Arida: Backland's Awakening

Steam Description

Face the effects of drought in this historical single-player game that blends elements of survival and adventure.

Equipped to venture out

To survive in ÁRIDA you will need some equipment. Use the machete and hoe for essential actions such as getting water, opening paths, or cutting a corn crop. But do not forget to have a handful of grindstones because blunt equipment is of no use!

Get ready with recipes

To live in the backlands you need to be wise. The fauna and flora are unusual, so try to learn the recipes available for crafting with the typical items of the region. Maybe one day you need to cross the backlands ...

Interact to survive

Hunger and thirst can be very cruel in the backlands during the drought. Ask for help for the elders of your village and solve their quests to get some water and food.

Explore to know

Explore the aridest regions to learn more about the backlands and find the resources you need to stay on your way. A full inventory is always a good idea!

Stories to learn

The Brazilian backlands is a special place, with many stories that would only happen there. Venture out to search for the collectible lost objects and find out more about the legends of the backlands.

The drought this time came much stronger and changed daily life here in the backlands. Many plantations were lost, animals died and families abandoned their homes. It is in this scenario that Cícera lives, a curious young girl who uses the advice of her grandfather and other villagers to learn how to survive and strengthen herself to face the drought and realize her greatest dream: exploring the backlands to reunite with her parents.

ÁRIDA: Backland's Awakening is the first of three games that will present Cicera's journey in the Brazilian backlands of the nineteenth century. Follow us to stay connected with all the news about ÁRIDA. Let´s build this story together! <3

We are an indie team of 6 developers from Brazil. We deeply believe in the expressive power of games. ÁRIDA: Backland's Awakening is our first game and it is an immense pleasure for us to share it with you all!

My Experience

Completion: Completed twice. Once thoroughly, the other to pick up the last achievements.

Playtime at Review: 2.8 hours

Total Playtime: 2.8 hours

Achievements at Review: 25/25 (100%)

My rating: 6.8/10

Likes

The idea and history behind (and included) in the game is interesting, and one of the things that attracted me to the game to begin with.

Simple and charming game overall.

Quick and Easy to 100% (for the completionists out there).

Dislikes

Some of the achievements didn't unlock on the first playthrough.

In the "tutorial" stage, you can cook the wrong meal which prevents progression (solved by quitting to menu and loading).

Arida: Backland's Awakening - Review

I was fortunate enough to have a friend recently gift me Arida: Backland’s Awakening for my birthday. It’s a short adventure game, with small survival elements, that has you venturing through the Brazilian backland. It was created by a small indie team and it’s set to be the first of three games telling the story of Cicera’s journey.

First of all, the developers recommend playing with a controller, and I would have to agree with that recommendation. Movement feels much smoother with the controller compared to mouse and keyboard. Arida doesn’t have any special gameplay elements to it, and going into it expecting such things would be quite a mistake. It does, however, have its own unique beauty and charm, as you journey through and explore the backland.

Arida is a short game, having taken me 2 hours to play through the first time. That playthrough included quite a bit of exploring and searching for collectibles, so it can easily be completed much quicker. That said, I would recommend taking the time a little to explore and see the harsh realities the game presents to get the full experience and appreciation from it. Between the environment and the dialogue, it tells it’s story well!

The survival mechanics are pretty basic - sharpen your tools, harvest anything you can find, cook, eat, and drink. It’s said that if you die, you’ll respawn with unsharpened tools, so the penalty isn’t bad at all, but it’s not supposed to be a hardcore survival game, and I doubt I’d have enjoyed it as much if it was. You’ll unlock more recipes as you progress through the game. The quests are also basic, with it mainly consisting of fetch/back-and-forth tasks. Neither of these are a problem though, as it’s all part of the story. If anything, the simplicity adds to the charm.

Arida is a simple, but very satisfying, experience. I enjoyed it enough to replay it for the achievements I missed (took under 1 hour), which I don’t do with many games. The fact that some of the achievement names were references to other games was a nice touch though! The idea behind the game, the graphical style, and the simplicity, make it an enjoyable game for a relaxed playthrough. I would argue that the price is a little high for what it is, but I’d certainly recommend it at a discount. After playing Backland’s Awakening, I’m looking forward to seeing the next chapter of Cicera’s story!

Posted on 29-12-2020

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Arida: Backland's Awakening - Screenshots

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