One Angry Gamer has reviewed the Action RPG Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan:

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is a fantasy adventure RPG based around African lore and mythology, developed by Kiro’o Games and published by Plug in digital. Before we get started, I want to mention that I was sent a free steam key to review this game.

I really didn’t expect this game to have so many complex elements to it and that really surprised me. After playing quite a bit of the story, I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever played a game quite like Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan. It is an extremely unique concept.

[...]

Overall thoughts

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan may not have many flaws, but the few it does have are pretty big ones, enough to prevent the game from running smoothly or having an enjoyable gameplay experience. It feels like the budget was just enough to get the core engine and story going, but they lacked the budget to add a bit more finesse to the overall game to iron out the bugs, so be aware of its flaws if you consider buying this game.

A few people complained about the translation, but I only found a couple of minor spelling and grammar issues, for the most part the game’s English was clear and easy to follow (because I believe the original language is French).

Overall, I think that Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is an amazingly complex RPG with a detailed story, well thought out characters, a massive amount of lore, and a fast paced unique combat system. Seeing how the game started, and then what it has become now, I can’t help but be impressed by the end result. I would love to see this world expand and continue to grow.

If you can put up with the complicated controls and a few of the more unpolished parts of the game, I think that majority of gamers that love hardcore adventure RPGs will enjoy this game, I know I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the game and the story quite a bit. I highly recommend you pick this one up and give it a try.

Madiba Olivier takes a look back at the development of the African Action RPG Aurion:

AURION POSTMORTEM #0 : The Wall Breakers Path

MADIBA Olivier is the founder of Kiro'o Games, the first video game studio in Cameroon (Africa). He is also a Gamedesigner / Screenwriter / Programmer of the first African-Fantasy RPG in the world: Aurion The Legacy of the Kori-Odan released on steam in 2016. Aurion started as an amateur project on RPG Maker in 2003. Today, the game is already in Hollywood pipes because of its quality of writing and staging. Madiba Olivier was even received by President Obama as part of the YALI program.

PS : The writer usually speaks French, so sorry for potential English mistakes.

Hello everybody,

So I will explain (with a lots of pictures) how we evolved from a simple amateur project in 2003 to the professional video game Action-RPG that you may already know. It's a long journey, take popcorn to discover the path of the Wallbreakers.

2003-2005 : Play with the cards you have, don’t cry those you don’t.

I just finished my high school at that time in Cameroon and I dream about making my perfect RPG one day at Square Enix. I tell myself that if I make a good game from Cameroon, one day they will discover me and they will hire me (The illusion of Drake ...).

Around me of course everyone laughed, I would even post on a french forum my idea of the perfect RPG that I will create one day (it looks like what FF15  was supposed to be)

[...]

@Gamasutra they report that the developer behind Aurion is working with film production company Good Fear Film to make a movie out of the game.

News of the deal comes courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, and seems like a notable step for Cameroon-based Kiro'o -- one of many game development outfits based in Africa seeking to make games for a global audience and strengthen the continent's nascent presence in the game industry.

"My team and I are very excited to see our game become a movie in Hollywood," stated Kiro'o founder Madiba Olivier. "It is something we've dreamed about since the beginning."

It's also significant for Kiro'o because Aurion is the studio's inaugural release, having been released back in April to some measure of critical acclaim after the studio ran a successful Kickstarter to crowdfund its development.

After the English translation fix a new patch has been released for the action RPG Aurion:

Hello dear aurionics!!
Here we come with a new release. Since the last patch, our community reported few issues. In addition, we made several further tests, found some others and fixed all of them. And there you have it: Patch 1.11

• Fix issue on Dramane's AI that cause loop of one skill
• Fix issue of Dramane who ends his fights without gathered his Legacy
• Update ambiant sounds
• translation of bonuses in the inventory menu
• Fixed bad collisions on world map
• Add and fix some achievements

Polygon has reviewed the Action RPG Aurion:

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Cameroon-made combat game is gorgeous and original.

Here are two video reviews for Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan.

Angry Centaur Gaming feels that the game hits more than not, but still is not worth its full price just yet with its long loading times and woncky combat.

Cosmic Engine states that you should buy it if you like these type of games. There are problems, but the unique setting more than makes up for these.

Cosmic Engine has reviewed the 2D Action RPG Aurion Legacy of the Kori Odan:

Aurion Legacy of the Kori Odan Review

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Cosmic reviews Aurion Legacy of the Kori-Odan a action RPG developed by Kiro'o games.
-> On Steam

The 2d African Action RPG Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan has been released on Steam:

AURION AVAILABLE ON STEAM !!!

Aurionics friends,
Our expectable day is finally there! Aurion : Legacy of the Kori-Odan is now on Steam. In the recent publication announcing some gameplay through Caaru Aargudan, Enzo’s Kori-Odan (the hero) fight method, the game invite you to a challenge. So are you ready to go over your fighting?

I WANT TO HAVE AURION, HOW MUCH IS IT?
Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan will cost about 20 dollars without promotion ($19,99 to be exact). OST will cost $4,99. From its release on steam this April 14and for a week , you will have 15% discount on the real price of the game.
The Awakening arrived on steam and waiting for you. We hope you will be many to join the Aurionics Family this April 14; family which already includes our dear backers and all the gamers of the world who preordered Aurion few days before. Feel free to share your Legacy with us! The team is available for any queries or difficulties by Playing Aurion. Please send it here: supports(at)kiroogames(dot)com

Aurionically yours !

The African RPG Aurion will be released on April 14th. Killscreen has previewed the game:

Beautiful African fantasy RPG Aurion comes out April 14th

In 2011, Elder Scrolls took players to the overtly Scandinavian nation of Skyrim. This week, Fire Emblem Fates will welcome Western players to the heavily Japanese Hoshido. And now we know that, on April 14th, 2016, Africa will finally get it’s due when Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan opens up its Cameroon-inspired planet of Auriona.

Aurion aims to do for Cameroon what Never Alone (2014) did for Alaska’s native Iñupiat people. It’s to be the first installment in its local developers’ planned Kiro’o Tales, which hopes to advocate for African culture through games, comics, and cartoons. Last September, Aurion earned $50,000 in a successful Kickstarter campaign, no doubt due to its beautiful, folklore-influenced setting and bombastic real-time combat. Today, a new trailer sheds light on both of these elements, while at the same time explaining how Aurion differs from the classic role-playing games that inspired it. [...]

New Trailer:

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Thanks Eye!

The Guardian reports about the recently funded Kickstarter RPG: Aurion

Aurion: the mission to create African video-game heroes

A Cameroonian developer hopes to ignite Africa’s burgeoning game scene with a rich and fantastical Kickstarter-funded release

When Madiba Guillaume Olivier was a boy in the bustling city of Douala, Cameroon, he was the envy of all his friends. His father owned a video rental shop, and that gave him access not only to the latest movies, but also to video games; when a new title came in, he would rush around the neighbourhood and invite all his mates over to play. “I had the classic Final Fantasy 7 on PC, and I had a Nintendo, PS1, PS2 and Sega Mega Drive,” he lists over a Skype call. “I played a lot of Metal Gear Solid, Mass Effect and Sim City. I think my all time favourite was Total War 2 ... but I only had one controller so we all had to be very patient.”

There was one thing he noticed about the games he played, however: “There weren’t a lot that depicted African heroes”. He’s right of course. Search around and you’ll find Elena, a warrior princess from Street Fighter III, the ruthless Ugandan arms dealer Drebin 893 in Metal Gear Solid 4, the reincarnated warrior Zasalamel from Soul Calibur … it’s not a huge or varied roster. When Africa itself has been depicted in mainstream games (beyond the many safari and wildlife hunting sims), it is often through the lens of war and horror: Far Cry 2 depicted gangland battles in a Malaria ravaged wasteland, while Resident Evil 5 provoked controversy for seemingly portraying a colonialist view of the continent as a place of threatening savagery. None of these really explore African mythology, anime or music. “There are not a lot of African creators,” says Olivier. “It seems like creators focus on white heroes because they are white. They create heroes like them”.

But Olivier wanted to changed that, he wanted to rewrite the possibilities of the games industry in Central Africa. In 2003, he and a group of friends who all studied software development together at the University of Yaoundé 1, got together to start making games. While working as website developers, they taught themselves game design, mostly by becoming active in the French online role playing game community, Oniro. In their spare time they started work on their dream project, Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan, an epic role-playing adventure involving two young monarchs, hero Enzo Kori-Odan and his wife, Erine Evou, who find themselves usurped by his evil brother-in-law and must fight to reclaim their kindgom. [...]

The recently Kickstarted African RPG, Aurion is taking preorders now, with which they hope to raise more money.

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is a 2D African Fantasy Action-RPG game that is introducing a new, rarely seen perspective to this genre. The dynamic and impressive gameplay has been more inspired by the "Tales of" series. The main narrative draws deeply from African culture and is hopefully the first entry in a series we call The Kiro’o Tales.

Thanks Eye.

We are in the final 6 hours of the Aurion Kickstarter campaign. Scifi Pulse has interviewed Sorelle Kamdom of Kiro’o Games on game development in Africa and their current Kickstarter campaign:

Interview: Sorelle Kamdom of Kiro’o Games on Game Dev. In Africa and Kickstarter

"...there are two major challenges which we often faced: power cuts and the digital divide..."

The vast majority of video game industry is in North America, parts of Asia, and Europe. Though this seems to cover a lot of ground, video game production is typically localized to specific areas – with everywhere else frequently being treated as digital deserts. One desert that is quickly becoming an oasis for game development is Africa. An example of how Africa is home to up-and-coming game studios is Kiro’o Games in Cameroon.

To learn more about Kiro’o Games’ current project, Aurion, Legacy of the Kori-Odan, making games in Cameroon, and turning to Kickstarter, I was able to interview the studio’s head of marketing, Sorelle Kamdom.

You can learn more about Kiro’o games by visiting their homepage and following them on twitter at @KIROOGames.

Nicholas Yanes: What were some games that you enjoyed playing as a kid?

Sorelle Kamdom: When I was kid, I played video games with my brothers such as Super Mario Bros., Prince of Persia, Street Fighter, with Super Mario Bros. being my favorite.

Yanes: Can you describe how Kiro’o Games came to be founded?

Kamdom: Madiba Olivier, the founder of the studio started working on Aurion since he entered university in 2003. He produced the first version of Aurion by using RPG MAKER. In 2012, he launched the project with the support of some friends and relatives. However, there were many Cameroonians who had great doubts about its implementation. In May 2013, we received the sponsoring of our Ministry of Culture and Arts. This sponsoring brought us a lot of visibility abroad and around our country. Then we started receiving our first funds which allowed us to effectively open the studio in December 2013. [...]

2 days to go for the Aurion Kickstarter - some updates for sountrack and character designs:

Hello everyone,

Another great thing about Kickstarter is meeting great people. 
Of course, you are all great for supporting us, but we want to make a shout out to our video game composer friend James Thorley!

Liking our project, he offered to make a track for Aurion: LKO.

He produced a track for the Kah-Wangaa region. We introduced you to this region in an earlier update.

Let us know what you think of the track in the comments, and don't hesitate to check out his work on his soundcloud. 

Additionnally, here is an amazing article on our campaign from Shindig.nz.

To finish up this week, here are a couples of new character designs [...]

Shinju Forest reviewed the game demo of Aurion: Legacy of Kori-Odan, which is still running on Kickstarter. They like the demo, but think the English translation is bad.

I would like to think that if there’s one thing I’m known for, it’s being really quite fond of Chinese RPGs. I think they’re ace, and I like telling people so. Repeatedly. Whether they asked about them or not. Games that reflect their home team’s culture are something to be treasured, whether that’s Japan’s Okami, China’s Xuan Yuan Jian 6, or even plain old Worms from the UK. So finding out that a team from Cameroon had their African-themed action RPG on Kickstarter was pretty much all my birthdays come at once, and then things got even better when the team very kindly emailed me a link to a playable demo*!

...

Overall though Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is off to a good start – the artwork’s gorgeous, battles are a lot of fun, and all the clever little touches littered throughout the demo show that this is a team that are serious about creating a damned good RPG. But RPGs, especially ones that hinge on taking you through unfamiliar territory, need a clear voice – and Aurion’s is currently completely lost in translation.

With currently more that 41 KEuro, the Aurion Kickstarter has exceeded its goal of 40 KEuro. Their next stretch goal is set at 75 KEuro.

Thanks Eye.

The Kickstarter campaign for Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan has almost reached its funding goal, with 3 KEuro left to reach it in the next week.
We were informed by Eye that there is also a demo available for the game, for those who want to check out some early gameplay, of which the quality still is to be improved.

There is also this video from UTxJGTheDon, who checked out the demo.

In Kickstarter update #9 we learn something about the graphic design of Aurion:

Hello everyone and welcome to all of our new friends supporting our project.

Graphic Design choices for Aurion: LKO

Today we will talk about graphic design! We wanted to share with you our process and influences for character and environment designs in Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan.

To achieve such results, we went through many stages. In the beginning, the game's graphics were intended to be pixel art, however our ambition evolved and so did the project.

We then decided to make hand drawn animations and sceneries in order to emphasize the unique nature of our project and its art style. We also wanted to avoid the mechanical aspect of creating a vectorial animation of a 2D sprite. This choice was particularly important, mainly because choosing hand drawn characters meant creating frame-by-frame animations. Currently our hero, Enzo Kori-Odan, stands with more than 1500 drawings just to animate him in combats - and the numbers continue to rise. This is a key reason why Enzo is the only playable character and Erine only a support character; the animation process we chose implied this choice.

The characters:

When designing the game’s primary characters, we took inspiration from the story and made sketch drawings based on their different actions in the game.. When we found the look that best suited the character, we created more detailed drawings.

The background: 

The background and sceneries were designed before the basic concept art sketches. This allows us to give each region its own atmosphere. We drew some initial drafts of the in-game sceneries based on the level design first and then created different elements and sprites (houses, bushes and trees, etc.) to be inserted into the background during the map’s creation.

The source of inspiration for Aurion: Legacy of Kori-Odan is the African culture. The design for clothes, landscapes, objects and other in-game elements are the results of a magnified version of various African cultures and lore. The aim is to provide players with colourful graphics, various and diverse sceneries and characters that represent the African culture in all of its richness and uniqueness.

 New Pledge @ 10€

Additionnaly, following some feedback about the 20€ being to high for people wanting to help the project at a minor level, we are introduing a new 10€ reward opportunity.

For 10€ secure an Aurionic Post Card, your name in the TY page AND a 50% voucher upon Aurion:LKO's release!

Aurionicly yours,  

The Kiro'o Team

Some Gameplay:

There are 3 new updates for Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan since that last time we reported about the game.

The first is about the news that when the stretch goal at $75K is reached two game design consultants will join the Kiro'o Games team.  Paul Bertone (Halo) and Didier Chanfray (Little Big series. As the campaign is currently at half its $40K funding goal with 13 days to go, reaching this stretch goal seems to be a small possibility.

The second wants us to spread the word about the Kickstarter. OK, done.

And the final one explains the three phases of the game.

Today we will talk about the different sequences in Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan as the game is split in three phases:  

- Exploration
- Fighting sequences
- World map interface

The Exploration phases include situations whereby Enzo can walk around, run, jump and interact with the environment and secondary characters (NPC) as he moves through a city, forest, desert, etc. This phase represents a fusion of old school "beat’em up" games like Double Dragon or Street of Rage and 2D action platformers like Rayman Legends and Dust: an Elysian Tails. The aim was to maintain the advantages of both genres and create a 2.5D platform area in which the visual field is limited for the player and elements can be hidden behind a foreground bush.

During the Exploration phases, the player alternates between inhabited areas (cities, harbours, villages, etc.) and perilous ones (forests, caverns, etc.) packed with enemies patrolling, obstacles, traps and deadly enigmas.

Thanks Eye.

Eye noticed that a new Kickstarter update for Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan was made available, discussing one of the main characters Erine Kori-Odan.

Today we are going to talk about one of the main character in Aurion LKO Erine Kori-Odan. She is the partner of our hero - both in life as and in battle.

Erine was an orphan adopted by Pa’a Evou. He had just lost his wife and was raising his young son, Ngarba alone. The young daughter, re-named Erine Evou, quickly became a responsible young lady assuming the role of the matriarch in the Evou House.

Enzo Kori Odan, the young prince of Zama, and Erine Evou became childhood friends. As the two children grew up, they quickly realized their relationship was more powerful than friendship, and decided to get married on the day of Enzo’s coronation.

Erine may seem carefree and naïve at first glance, but she is smart and will act with firmness when needed. She is used to responsibility and fits her role as a queen perfectly. She is the pillar which Enzo rests upon, and she needs him as much as he needs her. She is the other half of the King of Zama, Enzo Kori-Odan.

Aurion is one of  the first Kickstarters from Africa. The TV show Eye on Africa is covering the game -> link.

Thanks Eye!

Eye spotten in update #4 in the Kickstarter campaign of Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan that the team is being introduced.

The Kiro'o Team is composed of young passionate of video games, art and culture who are eager to prove themselves to the world. They all come from diverse backgrounds, and have each specific sets of skills which they developed not only through their formation, but also through their passion and hard work.

Cameroon is a country which abounds in good programming, design and art schools. However, the development of video games is still unknown there That is why the Kiro’o Team educated itself to the necessary technical experience needed to proceed with the development of Aurion.

In their latest Kickstarter update for Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan, the answer is given to the question what the Aurion is.

Today, we will talk about one of the main aspects of Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan, which is also something essential in Auriona world: the Aurion.

The Aurion is an energy filled with knowledge from the souls of the ancestors. It exists everywhere in the world, even sometimes in the nature. The Caloos for example are objects filled with Aurion in which one can find useful elements, they can be handcrafted by the people of Auriona or can naturally grow in the wilderness. They are tangible proof of the existence of the Aurion.

The Aurion is also used by experienced warrior, the Aurionics. They have the ability to gather their Aurion to improve their fighting skills thanks to technics and powers from their ancestors. The act of gathering Aurion consists in emitting a spiritual wave, and bringing it back with all informations it took. When a warrior does so, it improves his fighting abilities. He becomes also capable of launching new devastating attacks.

However, everyone can use the Aurion, thanks to the aurionites. These are stones filled with Aurion that can be found only in some special zones, usually in mines. These stones can be used to give special abilities to objects, like weapons and armours. Actually, our heroes' equipments are incrusted with aurionites. Urithi, Enzo's spear has its own unique aurionite set in its blade. Its specificity resides in the stone itself: it takes its Aurionic energy from Enzo's ancestors, the former Kings of Zama.

But the Aurion isn't just used for battles. It also can be used in a more peaceful way, for technology, crafting objects, tools... This art of creation with the Aurion is call the "Umoja". It means "unity" and illustrate the harmony between energy and matter.

Thanks Eye.

In Kickstarter #2 the devs talk about the continents of Auriona:

Hello everyone, 

Thank you so much for supporting us and welcome to the new backers who joined us recently.

Today we will introduce you to Kah-Wangaa, one of the six continents of Auriona, the world in which Enzo and Erine are from in Aurion: The Legacy of the Kori-Odan. 

Auriona is split into six continents:
• Kah-Odane
• Kah-Isao
• Kah-Wasao
• Kah-Wangaa
• Kah-Bawanga
• Kah-Bojaa

The prefix "Kah" means "Land", therefore in the case of Kah-Wangaa, you can read "the lands of the Wangaa", the people inhabiting this part of the world Auriona.

Kah-Wangaa is the northen continent of Auriona. Its relief is fairly montainious and its climate is pretty cold. The highest zones of the continent are generally covered in snow.

Kah-Wangaa's inhabitants form a nation born and raised in the cold. They live with the Ogundes, a race of pacific humanoids with the capacity of raising their body temperature. This capacity is used by the Wangaas in order to survive in the coldest regions of Auriona.

The only way to access Kah-Wangaa is through its main harbour in the capital city of Wangaa.

The continent is composed of two islands connected by the Ntu bridge, built by the Wangaas themselves.

Our heroes will have to fight their way through many hardships and powerful foes which we will introduce you to later on. 

We hope you like what Aurion is offering in terms of scenery. 

Keep on spreading the word. Auriona needs you!

Fighting gameplay:

Thanks Eye!

In a Kickstarter update for Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan a lot of thanks were handed out and a new video was made available showing fighting gameplay.

Thanks Eye.

A new Kickstarter for an action RPG from African origin has recently launched on Kickstarter, named Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan.

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is a 2D African Fantasy Action-RPG which seeks to innovate in this genre. The dynamic gameplay partly inspired by the old school ‘Tales of’ series, focuses on 2D real-time combat sequences while the narration and its environment both draw deeply from African culture, myths and lores.

It should have been a perfect day for Enzo Kori-Odan, Prince of Zama. He was scheduled to marry his lifelong love Erine Evou and be crowned the new King. Little did he know that Ngarba Evou, his new brother-in-law, plotted to overthrow him.

Through thrillingly executed, combo-heavy action sequences, Erine and Enzo will redefine their bond, rescue the land from its villains, and restore their legacy. Luckily, Enzo can call on the Aurion, a powerful collective energy channelled from past ancestors that can unlock devastating fighting abilities and combos to help him beat his foes.

Join the world of Auriona that stands apart from most any other video game universe. The adventure awaits you.  

Thanks Eye.

IndieGames published a new preview of developer Kiroo Tales African ARPG called Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan that is available on Steam Greenlight.

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan has deep, intricate combat for a game whose story focuses on togetherness and community. Its message of working together, of the responsibilities of a leader to their people, adds a positivity to the game's world and Enzo's connection to the NPCs. It made me feel a personal stake in this beautiful city and the well-being of its people, and that gave more agency to the moments when I had to use the game's intricate combat to protect it. The battle against Ngarba, and the connection between Enzo and Erine, create a conflict that goes deeper than just punching the faces of the jerks that stole your girlfriend. It's shaping up to be a wonderful story with deep meaning, and it will be interesting to see where Kiro'o Games takes the game next.

We mentioned a new ARPG game called Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan last year, and now the developer Kiroo Tales announces the game is now on Steam Greenlight.

Aurion, is an epic action RPG , set in a wonderful African Fantasy world, with an unique, open and dynamic fighting gameplay.

- Epic and strategic Real-Time Fighting, Visual evolutive Combos.
- Gather your Legacy ,merge the Aurions, to create newtransformations.
- Touching duels with immersive fighting dialogs.
- Unique scenario & lots of powerful enemies and bosses

Enzo Kori-Odan, prince of Zama suffers a coup d'etat from his brother in-law on the day of his coronation and marriage with Erine Evou. The royal couple is then exiled and decides to go round the world in search of support. They would specifically have to reunite Enzo’s warring legacy in order to retrieve their throne.

Beyond retrieving their position, the fallen Royal couple shall precisely discover the geopolitical and existential dilemmas attached to their functions of King and Queen. They would have to find answers in order to secure the destiny of Zama.

Aurion is at the same time a mystery and evidence in the Auriona planet. This energy was discovered a long time ago and manifests in many ways (battle, handicraft, etc) in daily life. Those who use it in battle are called Aurionics and they can increase their power and have access to untold fighting techniques for a short lapse of time.

Kiro'o Games started an indiegogo campaign for Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan. They're asking for 75k€. At this time they're still building momentum.

Their crowdfunding pitch:

Kiro'o Games from Cameroon sends word they're working on Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan. According to their PR it's the first African fantasy action-RPG ever.

I've posted a screenshot trailer below. Please visit our forum for masses of pics and some infos.