Asymmetrical co-op games, such as the 2021 Game of the Year winner It Takes Two, are not the most popular method to play. As in Overcooked, they require the cooperation of two or more players, frequently under intense pressure, to achieve their objectives. Zorya: The Celestial Sisters is less stressful than other co-op games, but it lacks the element of surprise that makes them so entertaining.
Zorya: The Celestial Sisters is a game that invites exploration and experimenting for those who choose to take their time. It sounds great in principle, and Zorya looks incredible, but the gameplay is not as refined, and it quickly gets tedious.
Zorya: The Celestial Sisters, the inaugural game from Madlife, chronicles the narrative of the twin goddesses Solveig and Aysu. Solveig, the sun goddess, may shift shadows by altering the time of day and, therefore, the sun’s position in the sky. Her vantage point offers a bird’s-eye view of the whole map, allowing her to survey the landscape from above. Aysu is not permitted to leave the shadows formed by the sun’s angle; else, the problem will have to be solved from scratch. Aysu may employ shadows created by buildings, moving pillars, and trees to reach the objective in each level, which are separated into worlds named after constellations like as Aries, Pisces, and Whale.
Huginn and Muninn, two counselors, dupe Aysu into landing on the planet Viraj. Solveig, the sun goddess, benefits crops, but the moon, Solveig’s younger sister, is blamed for the absence of light. Aysu resents Solveig for failing to live up to her older sister’s grandeur and renown, and they must learn to work together to mend their divide.
Zorya: The Celestial Sisters presents new concepts gradually throughout the game in order to make subsequent puzzles more difficult. Aysu and Solveig, for instance, may both activate pillars that carry platforms from one location to another. Here are some of Zorya’s finest moments; learning the mechanics of each component is both intriguing and invigorating. Although amazing at the moment, this period of their intricacy is only temporary. After mastering a mechanic such as sliding the sunstone into a pillar, it is not comprehending every problem that makes Zorya tough to master.
To perform Zorya: Tango requires two partners, and regular communication between them is crucial for both the intellectual and logistical components of the game. It is a pleasant game to play with close friends or roommates, but if communication breaks down or is inefficient, it may quickly become irritating. The entirety of the game’s influence may be made or shattered by the player’s actions. Zorya’s fundamental defect, her asymmetrical style, is one of the causes of this difficulty.
Because Aysu is limited to a third-person perspective, Solveig is able to observe the entire level from above and so contributes more to the puzzles than Aysu. Aysu must press buttons on the floor or push pillars into the sunshine to move Solveig from point A to point B, but it is sometimes up to Solveig to determine the best route because Aysu cannot see beyond the wall or the next building. Solveig carries the most of the burden in Zorya: The Celestial Sisters, and her player is typically forced to wait for her to overcome each obstacle.
Aysu and Zorya are easily selectable via the overworld map, and many players may choose this method of character selection. However, this does not resolve the recurring issue of balance in Zorya. Narratively, it makes sense for Solveig, the older sister, to assist her younger sister in completing the assignment, but gamers may not understand the imbalance in collaboration between the two sisters. Solveig performs substantially more work in terms of critical thinking and puzzle solving than Aysu does, despite the fact that Aysu must move objects, navigate shadows, and step on buttons.
Notably, she has far greater control and dexterity than her younger sister, Solveig. On a keyboard, the Q and E keys shuffle the shadows back and forth, while the WASD keys move Solveig’s sunbeam around the map. The moving camera may give the impression that the user is fumbling with the controls. In addition, there are a number of other restrictions that might be troublesome. It is possible for Solveig to grab or click on things to activate them or to stun opponents, however this method is inefficient and irritating.
Additionally, Aysu’s controls, like as keeping her feet on the ground, might be challenging at times. This is the sole way to fail or die in Zorya: The Celestial Sisters, resulting in a retry of the level. Due to the absence of lives in Zorya, players may attempt a stage as many times as they choose. Repeatedly reentering a level and doing the same actions is a laborious chore.
In Zorya: The Celestial Sister, solving riddles and learning new talents is initially fun. As the constellation advances and the riddles become more difficult to solve, the game’s aggravating controls exacerbate this issue. Zorya is not a terrible game, but its gameplay cycle is too short for the number of hours required to complete it.
