Arto 2023

Use a PotionMay 20235.5/10

Arto is a simply mesmerising game to look at, but the combat and narrative lack the excitement to make it an easy game to recommend. It’s not that anything is bad at all, but rather that it’s all a bit… well… boring. Some of the technical issues didn’t help either, with it clear the game could have done with a little bit more work to fix some of its more obvious problems. I don’t want to slate the game too much because, as I said, it’s clear it has a lot of heart, and I really loved seeing its explosions of colour as I uncovered the world. It’s just a shame that I didn’t enjoy playing it all that much. With a few updates and patches, it could definitely be a better experience, but as it stands? There are too many better games out there that deserve your attention more.

Gaming AgeMatthew Pollesel Jun 2023

It’s all enough to make you wish that you could just look at Arto instead of having to play it. It would probably have worked really well as a visual novel or a walking simulator, where you could luxuriate in its incredible visuals without having to worry too much about how it plays – but in this state, as a hack & slash action game, it’s a lot harder to recommend.