXzy said:
How is performance on PC?

The reviews I read mentioned performance issues but all seemed to be PS4 copies.
Click to expand...

I played it for an hour. The performance is excellent from my experience. But I am using a GTX 1080. I watched a Steam broadcast earlier of someone playing it, and the person was having some performance issues as well. I am not sure what is the cause of it, but the developer is looking into it.
 
Moff

Moff

Member
BraXzy said:
How is performance on PC?

The reviews I read mentioned performance issues but all seemed to be PS4 copies.
Click to expand...

I am super sensitive to non-fluent gameplay and I hate to admit, but aragami is not doing well there. It's definitely my biggest problem with the game. unity, I guess.
980ti here
 
illusionary

illusionary

Member
A Grizzly Bear said:
Apparently there are some performance issues with the PS4 version. Haven't been able to find a review for the PC version yet.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's not great, but perfectly playable to me. I'm very happy with my Signature Edition and looking forward to playing more!

Cheers Wozman23 for the great OT!
 
M

MisterShine

Member
Finished the first four levels in a bit over an hour. Ghosted all the levels of course.

The movement is definitely cool, even if I feel a tad overpowered? The first two levels are basically just tutorial missions to let you get used to your powers and the guards are pretty much no threat at all. Things pick up somewhat in the third mission, and by the fourth I was definitely getting a decent challenge. The game has a rudimentary upgrade system that seems pretty interesting. It seems you need quite a few skill points to unlock later skills and I wasn't finding too many scrolls to get points with. The game seems to push you into either an all kills or all pacifism style however. I'm also not seeing much in the way of performance issues? I'm only on medium settings but my 960 has it at locked 60fps at 1080p.

I also got a skill in the third level
A whistle of some sort?
However, there's no actual direction on what key uses it so I just sort of did some creative sneaking to get around the 'tutorial' bit.

All in all pretty good.
 
Z

Zafir

Member
Atsou said:
I played it for an hour. The performance is excellent from my experience. But I am using a GTX 1080. I watched a Steam broadcast earlier of someone playing it, and the person was having some performance issues as well. I am not sure what is the cause of it, but the developer is looking into it.
Click to expand...

My performance on a 970 was mostly okay(not the best, sometimes it went down to 50fps) until my friend and I got to chapter 11 and it suddenly took a nose dive to like 30FPS for the both of us. The game doesn't seem to like the rain.

We haven't finished it yet, will probably do so tomorrow but so far it seemed pretty solid. There's been a few urgh bits - such as
a boss(Never been much of a fan of bosses in stealth games, outside of maybe MGS)
.
 
bryanee

bryanee

Member
Its kinda easy to ghost levels, well the first 6 any way. I find having to kill everyone a little more challenging so I'm doing that.

Despite some jank I'm really enjoying it.
 
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