Sundered Reviews
I truly am pleased I finally got the opportunity to play Sundered on my Switch. Eldritch Edition is a fantastic version of the game, offering just enough new content to sate the appetite of new players, while offering reasons for existing players to delve back in. For $19.99, you get a lot of adventure to enjoy, full of challenge and a twisted and diabolical story. I spent about 13 hours beating the game once, thoroughly searching out and killing all the optional minibosses and unlocking the Magnate of the Gong fight. After finally playing this, I’m eagerly looking forward to whatever the next project is that Thunder Lotus develops. In the meantime, I’ll be beating the game to get the other 2 endings. If you are looking for a reason to embrace madness and have a great time in the process, Sundered: Eldritch Edition is well worth your time.
Sundered beautifully melds genres and thematic styles to create a hauntingly wonderful world filled with danger and madness.
Thunder Lotus Games absolutely destroys the genre of action platformers, other developers should take notes. This is how they should be made. Sundered should be on your list for purchase in the future if you haven't already. If it hits the Steam sale, please take full advantage of the deal. There is no way you can go wrong picking this game up.
The technical issues, while still present, have been cleaned up considerably since launch, and the game’s sense of progression based around its epic skill tree and fun abilities is top notch. I’ve come to appreciate Sundered’s intense and challenging horde-based combat as well. When this is all wrapped up in an insanely beautiful hand-drawn package, full of innovative creature design and mammoth bosses, it’s easy to see why Sundered eventually dug its hooks into me. If you’re a fan of the Metroidvania genre, or 2D action-platformers in general, give this one a try. It’s a unique title with a scope unmatched in this space. Oh, and it’s drop-dead gorgeous. Have I mentioned this yet?
Sundered fuses a lot of ideas from different games and genres, and the result is a very unique experience, especially within the metroidvania genre. Not all these ideas work as well and some of them can be very polarizing, but if the game "clicks", it's one hell of a journey to the heart of darkness.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Sundered proves that procedural generation and smart, hand-crafted level design are far from mutually exclusive.
A game with interesting ideas that is let down by frustrating, repetitive gameplay.
Sundered ambitiously tackles procedural generation, random encounters, roguelike character progression, and emergent storytelling. The end result is a success.
All in all, I feel like Sundered had a great idea in place, but due to the procedurally generated rooms mixed with the nonstop enemy encounters, I felt like I wasn't able to progress enough in a span of time to make me want to keep going.
Sundered is, undoubtedly, an indispensable game for lovers of the metroidvania genre. It deserves to be appreciated by all players who seek a good challenge. Its story, setting, art direction, soundtrack and gameplay are all factors that make all problems with its performance forgettable. It is one of the best games of its genre out there.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A sublime blend of Metroidvania and Lovecraft with beautiful hand-drawn art, tarnished a little by the element of repetition.
A completely wonderful Metroidvania, but at the same time, another Metroidvania.
Sundered is a nice game with interesting bosses and mechanics, which suffers from the advent of complexity talismans, problems with levels generation, long download times and poor optimization on the PS4. Perhaps some of these shortcomings will be resolved by patches, and we're taking this into account with our score.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Sundered is a sight to behold, and has a unique world that I loved exploring. However, the controller-smashing cheapness of the combat, and iffy technical performance make it tough to recommend for those unwilling to embrace the grind and conquer the challenge.
A fine mix between a character progression system and challenge that doesnt fall into the same pits that other games with procedurally generated areas tend to. Coupled with an amazing artstyle and impressive boss battles, Sundered is easily the best effort by Thunder Lotus Games so far.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sundered is a game that has a lot going for it, especially in its opening moments. There are some things the game absolutely nails, but there are a few aggravations too. These aggravations never really go away and start to build up the further into the game you play.
Sundered, from Thunder Lotus Games, a Rogue Legacy meets Super Metroid experience that is well worth checking out.
Thunder Lotus Games' newest title has a lot to offer to Metroidvania fans.
Which leaves me in a bit of a conundrum, and Sundered with a name that couldn't be apter. The core of Sundered is fundamentally flawed from the outset, and randomly generated levels are often a bugbear of mine. But layered on top of this is a fantastic, gorgeous action game with heaps to do. All told you're looking at a good 15-hour run through, and those whose thirst is still not quenched as the credits will no doubt be pleased that each playthrough is different. If the thought of eating a beautiful crunchy red apple appeals to you, and you don't mind the worms wriggling inside, Sundered might be worth a shot.
Sundered maintains Thunder Lotus’ commitment to extraordinary art and detail – a commitment that few games, indie or otherwise, are able to match. Sundered manages to almost seamlessly meld two completely incompatible genres into a satisfying exploration experience. Grindy combat against overwhelming odds keeps it from being a “perfect” game.