squareSphere Axiom Verge Review

Axiom Verge is a love letter to metroidvanias of old, and super metroid in particular. As such, it's difficult not to respect it. But it also doesn't seem to go beyond what those classics delivered, which is disappointing for the time this game came out. My biggest gripe is actually with the gameplay itself. It really feels like this game is intended to play like an old video game. But that just feels clunky today. I constantly hit my square hitbox on corners that I visually cleared, I frequently just grit through enemies either cheesing them or face-tanking because that was the only thing that worked reliably, and the movement options you do get (they are quite sparse) are also clunky with double tapping to dash just being unreliable and easy to accidentally trigger. This game also suffers from the traditional metroidvania ill of only having one actual path forward and loads of uninspired upgrades forcing you to backtrack. This is per se not bad, backtracking being a core gameplay mechanic of this genre, but the single path forward, no fast travel options at all, and the fact that moving though the world just isn't fun, turns backtracking from a genre boon to a chore. On the positive, let me say that the game does genuinely look quite pleasing at times and the world laid out is quite intriguing. With plenty of hidden lore notes, secret puzzles, and visual storytelling, this game does really reward an attentive and invested player. In summary, if you loved super metroid and are happy with a control scheme straight from the 90s, this game is probably a must-play. However, if you come from a more modern metroidvania crowd, this game will probably be more jarring than anything, and you can probably give it a miss.