Zorya: The Celestial Sisters Review
Although the asymmetrical co-op title It Takes Two won the Game of the Year award in 2021, collaborative games are not the most popular genre of gameplay. They require two or more players to work together, sometimes in a stressful environment like in the hectic kitchen game Overcooked. While Zorya: The Celestial Sisters isn’t as stressful as some of those other co-op games, it also loses out on what keeps them exciting. Zorya: The Celestial Sisters is slow-paced, allowing players time to explore, experiment, and think through the levels. While this sounds nice in theory, and Zorya’s visual design is nothing short of attractive, the gameplay is less polished and eventually becomes monotonous. The debut game from developer Madlife, Zorya: The Celestial Sisters follows the story of goddesses and sisters Solveig and Aysu. As the goddess of the sun, the player controlling Solveig can shift the shadows by changing the time of day, and where the sun is positioned in the sky. His perspective is a bird’s-eye view of the entire map, giving him the lay of the land. Aysu, on the other hand, can only move within the shadows created by the angle of the sun, otherwise she will burn to death and players must start the puzzle from the beginning. Using the shadows cast by buildings, moving pillars, and trees, Aysu can find her way to the goal of each stage, which is categorized into worlds named after constellations such as Aries, Pisces, and Whale.
Aysu finds herself with Viraj after being tricked by two counselors named Huginn and Muninn. As the goddess of the sun, Solveig is praised for nourishing crops with sunlight while her younger sister, the goddess of the moon, brings darkness. Unable to live up to her older sister’s glory and reputation, Aysu resents Solveig, and they must learn to work together to reunite. Over time, Zorya: The Celestial Sisters introduces new concepts, and the intention is that this adds a layer of difficulty to the puzzles that appear later in the games. For example, Aysu can press buttons that open doors or Solveig can activate pillars that move platforms from one point to another. These are some of the best moments Zorya has to offer; Discovering how each mechanic works is interesting and gives the game a breath of fresh air. However, this is short-lived, because their complexity is not sustainable. Once players get the hang of a mechanic, such as moving a sunstone in and out of a pillar, understanding each puzzle isn’t what makes Zorya a difficult game. Like It Takes Two, both thematically and logistically, Zorya: The Celestial Sisters requires constant communication between the two players. This is a great game to play between close pairs like couples or roommates, but it can easily become frustrating if communication stops or is ineffective. The experience the player creates can make or break their takeaway from the game. This is one of the issues supported by Zorya’s main flaw: the asymmetrical style. RELATED: 14 Best Horror Puzzle Platformers As previously stated, Solveig can see the entire map of each level from the sky, according to her role in the story, but Aysu can only see from her fixed third-person perspective on the ground, which effectively limiting how much his player can contribute to each puzzle. Although Aysu should be the one pushing the buttons on the floor or pushing the pillars into the sunlight for Solveig, finding the right path from point A to point B is often left to Solveig because she can’t see Ask what’s on the other side of a wall or the next building, for example. This often leaves Solveig pulling the bulk of the weight during Zorya: The Celestial Sisters, and her player is often left waiting for Solveig to navigate each obstacle.
That said, players can freely switch between Aysu and Zorya as much as they want through the overworld map, and many players may find this option favorable. However, this does not solve the balance problem that persists throughout Zorya. Narratively, it makes sense that Solveig, the older sister, would guide her younger sister to finish her adventure, but in terms of teamwork, not all players can enjoy the imbalance between of two. Yes, Aysu should be the one to push things around, navigate through shadows, and stand on buttons, but in terms of puzzle solving and critical thinking, Solveig does a lot more. Also, she has a lot more control and maneuvering to do than her younger sister, and unfortunately, Solveig’s controls aren’t as smooth as one might expect. On a keyboard, the Q and E keys move shadows around while the WASD keys move Solveig’s sunbeam around the map, and the moving camera often makes the player look like they’re wrestling with controls. But it’s not the only control that can be finicky. Sometimes Solveig can hold or click on objects to activate them or stun enemies, but performing these actions is unfortunately not very smooth and can lead to frustration
Similarly, Aysu’s controls can also be a bit difficult at times, nothing more than avoiding going out into the sun. This is the only way players can fail or die in Zorya: The Celestial Sisters, forcing them to start over at the beginning of that level. There are no lives in Zorya, meaning players can try as many times as they want to complete a stage. But going back to the beginning of a stage and repeating the same exact moves feels like a chore. While Zorya: The Celestial Sister’s puzzles can be interesting when starting out or learning new mechanics, the experience becomes monotonous as its puzzles take longer to complete in later constellations, made worse by the clumsy control. Zorya is not a weak game by any means, but while it may appeal to hardcore puzzle lovers, its gameplay loop feels unsustainable for the total number of hours it should take to complete. Zorya: The Celestial Sisters is out now for PC and Switch. Today Technology was provided with a PC code for this review. MORE: 10 Best Story-Based Games For Couples