Post by bramblett05 on Apr 23, 2016 23:17:54 GMT
Metroid has been and always will be the go to action game because it has something that few others didn't at the time. Style, lots of items to earn and a progress system that changed the way that genre was and Castlevania SOTN improved on it and so Metroidvania was born. While people craved a new Metroid game, Nintendo has yet to step up and now one man has decided to fill that void and when I say one I mean ONE PERSON. Axiom Verge was the name and people took noticed so how does it fair on the Vita after it feels like forever to get to play it? Short answer epic and the long answer: epic with new flaws that may or may not hinder the experience but more on that later. First just soak up the amazing soundtrack that would make anyone stop in their shoes and want to boot up the game.
Story is you are Trace a scientist that had a bad accident and got caught in an explosion and ended up on an alien world so it sucks to be Trace. The nods to Metroid kick in as you instantly get your first item and the music just kicks in to overdrive never stopping and always fitting in to whatever the situation is. The levels even in 8-bit are very well detailed and huge with many rooms even a few secret ones in the walls. If you crave exploration in game, this game has it in spades and then some as you can get lost for hours and finally find out knowing what to do and it ends up something like break a well placed rock in the wall or a floor to drop down into. This game will test your mind and memory more so than any Metroid game ever could and fitting to do so. The guns come in all flavors like a shotgun, beam or the regular style like Metroid had and all are pretty much useful throught the game. Some you get from bosses and others you will have to find deep within the worlds but end up worth it like the flamethrower.
The fun doesn't stop there as you can hack enemies which ends up a good or bad thing depending on the enemy as also platforms and wall barriers to hack to continue on in the game. One part that amazed me was riding the alien head as that world was the fast travel section connecting all the hub worlds and will be your friend though it only stops twice and not three was weird but hey FAST TRAVEL. Now come the frustrations: Vita version suffers from screen freeze ups badly in one world and when it continues the fun slowly drops. Getting lost will happen alot and even a small hint would have been helpful not hand holding wise but more a kick in the butt kinda guide asking for help doesn't really work for this game. lastly slowdown though only one section containing an item that was secret. The enemy turns into a batch of smaller enemies and made the game run so slow I thought it would crash which I had happen once.
That were my issues with the title and while they are there I mean this game was made by one person alone so it's understandable. Graphics did take a drop with the added flair of enemy deaths and glitching through walls but doesn't ruin the experience at all and the added touchscreen was pretty easy to get use to. The game shines on the music and the overall scenery that even if you seen it a dozen times, it still amazing to see. The game will soon be on Nintendo consoles and Xbox (if not already) and everyone needs to get this because THIS is how you do a Metroidvania game and yes there is percise jumping which is very much needed in the genre that the past few other titles failed to put in. From the start up to the end this is a marvel to see just be ready to see a few issues as well.
Score 8.8 Out Of 10
+ Metroidvania at its best
Guns and powerups galore
That cute little alien you get to help you out
Huge hub worlds
- Freezing, slowdown and crashing will happen so save often and alot