A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda for PC Reviews & Ratings by IGN

More often than not, new games are inspired by the titles that preceded it. So it's worth noting that A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda's developers were clearly inspired by games like Mega Man X. A.R.E.S. is a 2D action-platformer in the same vein as the early Mega Man X titles on SNES, only without the latter's quintessential stage selection and a robust cast of memorable characters. But as much as A.R.E.S. seems like nothing more than a facsimile of Capcom's old 1990s-era classics (and other games like them), it does enough to stand on its own, and will no doubt have a draw with old-school gamers.



A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda is driven by platforming and combat, and by playing the game with an Xbox 360 controller plugged into your PC, you'll be able to play it like the console classics of yore. Ares, the main character, is a robot designed to protect his human creators. There's a deep story hiding underneath the game's facade, but I found it to be extremely muddled and, moreover, totally unimportant to my overall enjoyment of the game. Where A.R.E.S. really draws its inspiration (and enjoyment) from titles like Mega Man X is in terms of combat, which will feel familiar to veterans of the Blue Bomber's core and X series. And beyond that, the impetus on gamers to unlock new weapons and upgrade them is yet another parallel between the two games.







Extend Studio, the creators of A.R.E.S., have promised an episodic approach to their new series. Therefore, Extinction Agenda appears to be only the first foray into their new universe, though as of right now, there hasn't yet been a second episode announced. That explains why the game is a mere five stages long. With two difficulty settings, you can make the game harder for yourself if you'd like, though even with the difficulty kicked up a notch, it will be hard for you to take much more than two hours to get through the game in its entirety. This would be more disappointing if the game wasn't so cheap (it's currently available online for $10). And if Extend Studio actually does get more A.R.E.S. games out there, then Extinction Agenda is simply the first chapter.



The look, feel and sound of A.R.E.S. should be commended. While I'm confused why the game inherently plays in a 4:3 aspect ratio, this could simply be designed to keep the game in line with the titles that inspired it (after all, Mega Man 9 and 10 are new games based on old ideas, and keep the 4:3 aspect ratio so as to not affect the gameplay). And thankfully, the aspect ratio can be changed. The graphical look is crisp, though the color palette is at times underwhelming. And while there's no voice-acting to be had, the musical tracks in A.R.E.S. are rockin' tunes inspired by 16-bit and 32-bit soundtracks.



I did have a few problems with the game, mostly in relation to how easily its spikes in difficulty can be overcome. The upgrade system in A.R.E.S. is contingent on finding various types of scraps, which are dropped by enemies in differing amounts once slain. Purchasing upgrades to weapons makes them more powerful, and you can also acquire ammunition with modest amounts of scraps. Where the game can really break, though, is in purchasing Repair Kits, which are fairly cheap. Repair Kits essentially allow you to refill half of your health bar, but since you can purchase them and store them for use later, you can simply spam Repair Kits during harder parts of the game -- especially boss battles -- taking away any difficulty the game might offer. Sure, you could choose to ignore this if you'd like. But if it's in the game and is a viable option, why would you?

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