Alwa's Awakening Reviews
Ultimately, Alwa’s Awakening feels like the foundation to what might have been a rather more substantial revisit of the glorious 8-bit like so many before it.
The result is a really splendid example of the form, with enough original ideas of its own within the standard to make it interesting. It’s a good, solid game, that’s occasionally extremely tough, but always fair.
Alwa's Awakening is a game that perhaps manages to achieve its aims a little too well, with moments of great platforming action and a well-designed overworld being hamstrung by antiquated problems like an unforgiving checkpoint system and an unhelpful map. We'd give this one a light recommendation; there's plenty of quality to be found despite some flaws and it's evident that a lot of passion went into the development, although we would also add that there's nothing about Alwa's Awakening that screams “must play”. If you're a fan of retro action platformers or Metroidvanias, Alwa's Awakening is certainly worth a go, but if you aren't a fan, this isn't the game to change your mind.
It's definitely worth a shot if you’re hankering for a bit of old school platforming action.
In case you haven't noticed there's a boat load of Metroidvanias coming out recently and Alwa's Awakening hangs with them. Its restrictive without going overboard, allowing the highs outweigh the lows. The ability to chisel away at some tough rooms with a Switch on the go helps make it even more digestible.
Alwa’s Awakening is classic gaming for the modern gamer and an incredibly enjoyable experience.
Alwa's Awakening is exactly what I had hoped I was in for when I booted up the title.
It’s a game made by a small, four-man Swedish studio called Elden Pixels, and one that doesn’t contain an ounce of cynicism or irony; it’s made by retro enthusiasts who genuinely want to relive the glories of yesteryear. On the game’s Steam page, it is billed as a “retro game in a modern coat.”
Alwa's Awakening makes a number of questionable choices with its slow gameplay mechanics, but the core experience provides fun and challenging platforming and magic abilities.
Alwa's Awakening takes its players to pretty pixelated places filled with NES challenge, but mars the whole experience with a clumsy magic system that makes the game's difficult platforming segments needlessly frustrating.
Disappointing design choices makes Alwa's Awakening difficult to recommend.
Alwa's Awakening is a true, but beautiful, trip in the past. Everything is close to the old masterpieces of videogames, with only a few buttons that were able to do all the things a gamer needed.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Alwa's Awakening is an interesting homage to a classic game that manages to stand out -- but not by much.
Alwa’s Awakening is a truly excellent game. While it’s true that we’re not exactly short on open-structure exploratory platform games these days, there’s enough that is distinctive about Alwa’s Awakening to make it stand out from the crowd. So what are you waiting for?
The boss fights range from pretty easy to dozen-death difficult, but the real joy is in thoroughly exploring the map, seeing heights you can't reach and doors you can't open and then returning later with newfound powers that enable you to continue your adventure. Alwa's Awakening is a great investment for those who grew up with old-school Castlevania games or those who prefer Zelda II to The Legend of Zelda. It's not fast-paced or action-packed, but it has plenty of nostalgia and is well-suited to those who prefer jumping to shooting, spell-casting to sword-swinging. Well, how can I forget you, Zoe? When there's always another Metroidvania to remind me.
At worst, this is a well designed and well made Megaman-style game. At best it's hours of addicting yet frustrating gameplay to finish the main storyline. Given it's reasonable price ($10 USD), it's absolutely worth picking up for anyone who enjoys these style of games.
Final Thoughts Alwa's Awakening is a very fun and polished Metroidvania that has finally found its way to the Nintendo Switch, a console where things come full circle on a Nintendo console, what with the game paying homage to Metroid and other action platformers of the Nintendo Entertainment System era. We had a lot of fun playing the game for this double review, so we highly recommend that you get it today!
When taking everything into consideration, Alwa's Awakening fits right into the genre and the gaming generation it tries to emulate.
Alwa's Awakening is altogether a very impressive effort. It takes full advantage of its 8-bit aesthetics to create a game that wouldn't look out of place on a shelf next to Clash at Demonhead and Whomp 'Em. More importantly, this action-adventure does more than enough to stand out by relying on a foundation consisting of great controls and mechanics. Zoe's three powers strike the perfect balance. They're flexible, but they also show the right amount of restraint. The result is a tightly-designed title that is sure to pleasantly surprise even the most seasoned gamers.
Alwa's Awakening offers a solid challenge and a great sense of exploration which makes it a satisfying experience.