Trials of Azra Review

Trials of Azra is a puzzle platformer game where you control a boy named Sam, who in turn controls the dead. The game opens with Sam enjoying a nice day outside with his dog, when suddenly a storm begins and he and his little pup are zapped by a bolt of lighting. Sam then realizes he’s gained the ability to resurrect dead beings. He’s then transported to a dungeon where he’s mocked by a mysterious robed wizard, and so starts his adventure.

Pixel graphics give this game a nice charm. As soon as one area becomes a little too familiar and boring, you’re moved onto a new bunch of stages in a new environment with nice aesthetic differences, but admittedly not many new objects and obstacles. The music gets repetitive after a few hours in the game, and doesn’t offer anything special, nor do the sound effects bring anything new to the table.

The puzzles presented here are common fare for a 2D platformer, with most stages requiring some buttons to be pressed for a door to be opened, opening the path forward. Puzzles are never too complex, though some certainly aren’t easy. I was never frustrated by an inability to figure out what to do, but I was continuously frustrated by an annoying control scheme. Thankfully, the game allows for custom button mapping, but Sam still feels a little too light and slippery for the precision required in some levels. Using a controller definitely makes the whole experience better.

The combat with enemies can be interesting, especially when throwing in all the moves used by different enemies available for you to control. Sam can acquire more spells to bolster his base magic orb attack, mixing up combat a bit. Every once in awhile the game throws a boss fight at you, providing a bit of a combat-focussed challenge in between all the puzzles.

Trials of Azra allows for co-op play, but unfortunately, it’s not put to use in the game very well. Player 1 controls Sam, and Player 2 takes control of whatever enemy Sam decides to resurrect. Once an enemy is resurrected and Player 2 enters the game, the camera shifts to focus on them, leaving just a small box at the edge of the screen showing Sam and his immediate surroundings. The system doesn’t lend itself well to co-op play, especially because when Player 1 dies, the level restarts, so it doesn’t really encourage any exploration or risk-taking. Also, the puzzles become a lot easier when you can control both the enemies and Sam at the same time. Trials of Azra is best played alone.

The idea of taking control of dead enemies is an interesting one, and lends itself well to puzzle platforming. Each enemy you control has it’s own height and attacks, and some have special abilities, like one yellow one-eyed monster being able to jump extremely high. Each enemy has it’s own use, and most levels feature multiple types of enemies to use in their puzzles. The resurrection mechanic helps the game stand out from the puzzle-platformer crowd, and allows for a nice dose of complexity throughout the stages.

There’s nice replay value when you take into account all the achievements and pickups to find scattered throughout over 60 levels. The game can be finished in seven hours according to leaderboards, but you’ll probably get a good few hours more if you aren’t a big puzzle gamer.