A pretty good Metroid inspired game, but sometimes it became really annoying to play
The exploration is great... sometimes. Although it has some really good shortcuts, the exploration in this game is pretty lacking in comparison to other games. I'm an exploration type of guy, I always check every single corner when I'm playing a game, but with this game, I just wasn't that invested on it. Most secrets are really easy to find, but I never found them all because I simply did not care about finding them.
The movement abilities are mostly good, but some of them just feel like glorified keys, and I personally think that abilities in metroidvanias should work not just to unlock new areas, but also to improve the overall gameplay by changing how you approach new situations, that's the reason why wall jump, double jump, and dash are so common in these types of games, Because they are useful at all times, not just when you need to unlock a new path. The only movement ability in Axiom Verge that made me feel that way was the late game dash, but it is a nightmare to use because you need to press the directional button twice to use it; this generates two issues: 1- You need to stop your movement before dashing, which is annoying and leave you open to attacks; and 2- You can easily use it by mistake when you're just trying to walk, and be prepared, because you are going to do it A LOT.
The combat is also pretty problematic. Most weapons you acquire are either useless or really situational, and I used only 4 or 5 of them to beat the entire game. Every time I got a new weapon I was like "Pretty cool, now back to my green zipitty zap". I doesn't help that some enemies are a chore to deal with, and that last area was really annoying. Also, do not forget that by the end of the game, you are going to use the dash ability in battle a lot, so prepare to deal with misinputs.
The story is... actually, I didn't pay attention to the story, like at all. Most of it is told in some pretty boring cutscenes that are hard to pay attention to when they interrupt gameplay so abruptly. I still have no idea of what the Breach is supposed to be. Maybe if it was told with enviromental storytelling instead of cutscenes and some journals I could be more invested, but we will never know. But some story moments are pretty good, specially THAT moment.
Even so, I honestly still had a good time playing it, it still is a good game that deserves to be played by more metroidvania fans, and I hope the sequel improves on it. I will play it eventually.
The exploration is great... sometimes. Although it has some really good shortcuts, the exploration in this game is pretty lacking in comparison to other games. I'm an exploration type of guy, I always check every single corner when I'm playing a game, but with this game, I just wasn't that invested on it. Most secrets are really easy to find, but I never found them all because I simply did not care about finding them.
The movement abilities are mostly good, but some of them just feel like glorified keys, and I personally think that abilities in metroidvanias should work not just to unlock new areas, but also to improve the overall gameplay by changing how you approach new situations, that's the reason why wall jump, double jump, and dash are so common in these types of games, Because they are useful at all times, not just when you need to unlock a new path. The only movement ability in Axiom Verge that made me feel that way was the late game dash, but it is a nightmare to use because you need to press the directional button twice to use it; this generates two issues: 1- You need to stop your movement before dashing, which is annoying and leave you open to attacks; and 2- You can easily use it by mistake when you're just trying to walk, and be prepared, because you are going to do it A LOT.
The combat is also pretty problematic. Most weapons you acquire are either useless or really situational, and I used only 4 or 5 of them to beat the entire game. Every time I got a new weapon I was like "Pretty cool, now back to my green zipitty zap". I doesn't help that some enemies are a chore to deal with, and that last area was really annoying. Also, do not forget that by the end of the game, you are going to use the dash ability in battle a lot, so prepare to deal with misinputs.
The story is... actually, I didn't pay attention to the story, like at all. Most of it is told in some pretty boring cutscenes that are hard to pay attention to when they interrupt gameplay so abruptly. I still have no idea of what the Breach is supposed to be. Maybe if it was told with enviromental storytelling instead of cutscenes and some journals I could be more invested, but we will never know. But some story moments are pretty good, specially THAT moment.
Even so, I honestly still had a good time playing it, it still is a good game that deserves to be played by more metroidvania fans, and I hope the sequel improves on it. I will play it eventually.