Reviews from

in the past


different
than the first
yet remains

compelling
in its own
special way

i slingshot
past haters
like a drone

This review contains spoilers

There is something wrong with the world of Axiom Verge 2.

I'm not referring to any malevolent force within the game. In fact, there really isn't one. Sure, about halfway through a villain will start interfering, but this game is surprisingly... relaxed compared to a lot of Metroidvanias.

No, what's wrong is just that everything feels a bit... off. The first Axiom Verge is a phenomenal example of plunging you into an alien world, utterly unrecognizable from our own world. Nothing about the environment, the native species, the characters, or anything feels like Earth. The protagonist, Trace, a scientist from Earth, is the only grounding element to be able to follow along with what's happening at all.

In this second game, despite not taking place on Earth, all the environments are distinctly Earth-like. There are other human characters this time around, there are structures clearly built by the human researchers who inhabit this place, and there are even familiar vehicles like trucks and helicopters. At certain moments, you'll forget you're supposed to be in some bizarre alternate dimension.

Though you play as a human in this game, a CEO named Indra, it is you who will feel like the alien in this world. Because the world doesn't feel like it was designed for you. This is going to be complicated to explain, because I mean that last statement in both good in bad ways.

Unlike the first game, which revolved around shooter combat, this one is mainly interested in melee combat. And yet, the game weirdly doesn't seem suited to it. The most common enemy, the tiny drone, runs completely underneath your basic swing, requiring a crouch attack. Swing speed is so slow they can usually get a cheap hit or two in as well.

Tougher enemies aren't much better in this regard, as they aren't knocked back very easily and sport attacks that are almost impossible to dodge within the typical combat range. While you do have an additional ranged option in form of the boomerang, it's pretty slow and still doesn't have particularly impressive reach, especially when it comes to flying enemies.

The choice to revolve this game around close range combat isn't inherently bad, but the execution is bizarre. I wasn't necessarily dying constantly, but I was still taking damage a lot in ways that felt beyond my control. I couldn't help but feel like every single enemy I faced would be a much more manageable and fair challenge if instead of the melee weapons or the boomerang, I had Trace's gun and its staggering multitude of attack modes. Instead, I often resorted to cheesing combat by sending out my drone to deal with foes. But more on that later.

I'm not here to claim that the clunky combat of this game is somehow good, but it's strange how aware the game felt about how little Indra's combat fit into the world. Indeed, Indra feels strangely... out of place in Axiom Verge 2. Early obstacles like grates appear, surely teasing the fairly early teleport powerup from the first game. Certain spaces begin glitching in ways that could surely only be resolved by the signature Address Disruptor... right?

You do not get the ability to teleport in this game. In fact, the grates are the last possible obstacle to bypass through an ability that lets you turn into a cloud of nanomachines. The Address Disruptor also does not make an appearance, and the glitches in the environment are there moreso as a hint system for a completely different powerup to begin with.

Similarly, on a narrative level, Indra could not be any more different from Trace. Trace was a pretty typical everyman, and was written to ask pretty much all the questions you, the player, might have about the world you've been thrown into. It was pretty clear what was going through his head at every moment.

Indra, on the other hand, isn't as curious about the world. Though she's not devoid of questions about the world, almost all of her conversations are based on things the characters know, but you don't. And no one will stop to explain. Indra has a backstory, and to an extent a knowledge about what's going on in the world that you are not immediately keyed in to. And she has a motivation not immediately revealed to the player. Indra is as much a puzzle to you as the world and all of its strange history and secrets.

So much of this game exists in contrast to the original in a way that is fascinating. Where Axiom Verge 1 zigs, this game zags. That is, with one notable exception. Fairly early into the game, you'll find the one returning powerup from the first game: the Remote Drone. One of the first things you'll do with it is send it through a strange interdimensional portal. And once you cross this threshold, the wrongness begins to take hold.

Across the portal is an entire second world to explore, only accessible as the drone. This alternate dimension looks nothing like Earth. The visuals, the music, the enemies are all completely unlike the ones you've just been exploring. In a way that feels familiar. Though the drone still uses melee combat, this side of the game feels much closer to the experience of playing Axiom Verge 1, and yet it can never be explored as Indra. Only as the drone. Indra doesn't feel right... but the drone does.

And it's not just within this alternate dimension, known as the breach, that you'll be using the drone. You'll be using it to solve puzzles constantly in the main world as well. Not to mention, its faster movement and attack, along with its smaller hitbox makes combat much more manageable than as Indra. Indra begins to feel like the burden. The character you slug around so you can keep playing as the drone. So why is she even there?

This might seem like a criticism, but this feels... intentional, because of the way the game unfolds once this feeling begins creeping in. About midway through, the game's main ally tricks Indra and steals her body, trapping you within the Drone. You'll have recently unlocked the grappling hook powerup (something Indra could never access, even before this moment) so this hardly even feels like a downgrade. The drone has already become more capable of navigating the world than Indra.

And yet Indra, the character, doesn't want to be inside of this drone. Her goal from here on out is to get back to her original body. But you, as the player, are going to be having a lot of fun playing as the drone. You'll unlock tons of powerups during this phase of the game, such as a slingshot attack with the aforementioned grappling hook, hovering, and tons of powerups that improve navigating between the overworld and the Breach. The drone becomes more fun and versatile than Indra could ever hope to be.

It's during this section that the game really begins to feel... wrong. Why have I felt more at home navigating the alien world as the robot than as the human character who most of the initial mechanics centered around? I don't think it's a coincidence that it's during this phase of the game that the connections to the first game become clear.

Indeed, as you become more comfortable with the game, the world has become more familiar as well. It's not just a few reminiscent doorways anymore, familiar enemies, sights, and sounds begin to take hold. It becomes impossible to deny at this point. Somehow, some way, the world you've been navigating is connected to Sudra, the world of the first game. This strange, alien place is more of a comfort than the world that more closely resembles our own.

I'm going to be blunt here, I don't really understand the lore of these games with any sense of authority. I can only go off of my own experiences and what my own very limited understanding of the series' lore can reveal.

That being said, one of the most blatant themes the series has explored is knowledge and power at the cost of humanity. This can be seen in the first game, whose main antagonist is an evil version of Trace who became mad with power upon learning the secrets of the universe.

This theme continues through the second game. The people of this strange alien world were turned into sentient machines to fight a pointless war. Even a young child was forced into this process, with the thought that a child's mind would be more capable of controlling this technology.

This theme also applies with the player. Encountering familiar environments from the first game runs parallel to your increasing reliance on the drone. Your early time with the drone is when you'll first encounter vaguely familiar resemblances to Sudra within the Breach. Once you become trapped inside the drone, you travel to yet another alternate dimension that looks like Sudra was ripped straight out of the first game, albeit with a slightly higher resolution.

And then, late into the game, after being stuck inside of a drone for who knows how long, you finally gain the ability to transform back into a human - sort of. Even your new "human" form is now robotic, entirely composed of machinery. Now, rather than deploying the drone, you simply transform between Indra and the drone back and forth. The dynamic has flipped. Now you'll primarily be playing as the drone, only switching to Indra on the occasions when you need her abilities that the drone cannot access.

And it's during this portion of the game that you'll enter an area that will instantly throw you back to Axiom Verge 1. No longer are the familiar sights and sounds relegated to alternate dimensions. Now, even in the more familiar, Earth-like world, the alien architecture and devices of the first game have made their presence. And it's only now, even after several other visual callbacks to Axiom Verge 1, that you'll finally hear the familiar music of the first game.

This area is filled with a sense of unease. The world of the first game almost feels like it's infecting this one. Despite being a prequel to it, explaining how the technology and architecture of that game came to be, it feels wrong. Invasive. Like it's not supposed to be there. And yet, as you progress through this area, you'll learn about how all of this familiar technology from the first game came to be and what its original purpose was. The strangeness becomes natural, understandable. It's no longer alien.

But at the same time, another realization becomes clear. You've gotten so used to playing as the drone that you have to remind yourself you even still have a human form to change back into. Playing as this machine has become natural. It's a subtle sense of dread that I didn't even consciously realize it at first, but in hindsight, it became clear: I was no longer comfortable being human.

As mentioned earlier, it feels as though this world wasn't designed for you. In truth, it never was. The reason Trace, a human, was able to so easily navigate it, is because he was unique. Some entity known as a PatternMind, capable of manipulating the world to his will. He was special, he controlled the world, not the other way around.

Who is Indra, in comparison? She was one of the most powerful people on Earth, and yet here, wealth and status mean nothing. She was trying to swing an ice pick against alien robots beyond her understanding. It's only once she becomes irreversibly integrated with the technology of this world that she has any hope of truly navigating it.

Plenty of Metroidvanias give you tools that make you better capable of interacting with the world as you progress, but I've never seen a game start you at such a low point only to drastically increase your capabilities so much by the end. You're literally at your most capable of progressing through this world when you're not even the same character as the one you started as.

I'm not trying to defend the poor design of Indra. She is undeniably clunky to play as, even at the height of her abilities. Nor am I trying to treat that poor design as a work of genius. I can't exactly give this game a higher rating than I have precisely because there are several parts of this game I can't describe as "fun" in the traditional sense. That being said, I do still believe this contrast between Indra and the drone means something more than just the gameplay aspect of it.

The first trailer for this game begins with "You are not in control. You are not yourself. You belong to us now." It truly is the most accurate description of Indra's progression through this game. Indra, and indeed all the other humans in this game, are hopeless in trying to understand the full scope of what they're dealing with. Both the technology, and the alternate dimensions this series revolves around.

You, as a human, are insignificant to the scope of Axiom Verge. It is only as you slowly integrate yourself with technology you don't understand that you begin to see the wider truth. It is only as you become more machine than human that you begin to see into more and more of these other worlds.

The game ends with Indra accepting that she'll never truly be Indra again. She can never be with her daughter again. Not just because they are forever trapped in separate realities, but because Indra is no longer herself. That part of her died with her human body. She's someone else now. No longer is she an alien to this world, now she is part of it.

What I will give the biggest credit in Axiom Verge 2 are the bold aesthetic and game design decisions making up the whole structure of this game. This isn't a by the books retro-style metroidvania set in a grim alien world. Where the first game was Alien, this feels more like The Thing and Dune depending on the region. The game draws from refreshingly untapped cultural backgrounds manifesting in the world and music and overall feeling. But not only the aesthetic is unique, the gameplay also breaks major conventions - I mean, there are no bosses tied to progression or abilities at all and the game jumps between two dimensions constantly, mixing up the way you interact with the world.

The one major criticism I have is the combat. There is a variety of (mostly melee) weapons to get but the focus on melee combat doesn't pay off unfortunately, as the combat feels clunky and unresponsive. You constantly miss enemies because you have to crouch to hit most of them and the dynamic terrain with slopes and ledges makes getting an edge over enemies difficult because they constantly change elevation leading to frustrating button mashing.

The exploration is superb, constantly feeding you new abilities to get around obstacles. These abilities can be a straightforward grappling hook or more unique mechanics that offer plenty of room for experimentation as the game gets out of your way and doesn't hold your hand to figure stuff out, even if there are a lot of really helpful quality of life additions such as custom map markers and waypoints.

Ultimately, I like this sequel probably around as much as the first one, but surprisingly for different reasons. Their differences make it easy to recommend both of them equally and while many design decisions of the second one might and will alienate some people, I will always hold it in high regard if a game makes these bold decisions.

I gotta be honest with myself, this one was a really mixed bag. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the game itself, but everything else was not my cup of tea.

To get it out of the way first and foremost, I just did not enjoy the story in this one. It's so verbose, feeling like it's using full essays to explain one little detail. Aside from that, it's filled with names that sound completely alien, and it all sounds like convoluted sci-fi technobabble to me. I often find myself skimming over the fucking paragraphs of text the game dumps on you in collectibles. I'm sure it holds meaning in some degree (likely in relation to the first Axiom Verge), but I cannot be arsed to decipher this shit.

Thankfully, the exploration (and to a somewhat lesser extent, the gameplay) carries this game extremely well for me. The objective markers on your map were a welcome addition, but since I kinda stopped listening to the dialogue after a while, I was completely content to get lost with every single new powerup I grabbed. The two worlds and the multiple tools you use to swap between them are used in extremely fun and creative ways. Aside from the blurb of text describing items you pick up, the game basically leaves it up to the player to learn how to use them, which made every use feel gratifying.

When I say "to a lesser extent, the gameplay", I'm mostly referring to the combat. Your only options for combat in this game are a smattering of melee weapons and a boomerang, neither of which feel satisfying in the slightest. Enemies are so damn aggressive, it always feels like you're 1 or 2 hits away from death. There was a point about halfway through the game where I sincerely stopped fighting enemies and just ran past/through them. The game only has one real mandatory boss fight (the final one), and it was honestly too easy for its own good.

Overall, I enjoyed the exploration, but I couldn't be arsed to care about anything else in this game. I feel like I can still recommend it regardless, maybe this one just didn't click with me the way I hoped it would.

Not really my thing, seemed okay enough.


This game was a bit of a letdown, but I like the environments, particularly in Irikar
The weirdest and most perplexing part about the game is that it pretty much has only 1 mandatory boss, and it's only really an environmental puzzle that's easy to solve
The other bosses are just very large enemies, and while I enjoy breaking their weapons apart they're still pitifully easy, and there's no boss music either

There are some parts of this game that I really like, like the whole Breach mechanic and its Mesopotamian aesthetic, but the combat is pretty clunky and the developer decided to make basically every boss fight optional in the name of accessibility, and the only required bosses are basically unlosable. I'm someone who really values good boss fights in a game, so having the only ones here basically just be stronger normal enemies that drop 1-2 skill points when you beat them instead of unique encounters that serve as a barrier to getting a new upgrade kind of sucked. I'd still recommend it, but there are definitely better metroidvanias out there.

With a more exploration-focused design, I was having a blast in the first half of the game. However, as the game went on, the fact that the objective marker constantly misguides you (In the sense of 'hey you need to get here but the item you need is on the other side of the map') and the traversal becomes irritating with a very finicky grapple hook started to damper my feelings on the game. I enjoyed my time and it has some amazing visuals and music though!

Completed with 100% map exploration and item collection. A very solid 2D Metroid-like, Axiom Verge 2 builds impressively on the success of the first game with some really interesting new mechanics, used to good effect. As examples, perhaps the most widely trailed of these have been the secondary game world - "The Breach" - accessible via portals throughout the world and navigable by a player-controlled drone, and subverting enemies via hacking, providing various forms of assistance - in traversal, combat or otherwise. Both of these work very successfully throughout, providing an impressive level of depth - as do most of the other abilities, which I won't spoil here! The plot is also a strong point, developing in intiguing and unexpected ways, supported by a fairly large amount of background lore, through collectible notes and elsewhere in the environment.

I'd have preferred to see somewhat more variety in environments, which mostly centre around an Arctic setting in the main overworld and the alien-feeling Breach - but these are by no means a deal-breaker and are well-realised in detailed pixelart - and once again stunning is the soundtrack throughout. To think that the whole game was pretty much created by Tom Happ as a sole developer is frankly incredible - and once again I look forward to seeing where he goes in future.

I enjoyed, but wasn't entirely sold on Axiom Verge 1, and for very different reasons, that's where I land on 2 as well. The art was a constant treat, and the exploration was largely satisfying and interesting, with only one point where I felt truly stuck as to where to head next. In addition, I felt so much less of a need to run my weapons over every wall in order to discover hidden blocks, which was a huge frustration I had with 1. However, the story is chopped off frustratingly suddenly, and the weapons, and therefore combat as a whole, are far less interesting and varied here.

Love a good Metroidvania, and this one was free on PS Plus so thought id give it a go, and its pretty damn fun. Uncovering 100% map and all items was addictive as hell, probably more fun than the actual main game.

The story is weak though, I never really cared about what was happening, and all the lore stuff you find was just boring gibberish for the most part. Combat is ok, nothing special. Graphics are standard 8-bit retro style, its ok, definitely not anything too special. Level design is great, the way all the different stages and levels are interconnected is pure Metroid and is impressive. Also the way the overworld and breach world interconnect is clever, and a great feature that plays a big part in completing many of the puzzles.

The map is absolutely essential to the game, and is something you will be referring to like every 5 seconds. It could have been a lot better though and more user friendly. I wish I could have beat this game and 100% it without using a guide but its impossible. You can 100% without a guide (maybe) but it will take you 100 hours of running around blindly and backtracking, which is ridiculous. You have to use a guide, there's just no way around it. And I hate that. The map just needed to be more user friendly, the compass really doesn't help at all and is almost useless. This is the most frustrating part of the game, no doubt.

Its a good metroidvania and definitely a fun 10-15 hours game. But give me a good intuitive map and an easier way to 100% it without constantly referring to internet guides and reddit threads. And also a better story with decent characters. This goes from a 6 to an 8 or 9 easy.

My initial complaints about imprecise enemy interactions and general polish are still there, but if this isn't a masterclass metroidvania in LITERALLY every other way, then I don't know what is. Axiom Verge 2 has everything I desperately wish every other metroidvania did and more: Open-ended progression, a wealth of truly unique power-ups, interesting ways of altering enemies and the environment, a second world, and above all else, truly diabolical exploration that genuinely makes me think. This genre desperately needs more Axiom Verge 2s.

god damn it, dude. i'm a little upset. i think tom happ is an insanely talented developer - the art design, music, and pixel art is all top notch here, and are even bigger improvements over the original axiom verge (which is one of my favorite metroidvanias period). i was hyped for this game for months but it ended up staying on my backlog for two years since its so wildly different from AV - and not in a good way.

combat feels pretty terrible - or at the very least, a MASSIVE step down from AV. going from dozens of wacky weapons to really weak ones that incentivize hacking or just running past enemies means that all your interactions play out mostly the same way. this is made even worse with the breach/drone sections, where you don't have the option to hack so i ended up just damage boosting through as much as i could. also, there are only two required "bosses" that you can't even die to - the rest are just optional. i don't really get these choices, as i thought the boss design from AV was really damn good.

this might be a me thing, but constantly being thrown around the map with "go to x,y coordinates i'll mark it on your map" felt really terrible - especially when you had to bound back and forth between areas searching for the specific upgrade you needed to get there. of course, i wasn't expecting a linear experience at all, there were just a ton of points where i just felt completely lost.

it's a shame too, since outside of combat and shit the game's often MUCH better than AV in several aspects. just like the first game, traversal is awesome - zipping across the map in bug mode, going back and forth between the breach and the overworld, getting new upgrades like the breach attractor that makes shit even easier to navigate... not to mention that the story's not too bad either, even if it ends on a weird note (AV was the same way though so im not gonna fault it). plus i really like the aesthetic it went for - definitely sets it apart from most games i've played.

i ended up enjoying it, but not as much as i would have hoped. it's worth the money, just don't expect it to be a massive step up from AV.

Everything felt quite incongruous. I’d explore only to find dead ends then just randomly find myself in a different biome that didn’t gel with anything around it. The portals that pixelate the games also feel completely pointless. Where the previous game pastiched to the point I didn’t really feel the need for it, Axiom Verge 2 spins it’s wheels trying to be something new yet old.

Another very good game put out by Mr. Thomas Happ. After playing the original and this game back to back you can see how much knowledge Happ gained from one game to the next. Axiom Verge 2 flowed much better than Axiom Verge. The flow was so much better because the story pointed you the direction of where to go but not how to get there. In the original you would get an upgrade and just figure out where that upgrade can open up something new. This game also takes you on a grand tour around the world where as the original sometimes sends you back and forth all over the map.

Axiom Verge 2 had just enough callback and clues to the original. There is just enough to make you excited when you find something that links them but not so much that it is overly connecting just to show these universes are connected.

I had a strange feeling throughout this game though or maybe confusion would be a better word. The reason for this is the visuals, music, writing, game mechanics, and game flow are all better in this game than the original. In fact I can say that this for sure is better than the original as far as just a well made game. However I had more of a good time playing the original. At first I thought that maybe it was because the movement wasn’t as fast paced, there were way less weapons, the much easier difficulty or even because the bosses are better in Axiom Verge. While these 4 things are better in the original than Axiom Verge 2 I don’t think that is the reason. It hit me once the game was over. Axiom Verge was a love letter to the original Metroid while Axiom Verge 2 resembles Castlevania much more than Metroid. While I love Castlevania I prefer Metroid all day every day.

So while I give both games the same rating of (great game) 4 stars I think that Axiom Verge 2 is the better overall game. However if you prefer Metroid you will enjoy the original more and if you like Castlevania more this is the game for you.

Either way they are both very good games and I will be inpatiently waiting for Axiom Verge 3.

This is a sequel I was waiting awhile for, and it did not disappoint! The strange thing is, I have no doubt in my mind that this is a better game than the original. Better art style, map and exploration, story, etc.. but it isn’t as fun. Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast playing, and of course I 100% the game, but it doesn’t capture the feeling of the OG. In that game, it really felt like a love letter to old school Metroidvanias, from the sound design and art, to the enemies and so on.

The best part of the original was the huge selection of weapons that you got to mess around with, all of them being so fun and unique, and that isn’t here in Axiom Verge 2. You get two base weapons and each one has a few variants, but they are all very similar.

And while I enjoyed some of the upgrades and improvements in this game, such as you as the MC being tied to your drone rather than teleporting to it like in the original, I miss the movement and traversal of Axiom verge 1. There were some tough puzzles in that game if you wanted to 100% it, and while there are some fun “Aha” type puzzles in this game, none are very difficult, and a lot of them are completely void and null after you gain the mist ability.

All in all this is a great sequel, and Thomas Happ once again proves he understands the Metroidvania formula better than most! I love the world he has built and I really hope that it continues to grow in a third installment!

El primer Axiom Verge era Metroid: pasadizos interconectados recubiertos de ambientación alienígena. Pero dos años después, en 2017, ocurrió ese terremoto de nombre Breath of the Wild y, casualmente o no, Axiom Verge 2 (2021) vino a desprenderse en gran medida de sus cadenas metroidianas en pos de un diseño que favoreciese la sensación de mundo, de existir en un lugar. Abandonados quedan los pasadizos cerrados y divididos más videojueguiles de la primera entrega para ofrecer entornos más abiertos o espaciosos o intrincados, siempre relativos en diseño a su orografía y arquitectura. En lugar de abstracción alienígena, sitios concretos: ruinas, montañas, playa, asentamientos, lo que se quiera. Lugares más variopintos, no solo en ambientación sino en navegación, unidos como parte de un todo. El entorno ya no se divide por salas y la separación entre áreas no existe o no es tajante. El mapa es el mundo, y el mundo es un solo área heterogénea: al sur costa, al norte montaña, aquí un laboratorio y allá una fortaleza. Todavía predomina la estructura metroidvania, claro, pero la secuencia es más abierta, menos pasando de un área a otra y más moviéndonos a través de las distintas localizaciones de un lugar, sin tubos que hagan de puerta entre pantallas.

Igual que en Breath of the Wild, también, atravesamos un entorno habitado y custodiado por criaturas mecánicas de otro tiempo: máquinas centinela de toda clase en permanente funcionamiento, los restos tecnológicos de una civilización extinta defendiendo para siempre algo que ya no existe. Unas se camuflan y acechan, otras patrullan, otras simplemente esperan, están. La función para la que fueron programadas y que siguen cumpliendo ad eternum. Y estas criaturas, a efectos prácticos los enemigos, siguen la misma máxima de diseño que el entorno: sensación de lugar. No son obstáculos diseñados para ser despachados por tus armas (o no tanto), sino seres de un mundo, que existen en él. No están puestos ahí para tu satisfacción. El juego te da un bumerán (Zelda) y un pico (¿Minecraft?), no una pistola y una espada. Y cuando te topas con enemigos el enfrentamiento tiende a ser sucio, costoso, poco óptimo y como consecuencia, dios del buen diseño ten piedad, incómodo. Las sensaciones al combatir desde luego no son lo que uno espera de un videojuego de acción. De hecho, lo que uno buscará a menudo es evitar el enfrentamiento, pero claro, ahí es cuando toca preguntarse si acaso no va eso más acorde con el hecho de hallarse en un lugar desconocido custodiado por máquinas cuyo objetivo es eliminar toda forma de vida. Yo digo que sí, y que bravo por la decisión. Para muchos jugadores esta forma de abordar el combate supondrá un desconcierto, pero no para mí: no quiero sumergirme en un nuevo universo y que las reglas por las que se rija sean exactamente las mismas que las de los demás, estoy cansado de adentrarme en mundos y que todo se sienta y acontezca tal cual lo espero. Qué aburrido y anodino, qué desafilado y poco evocador. De los videojuegos quiero sabor, no anestesia. Y por eso los jefes son una queja común del juego mientras yo los veo un acierto: unas pocas criaturas mecánicas enormes sueltas por el mundo, vagando o escondidas o encerradas, igual que todas las demás. Sin melodía propia, sin patrones de ataque a memorizar, sin clímax. Sin siquiera la necesidad de hacerles frente como jugador. En otras palabras, no son jefes.

La sensación resultante de la suma de todas estas decisiones de diseño es que el mundo al que llegamos lleva mucho tiempo ahí, existiendo independientemente de nosotros, y que tiene una historia. Algo pasó en él. Nosotros somos los visitantes, los extraños, y así debe reflejarse también a nivel interactivo. Será menos divertido combatir, o se sentirá "raro", pero yo terminé la partida intrigado por muchas de las cosas que había visto, dándoles vueltas e intentando atar cabos. El juego todavía vive en mi cabeza.

Pero bueno, no significa esto que se haya dejado de lado el diseño más directo de la primera entrega. De hecho, la navegación más "arcadosa" del título original ha permanecido, solo que parcialmente. Como si Breath of the Wild no fuese suficiente, Axiom Verge 2 parece recurrir a A Link to the Past como fuente de inspiración, y es que resulta que el videojuego tiene no uno, sino dos mundos. Claro, la trama del primer Axiom Verge tenía que ver con universos paralelos y brechas entre mundos y de algún modo viajar entre ellos, así que resulta hasta lógico que Axiom Verge 2 traslade el concepto al apartado jugable. Pues nada, he aquí un mapa paralelo a la A Link to the Past, a cachos coincidente y divergente con el principal, que atravesaremos para llegar a lugares fuera de nuestro alcance físico. Moviéndonos entre una y otra dimensión a través de brechas varias, buscando desde qué punto concreto de un sitio deberemos acceder a su contraparte para poder alcanzar un nuevo objetivo, exprimimos la geografía de tal forma que acabamos dándonos cuenta: tal vez sea esta la evolución más lograda de aquel Dark World de 1991. Toda una segunda capa jugable para dar complejidad a la navegación del mundo. Con otra estética, desde otro punto de vista y a través de una orografía más estrecha con un planteamiento más arcadoso. En efecto, el rastro del primer Axiom Verge. De diseño y planteamiento distintos a los del mapa principal y, sin embargo, coherente, pues el viaje entre dimensiones debe percibirse también a los mandos. Cambio de mundo, cambio de cuerpo. Para quienes echasen de menos esa navegación más directa y esa acción más limpia.

Con todo pintado así de bonito, peores llegan las malas noticias: la navegación se viene abajo progresivamente. Aunque me guste la dirección que ha tomado esta segunda entrega, debo reconocer que el resultado es irregular. Al cabo de unas horas de partida, ya con mejoras adquiridas, más vida y nuevas armas, la tensión y el cuidado al avanzar empiezan a desaparecer. Obtenemos la ventaja en la distancia respecto a los enemigos, los aguantamos sin problemas y aniquilamos más fácil y rápidamente. Esto, sumado a la nula penalización por muerte, la abundancia de puntos de salvado (que usamos para curarnos) y la posibilidad de viajar entre ellos, banaliza la navegación. A partir de la mitad del juego, más o menos, recorrer el mapa se vuelve tarea casi insustancial. Ir de un sitio a otro queda en poco más que mero trámite, salvedad del empleo de brechas para viajar entre mundos. Al final, ese entorno incómodo y extraño se vuelve cómodo y familiar, como el de un metroidvania cualquiera. Así, el deterioro de la navegación y la suma de otros pequeños detalles, entre ellos el permanecer tan aguerrido a la fórmula metroidvania, lastran parcialmente un título muy elogiable que, pese a todo, encuentro mucho más interesante y esperanzador de cara al futuro que su primera parte. Eso si Tom (el autor) no se amedrenta tras la recepción negativa de una parte importante de quienes están jugando su título, sobre todo fans de la primera entrega. De haber tercer videojuego, Axiom Verge o no, estoy seguro de que será aún mejor. Este señor ha mejorado mucho.

Worse than the first in every way

This game was good but no where near as good as the first one. So that's kind of a bummer. It took a long time before it felt like I was making any real progress. It had a few things you had to unlock with ability points but that wasn't made clear and a few of the abilities you gain are only used like once or twice so they felt meaningless... might has well have been collecting colored keys. It had a lot of secrets to uncover and that was fun and the art was nice. The sound was weird though. The sound effects were way to loud. Had to adjust them down to the lowest setting just so my speakers would bust.

What if we got a new Axiom Verge except it was only like Axiom Verge in theming and lore and the rest is a more traditional metroidvania? BOOM Axiom Verge 2. This is a game for fans of Axiom Verge's lore and overall story. If you liked Axiom Verge for the plethora of weapons or the main character then this one isn't for you.

What we have here is a game rich in exploration not only of it's interesting and varied map but also in its fascinating lore and worldbuilding. The game is absolutely focused on exploration to the point where the only weapon you really get is a pickaxe you use to climb that can also be swung around. Every ability you get is a new and diverse way to explore the map in ways that aren't so painfully obvious. The game is a bit more linear than some other metroidvanias because of the focus on story but not detrimentally so and it does still reward you (with more lore entries mostly) for exploring every corner of the map.

There are two other HUGE gameplay changes that make Axiom Verge 2 it's own game and more than a typical metroidvania but they're intrinsically tied to big story moments. One thing changes your perspective and forces you to appreciate and play in a new way. The other drastically changes how you engage with and traverse the map. They're both implemented excellently and really help Axiom Verge 2 shine as its own thing.

So yeah it's a game like Axiom Verge but also so different in a good way. If you liked the lore of the first game you'll love this game. It's way more interesting and changes the context of some things from Axiom Verge 1. Really, for me, as much as I liked Axiom Verge 1, I feel like the sequel improves on the first in every possible way.

It's an easy recommend the less expectations you may have of the first game. Fortunately you can experience this game without playing the first but there are moments that hit harder with knowledge of that game. I'm personally excited to go back to the first game now with this game in mind. Excellent game!

Although I appreciate the different approach this game took to almost everything (from exploration to acquisition of items to lack of mandatory bosses until the end for the most part), this game just didn't gel with me like the first one did.

I really liked the first one a lot and I think the overall direction this took just wasn't quite what I'm looking for in a Metroidvania. It's...fine? I'd elaborate more on design choice thoughts, but I just don't want to spend more time on a game that left me feeling underwhelmed. It does its job, there's enough content to warrant its price point, and that's about all I'm going to say.

If you're on the fence about it, get it on sale. You could do worse, you could do better.

Axiom Verge 2 is a stark contrast to Axiom Verge 1. The horrific Metroid 1 inspired caves haven given way to a far more open natural world reminiscent of Super Metroid. Axiom Verge 2 further diverges from its predacessor with a brand new set of upgrades, even ones which seemingly overlap, like the drone, quickly change into something brand new. The new dual worlds mechanic is probably the best integration of it seen in these types of games with there being a steady stream of new ways to travel between both worlds. The new ledge only grappling hook is also a lot more fluid then the very stiff one featured in the first game. Not all these change are positive: the new hacking mechanic is very simple and limited compared to the glitch gun and the new graphics look nice but ultimately feature pretty bland environments compared to the first game. If Axiom Verge 1 was a version of Metroid 1 for modern gamers then Axiom Verge 2 is something new, something different, and something stranger.

I had played the first game years ago and liked it, but at first I wasn't really vibing with this because it was so different and weird. Still I kept playing and while in the end the combat still wasn't quite good, it made up for it with a pretty good soundtrack, a cool mesopotamic-inspired setting and interesting exploration (even tho if I had to look up a walkthrough multiple times because I had missed some power-up)

I loved the first game. It had a really unique atmosphere which made me believe I was in an alien environment. This one is different, but unfortunately in a bad way. Music, enemies etc. are not what I hoped to be. So I couldn't finish it even though I wanted to.

This is definitely not something I was expecting, having beat the first Axiom Verge, I kinda thought the second would be a sequel or even a prequel, but no it's pretty much its own game.

That being said...this game is really good, if I had compare it off the bat, Axiom Verge (the first game) was pretty much like Metroid, it had shooting, exploration, and a kind of sci-fi/alien/mech vibe to it, but ran closer to alien.

Axiom Verge 2 kinda feels closer to a Metroid game, but mixed in with a slight Ninja Gaiden or Strider feel, because your character has a melee weapon instead of a gun, and that REALLY changes the tone of the game at the start if you played the first. It still has the same type of setting through Axiom Verge 2 kinda has a more broken future tone, with more mechs than an alien feel to it.

Definitely not a bad thing at all, the graphics seem about the same, this game definitely has more items and is a much bigger world, but I think where the game shines the most is oddly it's music, the music is absolutely amazing, it doesn't go for the chiptune feel, it goes for a more electronic ambience vibe that you'd have to play to hear and experience.

Otherwise the gameplay still focuses on exploring the map, finding items and paths to progress, taking different forms to explore where you once couldn't, things every Metroidvania has done in the past.

I do think where the game falls flat at is the story, while the first game's story was good, I honestly couldn't care less about this one, I thought originally it was because it didn't connect to the first game, but as I kept playing; I realized it just wasn't interesting story wise but everything else easily keeps you going.

Definitely a really good Metroidvania game, and a worthy successor to the first game, I don't think either game is better honestly, they both should be played.


I honestly don't remember the first game very well, so I can't directly compare the sequel to the first game too much. I'm pretty sure the first game felt more like a Metroid game with the main weapon being a projectile, while the second game has more of a focus on melee combat. In Axiom Verge 2, I liked the story and the fast travel system. I wish the map (the menu, not the level design) was better. There's only one color for manual map marking and the zoom levels aren't great. I think having more save points would have been made it more convenient to get around. I kind of wish items were marked on the map automatically like in Metroid, but this game makes the player mark all items by themselves manually. If you happen to walk by an item and not notice it initially, it's a pain in the butt when you're trying to backtrack to get all of the items. All in all, this was a fun game.

Took out a lot of what I enjoyed about the first game and made it into a generic metroidvania. Not bad just disappointing.

It was an okay time but a solid Metroidvania for what it is.

No me gusto, muy chuminga la pocha, el 1 esta muchisimo mejor y es tremendo juegazo.... pero este no me gusto