AER: Memories of Old

In ‘AER: Memories of Old,’ players embark on a mystical journey as a shapeshifting protagonist who can transform into a bird to explore a fractured world of floating islands and ancient ruins. Set in a serene yet enigmatic fantasy realm, the game combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and platforming as players uncover the secrets of a fallen civilization and confront an impending darkness threatening to consume the world. With its ethereal landscapes and immersive atmosphere, the adventure emphasizes freedom of movement and discovery across a fragmented sky-bound world.

AER: Memories of Old — A Meditative Flight Through Fractured Skies

Introduction

In a gaming landscape dominated by kinetic action and narrative bombast, AER: Memories of Old (2017) emerges as a whispered elegy—a tranquil, minimalist pilgrimage through a fractured world. Developed by Swedish studio Forgotten Key and published by Daedalic Entertainment, this indie gem marries serene exploration with a melancholic parable of ecological ruin and forgotten faith. While its short runtime and narrative ambiguity divided critics, AER remains a haunting experiment in atmospheric storytelling. This review posits that AER’s true legacy lies not in its mechanical depth, but in its ability to crystallize the beauty of flight and the weight of solitude within a dying world.

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Development History & Context

Studio Origins & Vision
Forgotten Key, a small team led by CEO Robin Hjelte, sought to create a “zen” experience focused on emotional exploration over challenge. Designed as an antidote to combat-driven titles, AER drew inspiration from meditative classics like Journey and ABZÛ, prioritizing ambiance and player introspection. The studio leveraged the Unity engine to craft a low-poly aesthetic that balanced technical feasibility with artistic expression, targeting a modest budget amidst Sweden’s robust indie dev ecosystem.

The 2017 Gaming Landscape
Released amidst a surge of narrative-driven indies (What Remains of Edith Finch, Night in the Woods), AER stood out for its pacifist ethos and transformative flight mechanics. Its October 2017 launch competed with AAA juggernauts like Assassin’s Creed Origins, yet found niche appeal among players seeking contemplative escapism. The game later expanded to Nintendo Switch (2019), broadening accessibility but struggling against the platform’s crowded indie marketplace.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot & Characters
Players embody Auk, one of the last shapeshifters in a post-cataclysmic world shattered into floating islands. Tasked with sealing the “Void”—a metaphysical rupture consuming reality—Auk communes with animalistic gods (Bear, Fox, Deer) and navigates ruins imbued with spectral memories of human hubris. The narrative unfolds through environmental cues: decaying temples, ghostly echoes of a civilization that worshipped technology over nature, and austere NPC dialogues (e.g., the shaman Erin) that hint at cyclical apocalypse.

Themes & Symbolism
AER weaves a tapestry of ecological allegory and spiritual atrophy. The “Void” symbolizes humanity’s severed connection to the divine, framed through forgotten rituals and mechanized arrogance. Auk’s pilgrimage mirrors shamanic rebirth, her bird form embodying freedom from earthly constraints. Yet, the game’s muted storytelling—reliant on cryptic tablets and fleeting visions—left some players adrift. The divisive ending, where Auk merges with the Void as a luminous avatar of reconciliation, opts for abstract poignancy over closure, echoing Shadow of the Colossus’ ambiguous transcendence.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Core Loop: Flight as Freedom
AER’s crowning achievement is its flight mechanic. With a double-tap of the jump button, Auk transforms into a bird, enabling seamless, stamina-free traversal across cloud-draped archipelagos. Controls are elegantly intuitive: glide on thermals, dive through vapor, or spiral around monolithic ruins. Unlike The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword’s restrictive skies, AER delivers unfettered avian euphoria—a rarity in gaming.

Puzzles & Progression
Ground exploration anchors three elemental temples (Forest, Snow, Desert), each housing rudimentary puzzles (light-beam redirection, pressure plates) that echo Zelda’s dungeon design—albeit simplified to near-triviality. Critics lamented their brevity (solved in 10–20 minutes) and lack of innovation, though they serve as atmospheric conduits for lore. Outside temples, gameplay falters: NPC interactions are static, and the open world lacks systemic depth (no crafting, combat, or meaningful collectibles).

Technical Quirks
While the flight dazzles, human-form platforming suffers from floaty physics and camera hiccups. Switch players noted occasional frame dips, and the minimalist UI—though harmonizing with the art—omits quest logs, exacerbating navigation confusion.

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World-Building, Art & Sound

Visual Design: Low-Poly Poetry
AER’s world is a painterly diorama of floating islands, each biome (lush forests, crystalline tundras, sun-blasted mesas) rendered in crisp, geometric minimalism. The art direction channels Monument Valley’s surrealism, with monolithic shrines and crumbling citadels hinting at a fallen empire. Character models, faceless yet emotive, evoke a folkloric anonymity—a deliberate choice to universalize Auk’s journey.

Soundscapes & Score
Composer Cajsa Larsson’s soundtrack merges ethereal choirs with ambient synths, evoking Sigur Rós’ glacial beauty. Wind whispers through ruins; temple halls hum with primordial chants. Sound design shines in subtle details—feathers rustling during flight transitions, the crunch of snow underfoot—though dungeon interiors suffer from acoustic uniformity.

Atmosphere vs. Substance
The world’s aesthetic unity masks its narrative sparsity. Islands, while visually distinct, feel underpopulated—populated by mere handfuls of NPCs and recycled wildlife. Environmental storytelling, though potent in vignettes (a spectral child clutching a toy; a skeletal king atop a mechanized throne), struggles to sustain momentum across its 3–5 hour runtime.

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Reception & Legacy

Critical Divide
AER earned mixed-positive reviews (Metascore: 69–73/100). Praise centered on its artistry (“a living watercolor painting” — Nintendo Life) and flight (“therapeutic freedom” — Push Square). Detractors cited repetitive puzzles, abrupt pacing, and a “half-formed” narrative (PC Gamer). Player reviews echoed this split: some lauded its calming vibe; others derided it as “walking sim propaganda” (Steam forums).

Commercial Impact & Influence
Despite modest sales, AER carved a cult following among fans of “ambient games” like Proteus and The Pathless. Its legacy lies in validating nonviolent exploration—a template later refined in titles like Sable and Sky: Children of the Light. Forgotten Key disbanded post-launch, leaving AER’s world-building threads unresolved, though a shelved sequel concept hinted at deeper mythos.

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Conclusion

AER: Memories of Old is a paradoxical triumph—a game that soars on the wings of its central mechanic yet stumbles in grounding its ambitions. Its flights of avian splendor and haunting visual poetry remain peerless, offering moments of pure meditative bliss. Yet, shallow puzzles, narrative reticence, and anemic world interaction prevent it from reaching the pantheon of indie greats. For players seeking refuge from noise—a brief, beautiful sigh—AER is essential. For those craving substance beneath style, it remains a lovely, fleeting dream. In video game history, it stands as a poignant footnote: a testament to the power of atmosphere, and a reminder that not all journeys need thunder to resonate.

Final Verdict: A flawed but unforgettable hymn to flight, deserving of remembrance—4/5 stars.