Secrets of Raetikon... reviewed!

This indie title is fly... literally, welcome to a really cool... CHIRP-fest that's full of discovery.

Secrets of Raetikon is one of those games that is at least worth a try, but you may find yourself coming back... even for the little things. The team gets a thumbs up for the change of pace experience described as an aerial exploration game. I always like to have a nice variety of games in my collection, so this is definitely welcome, and is brought to us by the developers of "Chasing Aurora" (available on the Wii U eShop).

The description for this game stands true with its 2D open world-ish environment that has more than one set path... and in this game you're a bird (of all things), scaling heights, diving, evading, attacking, etc. as you make your way through the wilderness containing neutral animals, foes, hidden areas... plenty of puzzle challenges and other e-t-c.

Fly carefully or it can cost you your life in some areas.

The ability to fly around as a bird doesn't sound that glamorous, but its quite fun (to me at least) and you even have to flap your wings to gain speed for a number of reasons. The game has several areas that allow you to breathe a bit more easily than others, and while other areas may appear to be the same... its temporary because the action fluctuates and increases even more than it does in known danger zones.

Watch yourself.

The action picks up when you get your talons on ancient glowing relics, animals go freaking nuts for these pulsating things... not to mention other things that will try to take them from you also (and I know that sounds eerie, but you can find out about those if/when you play the game). The chase is enjoyable (at times) when a relentless bird comes after you and grabs a relic... requiring you to chase it down and get it back while figuring out a way to avoid it after retrieval so that you can reach the destination of where you wish to take it. (Phew... try to say that in one breath.) It reminds me of how birds fight over food and chase each other through the sky.

In order to obtain these relics, you have to obtain enough of these glowing triangular pieces (called "Slivers") that serve as a key to unlock cradles holding these relics. Some can be found more easily than others... but exploration is part of the fun... rewarding you with discovery and progression.

Tip: Use dangers in the environment to your advantage whenever necessary, because other animals are able to be killed by these things just the same you. Some will leave you alone if you show them whose boss, but that will be determined once they begin to bleed out.

Something got to me while playing this game though... its hard to maneuver the bird at times based on an inability to accelerate while flapping... sometimes. I'm not sure if its something that has to be fixed or what... but I don't think it has anything to do with the bird being fatigue, we will contact the developer.

Overall, Secrets of Raetikon is a very nice experience with art that's not only pleasing to the eye, but also pleasing to interact with. I love flying through the trees watching the leaves fall, placing colorful eggs into nests to hatch eggs (at least the right eggs), repairing statues to unlock secrets... and all that good stuff. The art actually reminds me of Aztec style art... which is a very nice touch, they could've went a traditional route or tried to go realistic but this stands out well.

Price wise... Broken Rules Studio hits the mark spot on at $9.99, this seals the deal on the score because they did what I believe they were aiming to do... and did it well. Oh and I just had to bring up the download size of this game, its quite small but it doesn't take away from the depth they were able to provide.
Its available on Steam, Linux, Windows, and Mac (DRM-Free).

Fun factor: 4
Visually: 5
Replay value: 5
Price: 5

"4.5 / 5 Mushrooms"

You can get more on the game here:

http://www.secrets-of-raetikon.com/