Iconoclasts Reviews
Iconoclasts has some shortcomings, such as a few overextended stages in the middle of the story and a very high difficulty in some parts. But an interesting story, puzzles, accessible skills and bosses leave just an incredible amount of the most positive emotions.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Iconoclasts takes the Metrovania genre to a new level of polish and charm, with plenty of secrets and a story that's surprisingly refreshing for the genre. It may not reinvent the wheel but rather shows that there's still plenty that can be uncovered when you apply seven years worth of polish to the sidescrolling standard.
Iconoclasts is a pretty fantastic game. The story is fun and interesting, the controls are tight and near perfect, the art and animation is beautiful, and many of the puzzles and traversal are both fun and challenging at the same time.
Iconoclasts isn't a trendsetter within its genre on a mechanical level. It has great puzzles and poorly-handled combat. Yet there's such huge amounts of time and personality poured into how Iconoclasts looks, and how its game world is built up, that it's easy to forgive such issues. It's a gorgeous 2D puzzle platformer with interesting characters, and that is enough to see it rise above merely being 'good'.
Iconoclasts blends a complex story with neat puzzle platforming, and does so in great style. The game's length occasionally works against it, and the boss fights aren't all winners, but the story is worth seeing through to the end thanks to a memorable cast of characters and plenty of variety along the way. It's just a very robust, unique game that you'd be a tool to miss.
Iconoclasts is a gorgeous pixel art metroidvania with some great ideas. Action, platform and puzzles are fun. And the narrative and characters are really compelling. A total success.
Review in French | Read full review
Iconoclasts is an ironic, humanistic critique of religion as much as it is a masterful take on a traditional game genre.
While Iconoclasts may not reinvent the platformer, it does do the basics of the genre extremely well. When combined with a resonant, engaging story and colorful style, the title emerges as a great example of the power of one man's persistence and vision.
Iconoclasts is a worthy puzzle platformer unlike anything you’ll have experienced before — a true labour of love.
Iconoclasts is a near-constant delight, offering story that can be charming or silly or insightful, combat that is involved, puzzles that challenge the mind, and a feeling of endless excitement and adventure.
Iconoclasts is a wonderful mix of platormer and puzzle game with great graphics and an exciting story.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Iconoclasts is a different type of metroidvania, favouring environmental puzzles, exploration and story over combat and variety, wrapping everything up in a gorgeous 16 bit pixel art: we cannot avoid recommending it if you're in for an ingenious ride.
Review in Italian | Read full review
There is an abundance of pixel-art platformers on the market today, many of them indistinguishable from one another, but Sandberg's game stands out.
Iconoclasts is quite an enjoyable game. It has a strong foundation, with characters brimming with personality and a colorful world. Each location in the world has its own distinct look and mechanics that make you perfect your skills, learn how to use the abilities Robin has, and find new skills that will help you find your way into new spots. It's a game that flows well, where each area might take a second or two to find out what needs to be done, but should rather quickly pick up what needs to happen to help Robin continue her journey and save her world from One Concern.
Iconoclasts is a kind of game that no AAA studio could ever have made. It has all the mechanics, visuals and other easily judged elements that a video game needs, and nailed down really well too, but it also has a less tangible feel to it that just endears it to the player. Even among other nostalgic pixel-art metroidvania games, this one stands out, and ought to be remembered as one of the indie greats.
Iconoclasts has a genuinely interesting story, told in a way which is too obtuse to come across well. It also leaves quite a lot on the table without properly explaining things. Its characters are charming, lovable, believable, detestable, and sympathetic all at once, and watching them go through the events of the story can be captivating. Unfortunately, it takes Iconoclasts about halfway through before it begins to even feel like a game, and while the gameplay progresses a bit more from there, it still never reaches the heights I think it could have. At just 11 hours for the main campaign, it's something I would definitely recommend to anybody looking for something to dig into without much time commitment. Also recommended, start the game on hard mode; normal leaves things much too plain. I definitely believe that if the game's creator, Joakim Sandberg, ever places himself in the directorial and lead writer positions of a small development team, all of the depth that the gameplay and exploration elements were sorely lacking could reach their full potential and then some, creating something absolutely great.
Joakim Sandberg solely developed this game pixel by pixel for around 7 years, and the end result is an amazing adventure game with a lot of passion. without a doubt, this is one of the best 16-bit games of recent memory. the only negative thing about the game is the fact that tweaks are not really that helpful, which impacted our desire to discover more of the world's secrets.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
If you have ever been turned off Metroidvanias for their tendency to prove too confusing or challenging, or pined for a larger focus on plot, Iconoclasts is the answer. By relegating the heavy exploration side of the popular genre in favour of driving a captivating narrative and characters to the forefront, Joakim Sandberg has crafted a 2D adventure that comes out as one of the most entertaining of the year, and certainly in the genre as a whole. Don't sleep on this.
Iconoclasts is one of the biggest surprises of the year. Despite occasionally suffering through the story sequences, I found that I couldn't stop playing (it's about 10 hours long). I can't recommend the game highly enough--go play it.
Iconoclasts succeeds on delivering a deep and impressive story that is full of surprises. Despite a boring and shallow combat system and the misleading level structure, it is still worth your time and money
Review in Persian | Read full review