Item: Aruna's Adventure
Rating: 89
Author: Dinsun

Our Expert Score

89/100

Aruna’s Adventure is a delightful throwback to the 8-bit era, clearly drawing inspiration from classics like The Legend of Zelda. The game nails the nostalgic aesthetic with vibrant pixel art and a top-down perspective that feels right at home on a mobile screen. You play as Aruna, a blue-haired heroine on a quest to stop the Dark Lord, exploring a massive world comprised of over 400 handcrafted screens.

The combat is surprisingly tight for a mobile title, featuring a dash mechanic that adds a layer of skill to enemy encounters. While the virtual D-pad can be a bit rigid for some, the game's full controller support transforms it into a premium handheld experience. With its sprawling dungeons, secret-filled overworld, and challenging boss fights, it captures that 'just one more screen' feeling perfectly. It’s a modern love letter to retro gaming that manages to include modern conveniences like cloud saves and high frame rates without losing its old-school soul.

Dinsun reviewed on: Thu Feb 26 2026

The Game

Available on: Mac, Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, iPod

1529770984

$4.99 9+★4.4 84 reviews

Author : James Swiney

Pubish Date : Tue Sep 22 2020

Last Update Date : Wed Sep 13 2023

Support Languages : English

Genres :

Version 2.1Wed Sep 13 2023

Updated to support the latest devices.
Requires iOS 13.4 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Aruna’s Adventure takes you on a nostalgic trip back to the early '90s action adventure games. It has a vibrant 8 bit pixel art style and an emphasis on action combat combined with exploration.
The player takes control of the blue haired heroine Aruna, who along with her guiding fairy is trying to stop the Dark Lord from infesting the lands with monsters.
Aruna explores the multiple landscapes of the world fighting monsters, finding secrets, entering dungeons and fighting bosses.
Main Game Features :
- Engaging fun combat: Aruna can dash, strike and use special weapon attacks.
- Over 400 handcrafted screens that stitch together into 3 Large overworld areas and 6 sprawling dungeons.
- Unique and challenging boss fights.
- Get coins from enemies and secret chests to buy new gear in the shops throughout the world.
- A classic retro story with wizards, fairies and a dark lord.
It may be retro style but we have modern conveniences :
- Autosaving, never lose any progress if you have to shut down quickly (however there is a penalty for death of course).
- Cloud syncing for save games.
- Controller support for both gameplay and menus.
- Game Center achievements.
- 120fps on supported devices.

Ratings & Reviews

4.4 out of 5 with 84 Counts

★★★★★

Age Rating 9+

Aruna's Adventure is a love letter to the 8-bit era of action RPGs. Players guide Aruna through a vibrant top-down world filled with secrets, dungeons, and challenging bosses. With a focus on exploration and classic sword-and-shield combat, it captures the essence of early 90s gaming while offering modern features like autosaving and 120fps support.

Features

Stunning 8-bit inspired pixel art

Over 400 handcrafted screens to explore

Multiple unique dungeons and bosses

Full controller support and 120fps on supported devices

Tips

Finding Secret Paths

Look for walls with subtle cracks. You can use your bomb ability to reveal hidden rooms containing heart containers or extra gold coins.

Gameplays

Mastering the Dash

The dash move is not just for speed; it provides a brief window of invincibility. Use it to dash through enemy projectiles during intense boss fights.