How Sands of Aura Brings Soulslike Fight and Sandsea Exploration to Xbox

For those who’ve ever bounced off a soulslike as a result of it felt punishing, obscure, or overly cryptic, Sands of Aura has a special form of problem in thoughts.

Launching at present on Xbox Collection X|S, Sands of Aura is a darkish fantasy motion RPG constructed round quick, reactive fight, significant exploration, and a world formed by loss. Gamers will discover themselves in a realm the place the ocean is gone, and an unlimited sandsea stretches between the final remaining islands. It attracts inspiration from CRPG’s whereas inserting story, characters, and buildcrafting extra straight on the middle of the expertise.

And for the console launch, the crew has taken the chance to refine the expertise with new methods designed particularly round how Xbox gamers discover, battle, and experiment with builds.

A Soulslike That’s About Extra Than Punishment

“Soulslike” has come to imply many issues to gamers. For some gamers, it’s shorthand for punishing problem, gritty worlds, and the ever-present “git gud” mentality.

However after I spoke with the crew behind Sands of Aura, they described a special basis: traditional CRPG design, significant quests, and development that rewards real engagement.

“We grew up on CRPGs full of wealthy, significant quests and character exploration that reward real engagement,” says John Sadler, programmer at Chashu Leisure. “Video games the place progress demanded actual effort and ability.”

That philosophy is mirrored all through Sands of Aura. The builders needed gamers to know the characters, perceive the world, and really feel that the story is current and never hidden behind obscure lore fragments.

In addition they leaned closely into buildcrafting and experimentation.

“We needed to offer gamers huge flexibility to create wildly totally different, deeply customizable builds that synergize in surprising and generally absurdly highly effective methods,” Sadler says. “We weren’t afraid to allow you to break the sport in enjoyable, artistic instructions.”

That flexibility is a significant a part of what makes the sport really feel private. You’re not simply surviving the world, you’re shaping the way you survive it.

Quick, Reactive Fight with Room to Experiment

Within the opening hour, Sands of Aura is designed to show its fight rhythm shortly: a quick, reactive loop constructed round attacking, dodging, blocking, parrying, and weaving in spellblade talents to create openings and capitalize on them.

As you achieve confidence in these fundamentals, the sport begins to floor the depth of its tools methods. Weapons, armor, and talismans aren’t simply stat modifications; they meaningfully alter the way you method fights and how much fighter you turn into.

“The objective is for gamers to really feel the tempo of fight early, whereas realizing there are a whole lot of viable builds and playstyles ready to be explored,” Sadler says.

New Concentrating on Help Constructed for Controller Circulation

One of the vital significant enhancements for Xbox gamers is a brand new concentrating on help system designed round a easy objective: interpret intent quite than demand good precision.

“In fast-paced fight, we discovered that gamers usually missed assaults whereas quickly switching targets and activating talents,” Sadler says. “This new system makes use of the participant’s basic aiming route to intelligently information actions towards probably the most applicable goal inside that area.”

The result’s sooner, extra dependable ability execution that retains fight fluid and responsive with out eradicating participant management.

It’s the form of enchancment you won’t consciously discover at first. However when you’re deep right into a battle, it’s the distinction between feeling such as you’re wrestling the controls and feeling such as you’re absolutely within the circulation.

A Sandsea World Designed for Scale and Discovery

Exploration in Sands of Aura is break up between two distinct areas: the islands, the place the primary story and motion unfold, and the sandsea, which provides you room to breathe, replicate, and chart your personal course.

As a substitute of utilizing a standard overworld map the place you merely choose the following location, the crew needed journey itself to create a way of distance and scale.

“We may have gone with a standard overworld map for selecting the following island,” Sadler says. “As a substitute, we prioritized making the world really feel huge, deep, and filled with actual distance.”

Crusing throughout the sandsea builds that sense of scale and creates alternatives for hidden discoveries. Distant islands and secrets and techniques are simpler to hide when the world is one thing you bodily cross quite than merely click on via. As a substitute of performing as a transition between locations, the sandsea turns into a part of the journey itself, opening the world as much as gamers who discover thoughtfully and take note of what’s on the horizon.

A Compass UI That Helps Exploration And not using a Minimap

The console model additionally provides one other main quality-of-life enchancment: a compass UI on islands.

As a result of Sands of Aura makes use of an elevated, three-quarter perspective, spatial consciousness and distant landmarks can generally be tougher to learn at a look.

“The compass helps gamers keep orientation as they transfer via dense or unfamiliar areas with out counting on a full minimap,” Sadler says. “Our objective was to encourage thorough exploration of every island whereas decreasing the friction of feeling misplaced or disoriented.”

The objective isn’t to take away the sensation of discovery. It’s to assist gamers keep targeted on what issues: uncovering secrets and techniques, discovering new routes, and staying prepared for no matter is ready across the subsequent nook.

Steadiness Updates That Make Builds Extra Enjoyable to Commit To

Lastly, the console model features a huge set of stability modifications geared toward some of the vital elements of the sport: construct experimentation.

The builders made modifications to scale back friction between committing to a construct and permitting you to experiment with totally different weapons, armor, and talismans. Enemies and executives had been additionally tuned to help that experimentation, with adjusted well being swimming pools and injury output.

“We’ve made lots of modifications to scale back friction between committing to a construct and permitting gamers to experiment,” Sadler says. “There ought to now be a bit extra back-and-forth play, like a dance between boss and participant.”

That shift additionally helps scale back the sensation {that a} single mistake ends the battle immediately.

“No extra feeling of ‘one mistaken transfer and also you’re useless,’” Sadler says. “We needed the sport to really feel enjoyable and difficult, not irritating and grindy.”

The place to Start Your Journey

For those who’re on the lookout for a darkish fantasy motion RPG that blends soulslike-inspired fight with story-driven exploration and deep buildcrafting, Sands of Aura affords a singular journey, now refined for Xbox gamers with console-focused enhancements.

Sands of Aura launches at present on Xbox Collection X|S.

Sands of Aura

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A ruinous cataclysm unleashed by a tormented god descended the world of Talamhel into perpetual evening. The hourglass of time was shattered and its essence poured throughout the land, creating an infinite sea of sand. The once-flourishing world of Talamhel grew to become a putrid lesion of its former glory and those that referred to as it house at the moment are husks of corruption–violent, timeless, unyielding troopers of loss of life.

However Talamhel isn’t misplaced–not but. For generations, the righteous few have endured. You’re a type of few. On the eve of your induction into the Order of Remnant Knights, the final protectors of man, Talamhel is once-again wracked by calamity. The corruptive nature of the Evening Plague has mutated, and the realm of man wants the Remnant Knights greater than ever.

Observe down the emergent evil and destroy it. Shield the realm of man.

From the helm of your nimble grainwake, carve throughout the perilous sandseas to confront the supply of this newfound terror, however don’t anticipate a guiding gentle or a pink X on a map. You’ll chart your personal course ahead–behold the open seas, and select the heading you finest see match.

However familiarity is a far-flung idea aboard the grainwake–the shifting sands are at all times altering, revealing secrets and techniques, risks, and paths unseen. Issues will not be as they appear…

-Talamhel is an open world, free to discover and uncover as you please.
-Each island is a singular, colourful encounter of fight, lore, and plunder.
-With tiered ranges of problem, areas provide challenges that can reward those that overcome.
-With a trusted (undead) companion rested within the crow’s nest, you’ll by no means sail the seas alone.

The corruption that plagues Talamhel has created a horde comprised of each man and different Talamhelic natives: The venerable Ferrum and the insectoid, hive-minded Hashara. As soon as warring nations have turn into an abominable military of timeless malice.

From doomsday cultists to fallen kings, the foes that guard the solutions you search are decided to see your finish. Put together for an unrelenting, unforgiving fight expertise to not be taken frivolously. Swing true, expensive knight, swing true.

With a whole lot of weapon parts to be reclaimed from the crumbled stays of civilization, there are literally thousands of distinctive weapons to be cast. Discover the hilt that matches excellent.

-Cleave via the corruption with 7 distinct combating kinds.
-Bolster your self with dozens of armor units, every with their very own distinctive defenses.
-Mix and modify your devastation with magical augments, creating a personalised construct.