Race Against Time in Aeon Drive, Available Today for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S

It takes approximately 30 seconds for each level to be completed. The ability to teleport anywhere without limitations. One life, unlimited attempts. That’s Aeon Drive — and if that pitch doesn’t sound thrilling to you, we honestly don’t know what would.

Aeon DriveThis action platformer has a speedrunning twist. It is brought to you jointly by 2Awesome Studio & Critical Reflex.

You will be playing as Jackelyne — a space ranger from another dimension. Her ship was on its way home when it crashed onto an unnamed planet near Neo Barcelona. If she won’t be able to fix her spacecraft on time, the city will be doomed.

The challenge seems impossible at face value — the city streets are dangerous and hard to navigate, and Jackelyne has mere seconds to get to her destination. But luckily, there are a lot of tricks in her sleeve — and you’ll have to learn to use all of them to save the city and get Jackelyne home.

Here are some major obstacles that Jackelyne will face on each level of the game — and some tips that will help you overcome those.

Beware of traps

Neo Barcelona looks absolutely beautiful, but it’s actually quite a dangerous place. There are many traps and deadly laser beams that can be seen on the streets, including spikes and circular saws. Try to get through any of the game’s 100 levels just by running and jumping as you would probably do in a traditional platformer, and you’ll probably be dead even before the timer expires.

Solutions It’s a good thing that one of the main features of Aeon Drive is the ‘Teleportation dagger.’ Jackelyne can throw it in any direction and then immediately teleport to its location with a press of a button. It’s an excellent way to deal with otherwise unavoidable traps, and it is also a much more efficient way to travel than traditional walking. And apart from all that — it’s so satisfying!

Racing against time

If Jackelyne doesn’t make it to the end of the level on time — the run is over, simple as that. This time limit is an important part of the reason Jackelyne can’t finish the level on time. Aeon Drive so enjoyable to play, but it is also one of the game’s main challenges. The levels that are later in the game can be so complex and difficult, it might seem impossible for you to finish them within 30 seconds.

SolutionsJackelyne has a second talent: You can also control the time so she will add extra time to your 30 seconds limit if it is difficult to follow. But it’s not as simple as it sounds: to get the precious extra seconds, you’ll need to collect time capsules scattered throughout the level and to activate those, well, in time.

Being in danger

Jackelyne is limited to one hitpoint. Each collision with an enemy, trap, or other danger can result in Jackelyne’s death. That means that you probably won’t complete any of the levels on the first try — something will definitely get you, or you will run out of time trying to avoid particularly nasty traps or enemies.

Solutions: This constant sense of danger makes each run more intense, but it doesn’t make it stressful. You just need to keep in mind that there are infinite attempts. This is all possible thanks to the time loop mechanic. Just moments after Jackelyne’s death, a new Jackelyne may start a run in another dimension.

How to deal with your enemies

Neo Barcelona is well-known for its many traps, but also the vicious guarding robots that patrol its streets. Jackelyne is constantly confronted by them as they are hostile and determined to stop Jackelyne from reaching her destination.

Solutions: The most obvious solution to this problem is the Power Sword — Jackelyne’s primary weapon that can incapacitate any robot with just one slice. A hostile bot can be defeated by simply sliding across it, or by simply walking on top of it. But in some cases, brute force won’t be the best approach: these precious seconds spent in a battle could probably cost you the attempt if you run out of time because of that. Sometimes, it makes more sense to avoid the robot altogether or run from it.

Dealing with Competition

Let’s say you’ve cleared all of the 100 levels in Aeon DriveNow you’re the master of teleportation. There is an issue: new rangers are in town. They are quicker than you and can even teleport as fast as you! Now you need to show them what you’re worth.

Solutions: This is a difficult problem. Aeon Drive is a competitive game — we call it ‘a speedrun platformer’ for a reason, after all. The game keeps track of your results with  Leaderboards: you can always compare your performance to the results of other players, and even, even find yourself at the top one day. You could also call up your friends to compete in PVP and co-op modes, which will help you increase the difficulty.

Aeon Drive you always have room for improvement: are you really sure that you’ve completed the level in the most efficient way? Maybe you’ve lingered too much at the start? Maybe your throw at a teleportation blade was not quite right. Was it the most efficient route? You have every right to try again, to learn new techniques.

Aeon Drive

CRITICAL REFLEX

☆☆☆☆☆
1

★★★★★

$14.99

Aeon Drive is an action platformer that combines speedrunning and racing to get you through cyberpunk environments in Neo Barcelona. Whether solo or in up to 4 player co-op, sprint and dash through many areas of the neon-infused city – and use your time and space-bending abilities to get ahead.