Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch
Also on: Steam
Price: $14.99
I initially expected Worlds of Aria to be more of a tabletop RPG, similar to Dungeons & Dragons. While it does incorporate elements like dice rolling and decision-making that influence outcomes, it feels more like a party game. Playing with friends is the ideal way to experience it, as debating and negotiating decisions are part of the fun.
The game opens with a short tutorial, which I recommend completing. While Worlds of Aria is fairly self-explanatory, some mechanics aren’t immediately intuitive—like attaching gear (done by dragging dropped equipment onto players) or using characters’ special abilities (activated by pressing the X button on the Switch). Fortunately, the tutorial explains these mechanics well. Before long, I’m in the game, ready to take on the main quest.
The art style leans into the tabletop aesthetic—the main character designs resemble 3D-printed figures, emphasizing their role as the centerpiece of the set. In contrast, NPCs appear as paper cutouts, reinforcing the feeling of a handcrafted game set. Even the scenery adopts this paper cutout look, a thoughtful detail that enhances the game's charm. I appreciate the effort the dev team put into crafting this cohesive visual style, as it deepens the immersion and reinforces the feeling of playing a tabletop game.
There are twelve characters to choose from, allowing me to build a diverse team of four. Each has a distinct personality and, more importantly, unique stats that influence successful rolls in the game. The roster offers a good mix of roles—from a bard to a noble—giving plenty of variety. While the entire game isn’t voice-acted, each character has some voiced lines, and their one-liners add to the game's charm.
While Worlds of Aria can be played solo, it’s best experienced with allies—and matchmaking is simple. I can generate a room code to share with my friends, allowing for seamless cross-platform play. Throughout the game, my team faces plenty of choices: Do we try to sneak past the guard or attack? Do we risk entering the crypt for better loot or play it safe and escape unscathed? Do I warn the Queen of the impending danger or head to the bar for a quick drink?
What I love most is that if my friends and I choose different actions, we each play out our decisions independently—it’s not based on majority rule. Each quest has unique objectives to complete, and finishing them earns stars, which are used to level up my characters. Some hidden goals only reveal themselves after the quest is completed, making it essential to split up and explore different paths to uncover everything the game has to offer.
Success in Worlds of Aria is determined by rolling dice—though the system initially had me scratching my head. Most dice-based games require rolling above a certain number for success, but here, success comes from rolling below a target number. The higher the success threshold, the better, since I want my result to stay under that value. Factors like my character’s persuasion skills can influence this number, making certain checks easier or harder.
Rolling consists of two ten-sided dice, and results can range from a critical success (rolling a 1) to an epic failure (rolling a 99). Each character also has special abilities that impact dice rolls, though some feel more like a gamble than an advantage. For instance, the Druid randomly draws animal cards—sometimes helping by subtracting from my roll, but other times hurting me by adding to it. This unpredictability pulled me out of the experience, as it often felt like luck was more of a hindrance than a strategic element.
That said, consequences in the game are fairly minimal—failure usually results in taking just one point of damage, and even death isn’t final. While dice rolls introduce an element of chance, there’s little real risk or reward. This is my biggest issue with the game: when my friends and I chose to attack an enemy rather than sneak around, there is no actual combat system. A successful roll delivered an automatic final blow, which left us wanting more, as we were expecting an intricate battle system. But that’s not what Worlds of Aria is about.
Instead, the game leans into its party game nature, where the real fun comes from debating decisions and seeing the outcomes. However, even this aspect can feel rushed, as the game sometimes employs a timer that forces quick decisions, leaving little time for discussion. Ultimately, we found ourselves a bit disappointed with the depth of the RPG elements, desiring more strategic battles and greater complexity in our choices.
Where Worlds of Aria lacks in strategy, it makes up for in humor. The game feels like a series of quick, one-night adventures, structured into four quests, each containing eight chapters. It’s as if the game’s DM is more focused on creating silly, unexpected interactions rather than deep tactical gameplay.
For example, in one of the side quests, I had to rescue someone’s chicken from a street vendor. The vendor’s cutout design looked oddly modern—out of place among the medieval-style characters—reinforcing the feeling that the DM might have quickly grabbed an NPC from another set or printed one off at the last minute just to fill a gap in the story. These little details add to the game’s charm, making it feel like a tabletop session where the unexpected becomes the highlight.
The dialogue is just as playful. I’ve played plenty of Dungeons & Dragons sessions where the story veered off into wacky, unplanned territory, but that seems to be Worlds of Aria's entire M.O. I enjoyed the humor, but players looking for a more serious RPG experience may walk away disappointed.
Final Grade: B
Worlds of Aria is best played with friends—this is where the game truly shines. At its core, the fun comes from selecting different decisions and debating them together. The writing embraces the silly and absurd, adding to the party game atmosphere. While much of a player’s success is left to chance with dice rolls, the game lacks a meaningful risk-and-reward system.
Ultimately, Worlds of Aria feels like a series of laidback, tabletop one-shots. This game is a great fit for players who enjoy lighthearted, casual RPGs, but those looking for deep strategy may want to look elsewhere.
Review copy provided by Mooncat Games
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