There’s no question that it’s wonderful to have variety out there in the eShop, with many games that go for different looks, themes, feels, or whatever are appreciated as they create real depth for players to explore. That said, going with a different direction is hardly a guarantee for success, especially in genres pretty crowded with a variety of quality options. While you could always argue that the eShop could always use more Metroidvania offerings, taking a look at what’s already there makes it pretty clear that we’ve been blessed with some great options already. Now with Everdeep Aurora, I’m happy to say that it represents one with a fresh look and general tone, helping it to stand out a bit, but perhaps at the expense of being more varied and interesting in terms of its gameplay.

While some titles in the space are focused more on combat, or delivering a balance of fighting and exploring, Everdeep Aurora is all about the latter, with you digging around and bumping into different characters, puzzles, and stories along the way. For the most part this does scratch a certain itch for discovery and simply finding your own way, and if you’re willing to take the time to pay attention to the dialogue there’s more to the story than your typical experience that you can uncover. Unsurprisingly, many of the people you’ll encounter will have something they’re seeking that you’ll want to keep track of, so when you bump into some of these items you can help them out and hopefully get a decent reward for your efforts.

That ends up making your greatest challenges in the game figuring out how to navigate what will become an absolute maze of tunnels and holes that you’ll create with your drill, always trying to move downward but taking care to be sure you won’t accidentally leave yourself stranded. In order to keep things from being too quick and easy you’ll need to take care of your drill, both collecting gems that you’ll use to power it, and keeping track of stations you’ll need to use to keep it powered up. There is a simplistic map you’ll get to work with, but when it comes to remembering where different characters who have an interest in specific items go, keeping track can be a challenge at times, for sure. The game’s old-school art style, which changes between different restricted color palettes as you find new areas, will either be a draw or a detriment depending on your tastes, but in general I at least found it refreshing.

In terms of whether or not it’s a game for you, I’d say that this is one of those titles where the answer will vary wildly depending on what you’re looking for. If you were hoping for something that’s visually flashy and more action-oriented, this will likely be an enormous disappointment on multiple levels. If, however, you don’t mind something a bit more cozy and charming, that may generally stay quite simple but has secrets to uncover if you’re patient, it may be uniquely suited to you. Where you lie on that spectrum will somewhat dictate your likely enjoyment, but while this may be a title that’s a little tougher to recommend, it’s absolutely a great experience that fleshes out the genre with some much-needed variety.