African Adventures In Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan

Isn't it splendid when games can teach you about a culture? We've been cooing at the Alaskan Iñupiaq's tales in Never Alone, and here comes something entirely different. Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is an action-RPG made by Cameroonian developers Kiro'o Games Studio, who are positioning it within a movement they call Kiro'o Tales. They want to unify and transmit African culture by combining myths, tales, and values. The game's looking pretty swish too.

It's an explore-o-action-RPG set in a world where certain people can tap into elemental energies and their ancestors' voices for power. The plot's about two elemental warriors who travel the world trying to gather support for an overthrown and exiled prince, meeting different cultures and encountering "ideological dilemmas which make up their initiation paths towards maturity."

Aurion's split into platform-o-explore sections and real-time combat inspired by console RPG Tales of Destiny. This new trailer's mostly focused on that combat side, so have a look for yourself.

I am interested in that idea of 'Kiro'o Tales', a name derived from a Swahili expression meaning "spiritual vision". African art has focused a lot on constructing the history of the continent, they say, but they want to make something progressive.

Through Kiro'o Tales, Africa should give itself the role of the continent which will favor the unity of the world more than ever before by drawing inspiration from the values of cohesion present in most of our traditions seen in our relations with others and with nature (a deep sense of family, respect of natural resources, etc).

They hope Kiro'o Tales will inspire creations in other mediums too, drawing comparisons to the influence of Japanese manga and American comic books. Kiro'o Games Studio plan to release Aurion by the end of this year.