The first release from developer Citeremis is an ambitious title: with awesome visuals and some clever gameplay ideas, it's hard to see where it can go wrong.

The most striking aspect of Aztaka is the mood and/or atmosphere of the game. Authentic structures, costumes, and artwork are everywhere and have great detail. The trees, statues, waterfalls, and roads are all masterfully rendered in all their hand-drawn beauty.

The game plays like a mix between a side-scrolling platformer and an action-RPG. Huitzillo levels up after gaining enough experience (from killing monsters), and then the player can spend their new skill and attribute point as they see fit. The customization capabilities are pretty deep, and the player can easily create a character that fits their playing style. The combat is mostly clicking to attack and jumping to dodge, so it's pretty much typical in that respect

While the RPG elements are solid, the platforming is a little less polished. Sure, there are lots of puzzles (environment manipulating spells and whatnot), but the answers are usually very obvious. Also, strangely, Aztaka has no manual save feature, so you have to rely on the game's autosave. This is a problem, since the game doesn't always autosave when you'd like.

Aztaka has top notch production: great visuals and music, decent RPG elements and a very immersive atmosphere. There's not much to complain about here, especially if you're a fan of this genre. gametunnel