It's hard not to draw comparisons when one game looks similar to another. Ageless is a puzzle-platformer published by Team17, and developed by One More Dream Studios. When the trailer came out, viewers instantly likened it to Celeste. Indeed, Ageless' pixel-styled graphics and character designs resemble the acclaimed title. However, whereas Celeste focuses on precision platforming, Ageless focuses on order of operations puzzle-solving to progress. Still, there are noticeable similarities, so comparing is inevitable. Celeste definitely comes out on top between the two. But, that's not to say Ageless is a mediocre experience. Ageless probably won't go down as a timeless indie classic, but it does have unique puzzle platforming and an emotional narrative.

The tale begins with a girl named Kiara. She is an individual plagued by a certain anxiety: feeling purposeless. She has been looking for a gate that can give abilities called "Gifts." Kiara searches for this gate in hopes a Gift will give her a purpose. She does indeed receive a Gift: the ability to age animals and plants. Near a place called Pandora, she meets a boy named Vi, who also came to the gate looking for a Gift. From there, a story of purpose, despair, and reflection commences.

Get Your Thinking Cap On

If one is expecting quality puzzle-solving imbued with platforming, Ageless has that covered. The greatest part of the gameplay is how it utilizes Kiara's ability in many different scenarios. In one level, she will be riding a dolphin, and then switch to a whale. In another, she has to figure out to use the teleporters to her advantage. Perhaps the most unique world is Spectre. Here, Kiara has to "die" so she can traverse certain areas and walls. This leads to many interesting puzzles.

As the game progresses, there comes greater challenges. Those who don't like solving puzzles will not enjoy the harder challenges, as they can take awhile to figure out what to do. But, that's also a good thing because it's always a "Eureka!" moment when the puzzle is solved. Not all the puzzles are fun, though.

RELATED: Roki Review: A Fairytale Ending

Every world has certain creature types assisting the player's progression. One has to know what each age type does. It sounds like a lot to memorize, but it builds up nicely. The game has collectibles in the form of Relics. These optional challenges are found in separate rooms outside the main path. For completionists, this adds hefty value.

Not A Perfect Platforming Experience

Oddly, it's possible to "cheese" certain rooms. In the video game context, to cheese a level is to beat it the non-intended way, basically completing it without going through all the steps. For example, in one level, there is a fish the game obviously wants you to use, but it's possible to beat the level without actually needing its assistance. This happens more than once, showing the developers needed to play test a bit more to make sure players can only beat the level as intended.

Although Kiara can run and jump fine, aiming her arrows can be a bit annoying. When using my Switch controller, when Kiara is running and then stops to aim, she keeps moving ever so slightly. This messes with aiming, which could lead to death. Overall, aiming isn't as smooth as it should be.

A Memorable Narrative

Ageless is described as "story driven." This is another similarity to Celeste. In that game, Madeline suffers from anxiety and depression. She overcomes it by climbing the mountain, both physically and metaphysically. In Ageless, Kiara is also depressed, but in a different way. She finds herself feeling purposeless and useless, and goes in search of a Gift. This leads to a journey, once again in both the external and internal sense.

Along the way, Kiara meets different characters. A majority of them offer genuine encouragement. This is seen with the Vestige tribe. One lady tells Kiara, "Then you tried your best," in response to the protagonist's fears of failing. One can tell there was an emphasis in delivering a heartfelt story. Kiara gets down on herself, but never becomes an annoyingly mopey character. Rather, she earnestly wants to do the right thing, but doubts her capability. The game shows the importance of kind, genuine encouragement and advice from others. It also brings up taking responsibility rather than justifying with, "I have no choice." There is some great dialogue in this game.

Kiara doesn't think she's a hero, but by the end of the narrative, players will agree she's earned the title.

Perhaps the most exciting part of Ageless is the boss escape at the end of Remnant. It utilizes fantastic platforming and Kiara's special ability. There's a grand energy to the first three boss encounters. The fourth boss is interesting, as it's a level gauntlet. Narrative-wise, it's supremely investing.

Platformers need good music, and Ageless comes in with a decent soundtrack. As a whole, the soundtrack isn't the most memorable, but the boss battle music, especially during the Remnant battle, enhances the experience. The end credits unexpectedly features a powerful, moving piece titled, "Broken Wings." It's the perfect cap to the narrative.

Not Timeless, But Still Worth The Time

Celeste is the superior platforming experience, but that shouldn't deter you from playing Ageless. Yes, the game could use more polish and the aiming mechanic could be tighter, but Ageless offers a challenging puzzle-platforming time.

A PC review code for Ageless was provided to TheGamer for this review. Ageless is available now on and PC and Nintendo Switch.

Ageless

NEXT: Balan Wonderworld Is Giving Us Strong Billy Hatcher & Nights Into Dream Vibes (And We Love It)