Elderand Reviews
Elderand is a competent Metroidvania offering but suffers from inconsistent bosses and a reluctance to dive deep enough into its inspirations.
Elderand is another solid entry in the Metroidvania genre, though it doesn't push any new boundaries where gameplay is concerned. It does manage to stand out somewhat thanks to its strong enemy design and worldbuilding, as well as a good soundtrack. For a debut game, it's impressive to see something as well realised as this, but there's precious little here you haven't seen elsewhere in this crowded genre. Perhaps it needs a second entry to fully live up to its potential.
Elderand is an enjoyable, old-fashioned hack 'n' slash adventure that will challenge you without punishing you.
Elderand is a worthy addition to the wider Metroidvania genre and offers plenty of bang for your buck. It takes clear inspiration from the best of Castlevania and marries it to challenging combat. That being said, there isn't anything particularly new here, and there is a lack of consistency across the level design. The result is a solid indie game offering plenty for genre fans.
Elderand is a successful metroidvania take which adds nothing to the genre, but enhances what we are used to see in these games. The only drawback is a lack of action in the first minutes, but then the game starts to get interesting.
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If you're into Metroidvanias, Elderand is a fantastic entry for the genre.
At the end of the day, not many games come close to a masterpiece like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but Elderand tries in its own way to honor its inspiration. Exploration is a fun endeavor enhanced by great art design, the RPG system has the potential to do much more, but its combat can be hit or miss. The storytelling follows the same path, but for players looking for Lovecraftian creatures to kill and glorious gothic aesthetics, Elderand will fit the bill.
At the end of the day, Elderand feels more like a game you play in between big releases or to scratch a certain itch, more than a title you might get excited to play. The individual flaws of the game might not be absolute dealbreakers, but they undoubtedly muddy the waters and noticeably drag down the experience. A sale is the only time I would recommend people try out Elderand, but with genre giants like Hollow Knight and Ori and The Will of the Wisps all at a similar price point, Elderand remains a hard sell.
Elderand offers what you expect from a metroidvania. It is an addition to the genre offering no more or less of a solid experience.
It lacks ambition and doesn't have much to differentiate it from its peers, but the design is so solid and the world is fun enough to explore that there's certainly a good time to be had in Elderand.
Elderand is, for better and worse, a fairly by-the-numbers Metroidvania. It does nothing exceptional, but it rarely slips up badly either.
The world of Elderand tickled my fancy from the beginning to the end, and kept me coming back to pick it up with its fairly standard battle mechanics and replayability factors.
Elderand feels like a game that would have thrived in a previous generation of gaming. It holds onto some mechanics that just don't feel that great compared to what the Metroivania genre offers in the modern day. It's not all bad, but there are better games in the genre that you can play.
Elderand is the definition of disappointing. There's no big flaw to point at, apart from the fact that it is extremely afraid to do… well, anything apart from the basics. The result is something that looks good, sounds good, and feels good, but never really manages to be more than 'okay.' It's a well-crafted 'okay,' with nothing to show that could separate it from the rest of its competitors, old or new.
Elderand is a game full of mystery, monsters, exploration, and gore. With so much to see this title is sure to keep you busy for a long time. I just wish you were able to make spots on the map so you knew specific locations to come back to once you get new abilities.
If you're after more Castlevania, without actually playing Castlevania again, then that's fine, and Elderand will provide you with a perfectly competent experience. But given that other games have taken that route and shown far more personality, it's hard to see why you'd want to choose this game instead of any of those other ones.
The luscious pixel art and Metroidvania flow of Elderand give it appeal, just be ready for a pretty brutal challenge
If you’re looking to lose yourself purely in Metroidvania battling, Elderand has got you covered. Absorbing and enjoyable, it will certainly slake your thirst for skill-based, challenging combat and varied foes
Ultimately, I came away from Elderand feeling mostly satisfied. It didn’t produce anything particularly unique or exceptional, but I’m not exactly sure that it was ever attempting to do that. What it did provide was an enjoyable adventure combined with impressive art and a splendid music score – seriously, I want the OST to this game and snappy controls with which to while away the hours of an evening or three exploring these lands beyond. I may not have been particularly invested in the printed goal of the quest. Still, I certainly enjoyed my time expanding the map, grapple swinging, and trouncing any would-be adversaries that stood in my way of reaching said printed goal. But, in an industry riddled with a plethora of similar experiences ranging from middling to exemplary, a game that manages to simply be solid, fun, and respectful of my time is certainly enough for me.