Axiom Verge makes a great first impression. The pixel art is nice, the map naturally guides the player to their destination, and the music is fantastic. The setting, inspired by H.R. Giger, is intriguing and feels truly alien like Metroid on NES, a game whose atmosphere is very underappreciated.

As a Metroidvania, it definitely delivers. Easily the best thing about this game is the power-ups. I won't spoil them for those who haven't played it, but just know that they are extremely creative. Every time you think you know what ability you will need to bypass an obstacle, you will be surprised. This subversion of expectations should satisfy Metroidvania veterans who are bored of getting the same power-ups (double jump, dash, hookshot).

Now for the stuff I didn't like. This game has an absurd number of weapons to find, but I didn't find a use for most of them, even the ones that were hard to find. The gun given at the start was enough to deal with most enemies, which have an annoying habit of rushing at you on sight. The bosses left a lot to be desired. They always seemed to be too easy or in the case of the final boss, unfair. Finally, the story was hard to follow at times. This isn't a big issue, however, since there are lots of journal entries to fill in some of the blanks and the story was nonintrusive overall.

Despite these missed opportunities, I would recommend checking out Axiom Verge. The unique power-ups alone make it worth playing. I really hope more Metroidvanias take inspiration from this going forward.