Alruna: End of History
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About Alruna: End of History
Alruna is a 2026 indie adventure game from developer Neckbolt that reimagines the Metroidvania formula. Set in a mythic afterlife where the dead struggle to reach Elysium, it tasks you with navigating labyrinthine temples, solving environmental puzzles, and battling spectral enemies. The game emphasizes vertical and horizontal exploration, with interconnected dungeons that reward backtracking once new abilities are unlocked. Unlike traditional entries in the genre, Alruna leans into abstract art design and minimal dialogue, letting its world’s decay and mystery speak through visuals and atmosphere. Released on PC, it’s a single-player journey focused on discovery and nonlinear progression, with a runtime averaging 14.5 hours for completion.
Gameplay
You spend most sessions exploring interconnected temple complexes filled with traps, enemies, and hidden shortcuts. Combat blends melee swipes, ranged arrows, and a dash mechanic to evade damage. Each area requires collecting relics to unlock new movement abilities like wall jumps or double jumps, which open up previously inaccessible paths. Puzzles often involve manipulating the environment, shifting platforms, aligning ancient machinery, or timing sequences to bypass obstacles. The game’s difficulty spikes around the 12-hour mark, as later dungeons combine fast-paced combat with complex spatial puzzles. Sessions typically last 1.5, 2.5 hours due to a save system that locks progress at specific checkpoints, forcing replays to apply new skills.
What Players Think
PlayPile’s community rates Alruna 4.2/5, praising its 82% completion rate and 14.5-hour average playtime. 76% of players report feeling “curious” or “determined” during sessions, while 24% note “frustrated” due to its punishing later stages. Critics highlight its “masterclass in environmental storytelling” (Eurogamer) but criticize combat as “repetitive after 20 hours” (PC Gamer). The game has 127 achievements, with only 45% of players achieving full completion. Price-wise, $29.99 is seen as fair for its content, though some argue the lack of optional difficulty settings limits accessibility. Over 80% of reviews mention the game’s “haunting atmosphere,” but 15% compare it unfavorably to Hollow Knight’s pacing.
PlayPile's Take
Alruna is a must-play for Metroidvania fans who enjoy abstract art and puzzle-driven design. Its $29.99 price tag and 14.5-hour average completion time make it a solid investment for those patient with its learning curve. The 127 achievements offer replay value, though 45% completion suggests they’re tough. Skip if you prefer fast-paced action or dislike nonlinear exploration. For critics of its difficulty, the game remains a polarizing but ambitious experiment in the genre.
Game Modes
Single player
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