Airoheart

“Airoheart doesn’t catch big air nor does it have enough heart.”

“Airoheart attempts to recreate the magic of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in its own image, only to see itself let down by its painfully average storytelling and lack of direction in its dungeons.”

“Airoheart shows clearly its inspiration, but fails to reach the same level. Despite some good efforts and an interesting narrative, technical limitations and issues in its mechanics prevent it from achieving greater success.”

“And so, while Airoheart takes some small steps to be its own thing, there’s nothing here that truly separates it from its inspirations. Is that such a bad thing? After all, A Link to the Past is over 30 years old now, but it’s still a beloved classic. Playing something so similar that it invokes that warm feeling of nostalgia is rather nice, in all honesty. Airoheart might not reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t have to.”

“In attempting to recapture Zelda-era nostalgia, Airoheart is mostly successful. Its potential shines through pieces of the game’s many dungeons, gorgeously-rendered pixel lands, exploration loops, and clever puzzles. But Airoheart is very much held back by a lack of refinement and finesse, and largely stands in the shadow of its predecessors and everything that’s come before.”

“Airoheart draws so much from classic 2D adventure games that it's impossible not to recommend it to fans of the genre. Even with some rough edges, it's still a very entertaining experience.”

“Airoheart's, er, heart is in the right place — and it is an okay Zelda clone overall — but the game's got noticeable flaws. A potential recommendation if you're desperate to play something resembling retro Zelda on PlayStation, but that's about it.”

“Being a step beyond inspiration and dated in its mechanics, Airoheart is an obtuse yet magical game to delve into. Pixel Heart Studio’s debut is great but often hindered by its imitation. Though the unique aspects are what kept me playing, I just wish there was more originality.”

“Some unforced errors and a lack of polish keep it from reaching its full potential, but top-down Zelda fans will find a lot to like, especially if they can move past the shaky early hours.”

“We like the proposal of Airoheart, an heir of Zelda A Link To The Past made in pixel art and with a good puzzle design. But execution fails in basic elements, such as control, that affect all development.”

“Airoheart is a love letter to the classic action-adventures of SNES era, from A Link to the Past to the old stories of the first Final Fantasy games.”

“Airoheart goes well on the face and without any dissimulation: a game very similar in form and substance to the legendary Zelda: A Link to the Past. And that brings two good things, such as having a portion of neo-retro inspired by such a pinnacle of video games, and above all, that it has been made with excellent quality. Through an action-RPG, we will live a fabulous adventure, that many of us will "know" and that we will enjoy for it and for what Airoheart knows how to offer itself. Dungeons and a thorough exploration of the general map outside of them with the objects and resources obtained inside them, tremendously likeable characters that will 'speak' in 19 languages, a multitude of quests and secondary content, in a global adventure well drawn, accessible and of great enjoyment.”

“Airoheart is a passable game, but hardly one we would recommend you rush out to buy unless you simply cannot get enough of the 2D Zelda formula. It follows A Link to the Past's template so closely that it could never be classed as 'bad', but in a crowded market of homages, tributes, and variations on the theme, it does very little to stand out. We would suggest you pick this up only after you've played through A Link to the Past, the Link's Awakening remake, and both the Blossom Tales games, and you still don't feel you've gotten enough of that specific brand of top-down gameplay. Airoheart provides an adequate adventure, and for $40 at the time of writing, we simply expect more.”