Axiom Verge: Samus is now a dude
11 Jul 2016
Developer: Thomas Happ Games LLCPublisher: Thomas Happ Games LLC
Platform: PC (Reviewed), PS Vita, and PS4
Released: May 14, 2015
Copy Purchased
This game sits in the category of “I really like it, but got me so frustrated that I’m pretty sure my neighbors think I have mental health issues”. Ignoring my pending mental health issues, this game is one that fills in something that has been missing in the game industry for quite some time, a true honest to god Metroid game. Supprisingly enough, the best Metroid game in years comes from a passion product from Thomas Happ. From the minute you start this game you can tell that the amount of love and care dumped into Axiom Verge.
If you have been living under a rock, Axiom Verge’s biggest selling point is probably the amazing pixel art that is heavily inspired by H.R. Giger, and really draws you into the game’s world. The music is also fantastic with a wide variety of chiptune style music that really makes you feel lost a foreign land. The music is different for all areas of the game, making each level feel different in its own special way. The art is no exception, each level has a different color pallet and theme surrounding it. The game is able to really tune into the fantastic worlds reminiscent of the NES and SNES days. Getting lost in games is something that I hate, but Axiom Verge made it interesting and almost fun to get lost and explore.
The gameplay is a page ripped out of the rules for NES style metriodvania games. It is a true call back to what made those games great. The level design in this game is amazing, being able to create vivid memories of “I bet I can access that area now”. The gun you start out with will get various upgrades as you play. It creates this sense that your character is getting more powerful as the game progresses, allowing you to access areas you were not able to before. Each of the weapon upgrades gives you a new style of weapon, the base weapon is your standard laser projectile, the next is a projectile that you can detonated after you fire it, and the list of different and unique weapon styles continues to grow as you play the game. One of the coolest things is that you can miss a lot of the weapon upgrades and it doesn’t feel like you can’t continue without them. You also have health upgrades which give you more health, power upgrades which make your weapons do more damage, and secondary items that allow you to access areas that were originally closed off. A lot of the upgrades are hidden away, nudging the player to explore to find new and exciting upgrades. The sense of exploration that this game is able to create is astounding.
One of the biggest complaints that I have is just how quickly the difficulty of the game ramps up. The game follows pretty good pacing until a certain boss late in the game, that boss is pretty difficult and then the game suddenly ramps up from there. Most of your deaths once you reach that point almost feel cheap and are extremely frustrating. While I’m willing to admit that it could just be me, it seems that most people have trouble at the latter parts of the game. While I’m one for making games challenging, I also don’t like challenges that are artificially hard. The sudden jump in difficulty makes the game feel harder than it should be, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
The map in the game is something to be desired. I understand that the game is taking heavy influences from Metroid, but the map does not need to be designed like it was made in the year 1986. The map looks like it was ripped from Metroid, only having solid color blocks representing the areas and white lines indicating doors. This is a minor, and albeit petty complaint, but in then end the map is functional and does what a map is supposed to do. There were some times that I got lost and didn’t know where I was supposed to go because the map was not very clear about doors or areas that I might have missed.
The game has a cool mechanic in which text cannot be translated unless you enter in a certain code. The code can be found in game and allows more backstory to be discovered from this already inthralling game. There are some codes hidden about that allow the character to open up areas allowing more upgrades to be found. There is also a code that allows your character to be in the same outfit that Samus was in the original Metroid game. I really like being able to input codes into my game, even if they just translate text. It takes me back to a time where cheat codes were the norm, and all the fun times had with them. The game made me nostalgic over the fact I could input codes into my game, and for that it’s pretty okay.
Overall this game is a blast from the past. It truly feels like a NES or SNES game with some modern twists. It does, however, also take some of the old school hard that can be hair pulling frustrating. The amount of love put in this game can be seen a mile away. I’m glad that I picked this game up and would recommend it to anyone that wants an old school metroidvania experience. However I don’t see myself coming back to this title due to the difficulty jump. I can’t wait to see the next passion project by Tom Happ.
Buy the game on Steam