Sora – Songs of the Stone Recensie (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

Birds of a feather flock together, as do Aery and Sora – Song of the Stone, apparently. Conceptually, both winged angels flap their wings to a similar song, as do they flutter and gleam to the same rhythm. A migration; a flock of birds; and a globe-trotting journey that focuses on the fleeting moments of joy that portray aviation as lightning in a cloudy bottle. Sora, really, isn’t all that different, in that it puts you on the same flight path as its flock, and that it allows you to experience the wind against your tail and the brief spells of satisfaction that come with careless soaring.

It doesn’t take much to recognize the beauty that idles in the art of simplicity, nor does it cost you an arm or a wing to come to the conclusion that Sora isn’t so much about the destination, but the journey and the frequent bursts of happiness that you unlock as you caress the open skies. With migration being the point of the game, there is, albeit a simple one, a destination here. Though, Sora isn’t about knuckling in on the final checkpoint as swiftly as possible. Rather, it’s about enjoying the time that you spend with your feathers, whether it’s over the sun-kissed dunes of a vibrant desert or over the cotton-clotted clouds of a serene lake.

Like Aery, the whole point of Sora is to glide through a series of hoops across a wide selection of beaming dioramas and bottled worlds. As the bird in question, there isn’t much for you to accomplish. Well, scratch that. There is a bit of legwork for you to complete, though nothing particularly difficult. See, Sora is, first and foremost, an on-rails experience, in that it gracefully holds out its arms to you, and that it highlights a breadcrumb trail for you to follow. Your job, as the bird, is to merrily chase the beacons and navigate each stretch of land.

With no enemies for you to deal with or timers to squash, the likelihood of you finding a suitable challenge here are incredibly slim. Given that you cannot fail a chapter, and that a simple mishap often results in a little diversion, it’s doubtful that you’ll get stuck with Sora. What’s more, as the game itself provides a clean and elegant set of controls that, frankly, rarely require you to think outside of the box, the chances of you ever flocking in the wrong direction are also incredibly minute. But that’s essentially what Sora – Song of the Stone is: a laid-back flying simulator that wants you to succeed and, more importantly, bathes in tandem with your frequent airborne triumphs.

While there isn’t much of a story to tangle your feathers in here, Sora’s lack of complexity does make it a lot easier to bond with. As the objective is more or less etched in the horizon, there isn’t a lot for you to fret about. Simply, you beat your wings to one obstacle, and then move over to the next, all whilst soaking up the serenity and the frequent moments of bliss that radiate from the world below. It’s cozy, charming, and above all, an absolute delight to soar through. It’s also a lot cheaper than therapy, which is a benefit that I will happily entertain for all the while it flaps and flutters in my general direction.

Of course, if games like Flower are to your liking, then you’ll be sure to find a similar pace and tone in Sora. It might be a little predictable, and it might prey upon a lot of the same gameplay trappings throughout its short flight. That said, Sora does manage to amplify the wow factor in its chosen setting—a world that, thanks to its inclusion of a whole host of beautiful biomes, often feels great to explore from the skies. It’s peaceful, and more importantly, it does a splendid job of keeping you hooked as you glide from one landmark to the next.

Sora – Songs of the Stone is still a niche game, and so, the odds of it appealing to everyone in the room are still rather slim. That being said, if you’re all for whimsical journeys that don’t require much of your brain power to navigate, then it’s likely to scratch a certain itch. Fans of the Aery saga, too, are likely to find a similar vibe here, given that it more or less follows a lot of the same cues as EpiXR Games’ other works.

Suffice it to say, EpiXR clearly has a vision, and not to mention a special way of telling stories from atop the highest pinnacles of the world. And so, if you happen to enjoy the studio’s work, then chances are you’ll enjoy its latest offering. Oh, it’s still Aery, but with a “twist.” You can take from that what you like, folks.

Verdict

Sora – Songs of the Stone relishes the opportunity to soar into a spiraling world of whimsy and light, peace and flight, with one wing on the beating heart of a vibrant diorama of fluctuating colors and another on a simple yet elegant tale about migration and the brief spells of joy that orbit the power of aviation. With a relatively short yet digestible chapter-based journey and a laid-back progression system that allows you to flock and flutter at your own pace, it clearly makes for a relaxing experience. But, that’s an EpiXR game for you: simple, soothing, and satisfying.

It goes without saying at this point, but if you are a fan of the developer’s earlier works, namely its long-standing Aery series, then Sora – Songs of the Stone ought to feel like a second home away from home to you. It might not deliver an entirely original package, and it might lean on a lot of the same trappings that made up its previous releases. But then, when it comes to games like these, you never really need to reinvent the wheel to make a lasting impression on the target audience. Sora – Songs of the Stone just happens to soar in the same flumes of cloud as its kin.