If there's one thing that Aerial_Knight's Never Yield has got totally nailed down, it's a seriously funky sense of style. This is a super cool side-scrolling runner from Neil "Aerial_Knight" Jones that really does look and sound the absolute business. However, it's also one that's somewhat lacking in the gameplay department, making for a rather fleeting experience that, with a few tweaks here and there, could have been so much better.
In Aerial_Knight's Never Yield, players assume the role of Wally, a citizen of a futuristic Tokyo-style Detroit who's on the run from authorities after uncovering information that could forever change the fate of the metropolis he's now attempting to flee through. Gameplay is straightforward here, with colour-coded obstacles rushing towards Wally that he must either jump over, slide under, parkour through or simply smash to pieces by sprinting.
Depending on which difficulty you choose to play at, the game will aid your escape to varying degrees. Choose to run normal mode, for example, and time will slow down generously before each obstacle, giving you a moment to prepare your button presses, hard mode does the same but with a slightly shorter slo-mo window, and insane difficulty removes slow motion entirely whilst also throwing in a bunch of extra obstacles for good measure.
There are thirteen short levels in total to blast through and a full playthrough on normal mode took us somewhere in the region of around 90 minutes, which is fine given the added challenge of harder modes and the game's budget price point. However, the main problem with Aerial_Knight's Never Yield is that the core action is just far too repetitive. Yes, this is an endless runner and repetition is part and parcel of the genre, but there really is very little change in how things play out from start to finish here, with heavily reused assets across all stages and just a few different obstacles to get your head around in total. Jumping though a fence, over a car and under a landmine is all well and good the first handful of times you do it, but come the hundredth time seeing the exact same procession of assets and obstacles headed your way? It's hard to stay entirely interested in all honesty.
To be fair, there are a few twists here and there — one level sees you run vertically, another switches things so you're doing everything backwards and there's an early doors boss battle that injects a bit of sorely needed variety — but none of this masks the fundamental fact that there just isn't enough thrown at you in terms of barriers and obstacles to keep things interesting. In fact, we'd go so far as to recommend you play this one on insane difficulty from the get-go just for the extra bits and pieces it slams into stages, as that's the closest Aerial_Knight's Never Yield gets to feeling as though it's properly going to take off and challenge your skills.
There's an outstanding soundtrack here from Danime-Sama — honestly one of our favourite soundtracks of the year so far — and the cel-shaded, comic style graphics are a perfect fit for the vibe of the whole thing, but the relative simplicity of the mechanics really does drag it all down. It feels like it's missing something, feels like it's lacking bite. There's no way to pull off satisfying combos, no scoring system (outside of besting your own times) to get to grips with, no attempt to merge the game's amazing audio with the action happening onscreen at a mechanical level and, in the end, the challenge never rises to a point that results in the zen-like flow achieved by the very best this genre has to offer.
We would have loved to see some online leaderboards incorporated into the action here to give the whole thing a little more longevity too as, besides challenging your own times and unlocking a bunch of outfits for Wally, there's no real incentive to keep coming back for more. In the end, this is a passion project that exudes cool in its presentation and audio — it really is one of the coolest looking and sounding runners we've ever played — but one that also, sadly, fails to deliver the goods in terms of its gameplay. We also ran into some niggling framerate issues, most noticeably on insane difficulty, that need ironed out in order to allow for smooth traversal of the game's super stylish take on future Detroit.
Conclusion
Aerial_Knight's Never Yield is very obviously a passion project that's had a ton of love poured into its super stylish aesthetics and excellent soundtrack, however, it's also one that's rather sorely lacking in the gameplay department. Wally's runs through this futuristic take on Detroit needed more in the way of challenge and variety in order to keep things interesting — more obstacles, more twists and turns and opportunities to show off your skills as you improve and take on higher difficulties. As things stand, this is one slick looking and sounding game that just doesn't manage to provide an incentive to keep playing for very long.
Comments 61
Hope to see this do well, I’m also pretty fond of the art house/auteur move of putting your name as part of your game’s title. As indie publishers become more and more powerful, with more games under their belt, I think it’s a clever move to ensure the developers themselves don’t go unsung
Grail's comment regarding PJ O'Reilly's Switch game review of Ariel Knight's Never Yield.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of slapping your name on stuff lol.
About what I expected from this after playing the demo. Might have to give that soundtrack a listen though.
This review basically echoes my initial impressions from the trailer, both good and bad. Here's hoping for some free updates after player feedback.
I'm still willing to give this a spin, but I'll likely wait for a sale, if the price is right.
@Kalmaro 6 is still basically a good game, we’ve seen much lower scores from much bigger and better funded devs, I think this is a score to be proud of for a small team. And I don’t think it’s a good move to try and imply Aerial Knight’s reasons for putting his name on the game are illegitimate
I play this game while listening to I Ran by A Flock of Seagulls. Made for a much enjoyable experience.
@DeclanS98 I feel someone should put their name on a game if they're trying to be ambitious about what their making like Hideo Kojima does with the MGS games. I'm not sure about this game but it doesn't seem to break any boundaries.
@russell-marlow That’s fair but both game devs also have wildly different reasons for doing so. When Kojima puts his name on a game, it’s absolutely for the reasons you outlined; it’s a marker you’ll be playing some wild *****. For this dev, it’s for racial equality and inclusivity reasons, it’s a marker to say “this game is made by a black man”, and I don’t think you should compare the two. But that’s just me!
Love the look of this one. Will pick it up soon.
I like that the Review clearly appreciates it for what it is and what it want's to be. Style over substance is not a bad thing when style IS the substance and motivation behind a work. Same for movies and writing.
@Kalmaro I've never been a fan of endless runners since they feel a bit plain and over saturated in the mobile and indie game market. I dunno, I guess this game has a bit more to offer.
@russell-marlow I think the innate struggle of the games production, as a result of having a sole black dev, is exactly why it’s important for him to have his name on the product
Demo was shallow af, glad to see the full review reflects that. No surprises here!
I've deleted several comments and related replies arguing over the validity of the creator's struggles to get into the gaming industry. We will not have this comments section descend into the non-productive 'debate' of the previous one.
Please keep conversation civil and on the subject of the game and its merits (or otherwise).
@dartmonkey Apologies! As someone who’s listened and read a lot of what the dev has had to say about his experiences, it was difficult to watch that be neglected by some in the comments. I appreciate it’s probably better to just not interact, but no one’s perfect!
@dartmonkey Does that mean that any comments that assume what may have caused this developers struggles will be removed too, or only ones that go against their claims while making baseless accusations?
If it's the latter, then you may as well just NLife believes the developer and no one is allowed to disagree, regardless of if said developer is honest or not.
I played the demo and got tired of it after three levels. I decided that this game isn't for me. It's strange seeing an unknown developer's name in the game title. When do we see Shigeru Myamoto's Donkey Kong or Yuji Naka's Sonic the Hedgehog?
Another soulless endless runner. Hard pass.
@Kalmaro It means any comments that derail the conversation about the game itself and/or demand 'proof' of the developer's claims before they're deemed worthy of credence or consideration.
@Arkay Struggle to see how a passion project made by one guy could end up as soulless but you do you!
@dartmonkey Thanks, your position is loud and clear now. I'll try to do better at blindly believing people in the future. I truly did not know this site had a policy against holding people accountable.
@Kalmaro My 'position' is that assigning the creator the burden of proof here isn't the example of sharp critical thinking some believe it to be.
@DeclanS98 No problem. Let's stick to discussing the game now.
Off-topic comments from this point on will be removed without warning.
I love the artistic vision of this game. As a graphic designer, it's a really awesome style and I give massive props to the dev for managing to nail that down so well.
I didn't love the demo gameplay-wise, but I hope he does more stuff within this world. I know budgets for games are insane but a more open-ended Jet Set Radio-esque game with this style would be amazing.
I do like runners (probably from my days with Pitfall and Moon Patrol). And I keep re-buying the Bit-Trip games. I’ll try out this demo.
Congrats to the dev on this game. The closest I have gotten to getting a game on the eShop is Mario Maker levels (and soon Game Builder Garage).
Haha, what a mess...
Requests for clarification aside, here's hoping their next game does better and they actually put in more content. I looks like they thought they could get further just on style alone and didn't put as much effort into gameplay.
@LaytonPuzzle27 Wdym?
Huh? What happened here? I thought it was just an endless runner? So many comments just being negative... Can someone clarify for me please?
The possibility of my being interested in this died the moment I noticed it was an auto-runner.
Also not a fan of the dude hitching his online username to the title of the game. Never understood titles like that.
Kudos to the developer for sticking to his guns and his vision and getting his game made and published. And good on him if he wants to stick his name on it too. If you don't like it, tough.
I was hoping that Arial Knight was like an artist or musician or something. But the developer?
Dude, you made an auto-runner.
@russell-marlow At least Kojima, heaven help me, did it more gracefully. He slaps his name all over the credits of his games, and I'll never stop poking fun at that, but at least he keeps it out of the title. "Hideo_Kojima's Metal Gear Solid" would be an awful title.
There's just a distinct whiff of narcissism to the practice.
@Ralizah @MisterM360p What you're looking for is not allowed to be talked about here. Discussions are seen as derailing from the topic of the article, and will be removed.
I don't mind if they do it to me, but you're probably better off seeking info elsewhere.
@Kalmaro Ah, if this is poking some sort of wasp's nest, I'll edit my comment and let it go, then. Certainly don't need another comment section to explode into controversy, lol.
@Kalmaro I heard you, that’s all I’m saying.
The game itself is the usual uninspired stuff that is usually found on the iOS store. Endless runners are just not for me!
Another boring and generic mobile game. Happy to avoid.
I see that we have a heavy dose of identity politics in our comment section today, even after a warning from the moderator. I notice also that those pounding the drum of partisanship are decidedly avoiding any discussion of the game's merits. (To the usual suspects: Don't bother replying, likely I've already Ignored you.)
In reading the review, I feel disappointed - not because I have reason to disagree with it, but because it codifies precisely what I felt about the demo. The game (demo) was quite fun at first, and the music made me want to roll. By the third level, though, I began to wonder: where is the next mechanic? The next hook? Narrative twist? Why is it that we are being encouraged in just this way to "Never Yield"? ... Where is the meat?
The two linear games that immediately come to mind for me in thinking about this title are Thumper and Inside (by Playdead). I deeply appreciate both of those games for many reasons, one being that the linearity and simplicity of their gameplay are irrelevant; you never feel that you are limited in being "on rails". Their styles are quite unique, unsettling, compelling. Style and background seem to be important in "Never Yield", but it doesn't seem to say much (the repetitive backgrounds aside). Compare that to Inside, where the understated but heavy implications playing out on screen make me shudder even as I compose this. Thumper doesn't really try to tell a story at all, but it does a great job at provoking feeling, and (indeed) a desire to persist, to improve, to never... yes, exactly.
I feel like the core of an interesting game is here with Never Yield, and perhaps the foundation of an idea and message as well. For my tastes, however, it needs a lot more work, more ideas. I recognize that this is the dilemma of indie creators: a meatier product takes money that you probably don't have (and I've crossed the border into Michigan to see clearly enough the situation there). If you're reading this, Aerial_Knight, I hope you'll continue; I do care about seeing more new ideas and fresh blood in this business, and I hope that our perspectives will be useful in understanding how your vocal audience feels.
People here are discussing the, er, bold move of labelling a game with one's own name, and making recourse to tired arguments about race. I sense, however, that the "cheeky" self-titled stuff is not a matter of personal struggles in an unwelcoming business, but a matter of generational change.
I'm reading about the history of Atari and the video game business in the 1970s and early '80s, and I came across the name of Jerry Lawson. I highly encourage people to learn about this fellow; his words (and those of Lonnie Johnson, also very much worth reading about) were striking to me. Black men of their generation (perhaps solely out of necessity) "put up or shut up", and in so doing became integral people in their fields. In our times, however, we flash our personal brand first and are slow to reveal our merits and talents, and yet all the while we have the temerity to incessantly call people we disagree with narcissists...
I'm not accusing Aerial_Knight of narcissism; he, at least, has put his work out for the public to see (at the same time as his name). I don't personally agree with this kind of branding, but [shrugs] it's his game. People in the comment section, however, who haven't had his experience, make me wonder...
@DeclanS98 You know what, that's a fair point. I apologize for what I said earlier.
@Ralizah Are you talking about this game or MGS V?
@N64-ROX Are you implying that’s easy? Seriously? You’re genuinely denigrating someone making an entire game by themselves?
@russell-marlow No worries man!
@DeclanS98 fair point. And even if it were true that the auto-runner gameplay could be coded in a person's sleep (and that's not true) the super-stylish presentation takes a lot of skill, vision and artistry to turn into reality.
@COVIDberry tl;dr
you agree with the review that the game lacks substance.
As far as the name thing is concerned a lot of you all are nitpicking. So what he used his social media handle as the name for his game. In the movies and music industry many creative works are named after their creators. For example, Beyonce named her album after her, Tyler Perry also puts his name in front of just about everything he makes. It is a marketing strategy that is older than the day is long.
This is already common practice in the video game industry. Off the top of my head:
Sid Meier's Civilization
Tom Clancy Splinter cell
Tiger woods pga golf
Madden
Mike Tyson punch out
Tony Hawk
Dave Mirra
Dr kimishima brain training
Shaq- fu
50 cent bulletproof
Stop with the nonsense.
As for this game I like the artistry and effort the developer put forward and hope he finds some success to keep going.
@AvianBlue Out of curiosity, did those people wait until they made a name for themselves before putting their names on things?
@russell-marlow This is technically not an endless runners since it has levels and an ending. It's more accurate to call it an auto-runner. More akin to Super Mario Run then Jet Pack Joy Ride.
@Kalmaro I'm pretty sure nobody ever heard of Sid Meier until he put his name on a game. This is like an artist signing his painting. It's just to get your name out there.
@russell-marlow
??
MGS V doesn't feature the creator's name in the title.
Well the guy who made this tried to frame it as someone who was glossed over for being new at this. But the work showed in the visuals. It has that "asset flip" look to it which is probably why it wasn't published by who he was looking for. I was hoping the trailer didn't show off everything the game had to offer but it seems it did. A 6 is fair tho for your first time but I would try going a but further in concept and design for the 2nd game.
If Nintendo has to put smartphone games on the eshop, maybe they can have their own section, so I can ignore them more easily.
@Ocaz I WISH the only reason they said they were ignored was just for being new. Unfortunately, they also used other reasons that I can't say without getting my comment removed again.
@Kalmaro some did and some did not. It doesn't really matter if they waited until they made a name for themselves. As was stated earlier it is a marketing strategy.
@AvianBlue I merely asked a question, no need to get so defensive. I know it was stated as a marketing strategy, I just wanted your input.
@Kalmaro ik I've been yelled at by one of the editors of this site before. Calling me out on being a bad person for disagreeing with a poorly written news article only written to cause controversy with people.
The art style is really impressive, but the game for me got boring pretty quickly, definitely check it out, but go for the demo first.
It's good that it looks and sounds the part but it does not seem really enticing to me. A super saturated genre in the mobile phone/tablet gaming market so we have seeen or heard of a truck load of these games. Get boring fast. Only BitTrip Runner series really held my attention and the Bird one on the 3DS.
I feel like the advertising for this is selling the developer more than the gameplay. Indie success stories are nice to see especially a primarily one man game. And at this time I can expect more people wanting this new developer to succeed.
But there just doesn't seem to be much to it. Earlier runners like the original bit trip or canabalt did more with more basic yet more refined graphics. Doesn't bring anything new to the genre besides the style and music. And unfortunately messes up some things needed in the genre like tight controls. It's not terrible. It's a passion project like you'd expect on itch io or steam. Hopefully the dev either continues to work on patching the game to refine it or takes what he learned and makes a better game. There's been developers that have released games that weren't amazing at release but got better later on.
@AvianBlue
Sid Meier's Civilization is the only game you referenced to bear the name of the developer. The only other one I can think of that you missed is American Mcgee's Alice
The others are paid for branding using famous names to get people to play it. Mike Tyson certainly didn't develop punch out. In fact once his licensing deal ended they had to take his name off. Licensing a famous person and using a dev name is completely different. And actually the other devs made or were a big part of making other games before they started using their name in their games. So there was some branding there. Aeriel Knight is right now the only one I can think of that branded his name on his first game. It's a bold move that I'm not completely against.
@dartmonkey What you just said is just very much anti-free speech.
check out the above trash human crying about anti-free speech
great auto runner
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