Everdeep Aurora – Review

For a moment, I found myself back in the days when games didn’t hold my hand, but my heart. And as I slowly excavated every pixel, every line of dialogue, and every hidden layer of Everdeep Aurora’s subterranean world, I understood: there are games that aren’t measured by technical complexity, but by how much they manage to touch us through mystery, beauty, and suggestion. And this is one of them.

I played Everdeep Aurora on both Nintendo Switch and PC, alternating between portable sessions and more immersive gameplay on a monitor. The experience, while essentially the same narratively and structurally, revealed two sides of the same game: one more restrained and intimate on the handheld, and another more vivid and functional on the desktop.

It is important to emphasize from the outset that both versions (PC and Nintendo Switch) have their merits and frustrations!

Mechanics and Gameplay

The core of Everdeep Aurora is simple, almost Spartan: you play as Shell , a kitten searching for her mother, and your only means of interacting with the world is a rusty drill . There’s no combat, no enemies. The action here is digging blocks , discovering paths , solving small environmental puzzles , and talking to eccentric creatures that live deep within the earth.

Simplicity is both its charm and its challenge. The game has no formal tutorials, doesn’t explain its mechanics clearly, and rarely provides directions. Much of my journey was guided by trial and error, especially in the first half, when I hadn’t yet acquired abilities like wall jumping or aerial dashes . I often found myself wandering in circles, searching for something I only later realized I already had, and that the game never taught me how to use.

The digging system is shallow in complexity, but it has a pleasant sensory feedback loop . Digging is slow, even with improvements, but the sound of the motor and the vibration of the controller make it almost therapeutic. Using the drill’s power adds a slight element of resource management, but I never felt truly punished for running out of power, just frustrated by the slowness.

The minigames and side quests function more as rhythm variations than robust systems. The dice game with the snake merchant, for example, took me longer than I’d like, but still brought a smile to my face. More complex side objectives, like hunting items for NPCs or finding hidden passages, require a photographic memory, intuition, and sometimes luck.

Graphics

Visually, Everdeep Aurora is a pixel art delight . The 16-bit aesthetic, inspired by the Game Boy Color era, is executed with modernity, fluidity, and a rare artistic cohesion. The color palette shifts from area to area , creating distinct and emotionally charged environments, from soft, flower-filled gardens to oppressive caves and laboratories forgotten by time.

On PC, playing in full screen, I was able to more clearly appreciate the details of each sprite and environment. On Nintendo Switch, while the charm remains, the square aspect of the play area and the reduced size of the inventory icons caused me some visual discomfort. The lack of options for resizing or customizing the HUD in both versions is a persistent issue.

The characters are another highlight. Each NPC, no matter how small, has a distinct, memorable, and expressive design . I found myself taking screenshots frequently, not out of vanity, but because each new character seemed worthy of a painting. Shell’s animation, especially when she carries her little dog, Cebolleta, on her head, is pure charisma.

Sound

Everdeep Aurora ‘s soundtrack is one of the experience’s greatest triumphs. It’s generally melancholic, atmospheric, and subtle , but it manages to punctuate moments with energy when necessary, as in scenes of social interaction or visits to places like the Horseshoe Tavern , where animals play instruments and exchange rumors about crystallized monsters in the caves.

The sound effects are simple but effective: the hum of the drill, the “plinks” as it collects crystals, the muffled sound of Shell’s footsteps underground. Everything is carefully mixed to create a contemplative mood , as if we were exploring a diary in game form.

The PC version features cleaner, more immersive audio, especially with quality headphones. On the Switch, the sounds are satisfactory, but there’s a noticeable compression, especially in moments with multiple musical layers.

Fun

The fun in Everdeep Aurora doesn’t come from adrenaline or rapid progression. It’s born from discovery , curiosity , and the almost childlike joy of exploring a world that seems to have been saved for you .

But this fun requires patience. The lack of an expanded map , the absence of a quest log , and the intentionally vague design of interactions make the line between contemplation and frustration a fine one. There were moments when I felt genuinely touched by a line of dialogue or a subtle narrative revelation. But there were also stretches where I wandered for 20 minutes without knowing what to do, only to discover I already had the right item and didn’t know it.

It’s the kind of game that rewards attentive and persistent players , but it can repel those who prefer more linear experiences. Interestingly, it was in moments of complete disorientation that I experienced the most remarkable discoveries. Everdeep Aurora made me want to play with pen and paper at hand, and that’s something not every modern game can achieve.

Performance and Optimization

On PC , performance was excellent: instant loading, no noticeable bugs, and precise response to input. On Nintendo Switch, however, the experience was a bit more unstable.

I encountered a few graphical bugs in the Switch version, such as minor freezes when entering doors or reloading areas. One bug took me to an end-game area prematurely, disrupting the narrative sequence. Another forced me to restart the console after a freeze screen. Worse still, since the game doesn’t have autosave , I lost about 30 minutes of progress.

The inventory, on both PC and Switch, is disorganized . Items appear in order of collection, with no categorization or detailed information. The minimap, while useful for locating key NPCs, doesn’t allow for marking, zooming in, or tracking secondary objectives .

Conclusion

Everdeep Aurora is a game that’s hard to recommend in a generic sense, but easy to love once you understand what it’s all about. It doesn’t try to compete with metroidvania giants in terms of complexity or scope. Instead, it proposes something more intimate, almost philosophical: digging, discovering, remembering, and reflecting .

I played on two different systems, and on both, I came away with mixed feelings, somewhere between enchantment and frustration , visual ecstasy and mechanical fatigue , narrative surprise and functional confusion . And yet, when I turned off the console for the last time, I found myself thinking about Shell, about Ribbert, about the secrets hidden within the earthen walls. And I wished more games would provoke this kind of thought.

If you enjoy games that rely on your time, that don’t give you all the answers, and that value the journey over the destination , Everdeep Aurora might become a little gem in your heart. But if you’re looking for clarity, direction, or precise goals, this might not be the hole for you.

Positive Points:

• Beautiful pixel art with dynamic palettes;
• Memorable and well-animated characters;
• Melancholic and captivating soundtrack;
• Well-built atmosphere of mystery;
• Freedom of rewarding exploration.

Negative Points:

• Lack of mission or objective tracking;
• Limited and non-customizable map;
• Disorganized inventory;
• Serious bugs in the Switch version;
• Poorly signposted progression and moments of extreme disorientation.

Rating:
Graphics: 9.0
Fun: 7.5
Gameplay: 6.5
Sound: 9.2
Performance and Optimization: (PC version: 9.0) | (Switch version: 6.0)

FINAL GRADE:
PC version: 8.24 / 10.0
Nintendo Switch version: 7.64 / 10.0