The face on the cover always caught my attention and I finally tried playing it. It starts very solid and the game surely is super impressive seeing it's made by only 1 person. Sadly it has flaws, which didn't hold up the game as much as I hoped it would.

My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
+ Gameplay;
The upgrades are very unique and work pretty well. There are a lot of different weapon upgrades, but some don't really feel useful and others are just way stronger than the rest. The layout is good, in a way that you never get really lost and always find a way to progress. Sadly the last part to the final boss is a pain in the ass. For me it felt like the difficulty suddenly spiked in an unfair way. The boss fights all felt the same with minor changes.

+ Music;
Memorable and unique. All music really fit the atmosphere of the game.

++ Graphics;
Visually extremely impressive. The pixelart is beautiful and unique.

+- Story/Characters;
The story is fine and to the point. If you want to dive deeper you can read the documents you collect.

Recommend?
Not if it's your first Metroidvania. If not, try it for sure! Took me 9h+ to complete the main story and collected everything I could find on my own.

Waiter! One Metroidvania, hold the "-vania" please!

I should really like this game. I think I just had the misfortune of playing the worst possible version of it.

First, the good: the visuals and spritework are amazing overall, and the soundtrack is absolutely killer. If you weren't looking that closely, you could easily mistake this for a Metroid game on GBA, which is pretty cool! And the fact that most collectibles are completely unique weapon types or in-game lore drops is a great change - no more "bomb inventory +5" bullshit here, instead you get rewards like LIGHTNING GUN. And with the password system and secret areas, there seems to be a lot here for people who connect with this game. Cool ideas in a cool world with some cool atmosphere.

Second, the bad: a modern Metroidvania without any kind of fast travel is just poor design, sorry. I never had fun while backtracking to try and find the next objective since that often required me to trek back across the entire map. Combat is also hampered by the lock button not allowing you to move while aiming, making shooting diagonally while evading nigh impossible. And just like in Metroid, vertical platforming through combat areas just sucks, as does pixel hunting for destroyable blocks that have no visual indication that they should be investigated. I know it wouldn't really be a Metroid successor without that, but that's the kind of thing that kills the completionist in me.

And third, the PS Vita: four gameplay actions (two of them major functions) are relegated to pseudo-buttons on the touch screen that require you to take your fingers off of the movement or combat controls in order to use them. I should not have to tell you that this is awful, but the fake buttons are also visible on screen at all times - and yet, the area of input for each is so small and precise that you will never press that bomb button under duress without stopping to focus on doing so. In addition, for some reason, the game would just completely freeze up for almost a whole second fairly frequently, with the most freezes happening in Edin. This game will also lag and drop frames on Vita, if you can believe it. Several times, I thought the game was about to crash on me, especially when a freeze happened after a lag spike when the music stopped looping but failed to start back up again. And for whatever reason, the PS Vita's thumb stick liked to accidentally activate the "double tap a direction to evade" ability, which is truly a heinous input mapping for a game like this.

I dunno fam, I really wanted to like this one. Kind of bummed out that I didn't care much for it by the end.

It is absolutely amazing to me when games such as this were made by one person. Thomas Happ did an excellent job with creating a well crafted world and a very solid Metroidvania. The love he has for the original Metroid oozes out of every detail from the visuals, music, gameplay, world building, atmosphere, and feel. While it’s obvious where Metroid is the biggest inspiration it does plenty to differentiate its self from not only Metroid but all other Metroidvania. The movement is very different due to your drone and different dashing abilities. There are many different guns that can make you play different ways. However while all 20 or so guns are fun to use, I only found 5 worth using in terms of functionality.

While the game is well put together there are many Metroidvanias are just simply better or more fun but Axiom Verge has a leg up on other Metroidvanias on one specific area, the story.

The story is not an all time great by any means but it is one of the very best I can remember a Metroidvania producing. The best way I could describe it is it is like a creepier space version mix of the Matrix and Inception. I won’t go any further than that because of spoilers but it is definitely worth your time and will make you think once the credits roll. Just make sure to either get or YouTube the full true ending.

My main negative about this game is how long it takes to really get interesting. I will admit it I tried to play this a year ago and quit after 30 minutes because I wasn’t having much fun. I now regret putting it down and I promise it gets much better as you go.

This game ended up being a very pleasant surprise and I’m very excited to begin playing Axiom Verge 2!

contrary to popular belief, this game is not that bad. a lot of the exploration is fun and rewarding, the music is pretty kickass, and the plot is surprisingly engaging. the game itself was a really solid experience, however, that does not mean it's perfect.

the controls are pretty awkward as doing diagonal attacks and teleporting can be extremely botherwise. the lock feature helps with the diagonal attacks , but the problem was trying to achieve the diagonal shots in the first place. the bosses range from good to bad, with the worst being a boss that is pathetically easy and visually boring (teleport behind it and then unleash your wrath upon it.) the game itself didn't offer much in the visual department either, as many of the environments were roughly the same except snowy or deserted. there was variation here and there but they were nothing to write home about. a lot of the game does feel a bit underdeveloped in terms of level design and enemy placement, as i often died from bullshit placement and overall annoying enemies.

one of the best things i can comment on is the plot. the plot is surprisingly nuanced and dynamic, as it poses various philosophical questions on whether or not people can be redeemed, if the death of others is worth the happiness of another, and more. i found myself shocked by how well written the dialogue was at times, and i even snuck a few peeks at the notes.

the worst thing about the game would probably be the ending. the game abruptly ends with a lukewarm boss fight and an anti-climatic cutscene which only acts as sequel bait. for as well made as the rest of the game was, i was expecting the climax to be something powerful, but yet i was left thoroughly disappointed. just when you think there's still more to uncover, the game just abruptly ends.


it's time for the sequel i guess.

Honestly, going into it cautiously due to the reviews here, this far exceeded my expectations. It's very fun to play and explore, and I really dig its aesthetic, though I could imagine it isn't everyone's cup of tea. While clearly inspired by Metroid, it felt like its own thing. I was also consistently surprised and engaged by the power-ups it gave me to progress. In the sequel, maybe something akin to the X-Ray Scope or even Power Bomb to look for secrets more easily would be welcome, since this game seems to inherit the "bomb every wall" philosophy of Metroid's extras.

Its world is very intriguing and I am considering 100%ing it to get the full lore. It reminds me of the way games like Metroid Prime, Bioshock, and Doom 2016 allow you to gain more insight into their backstory if you choose to get the respective extras.

I would recommend it not just if you like Metroidvanias, but especially if you like Metroid. I am a big Metroid fan, and I imagine Axiom Verge's similarities to that series played a part in me liking it so much.

It is absolutely amazing to me when games such as this were made by one person. Thomas Happ did an excellent job with creating a well crafted world and a very solid Metroidvania. The love he has for the original Metroid oozes out of every detail from the visuals, music, gameplay, world building, atmosphere, and feel. While it’s obvious where Metroid is the biggest inspiration it does plenty to differentiate its self from not only Metroid but all other Metroidvania. The movement is very different due to your drone and different dashing abilities. There are many different guns that can make you play different ways. However while all 20 or so guns are fun to use, I only found 5 worth using in terms of functionality.

While the game is well put together there are many Metroidvanias that are just simply better or more fun but Axiom Verge has a leg up on other Metroidvanias on one specific area, the story.

The story is not an all time great by any means but it is one of the very best I can remember a Metroidvania producing. The best way I could describe it is it is like a creepier space version mix of the Matrix and Inception. I won’t go any further than that because of spoilers but it is definitely worth your time and will make you think once the credits roll. Just make sure to either get or YouTube the full true ending.

My main negative about this game is how long it takes to really get interesting. I will admit it I tried to play this a year ago and quit after 30 minutes because I wasn’t having much fun. I now regret putting it down and I promise it gets much better as you go.

This game ended up being a very pleasant surprise and I’m very excited to begin playing Axiom Verge 2!

Pros:
+ Extremely innovative and interesting metroidvania with an engaging story, lore and focus on philosophical themes
+ Tens of cool weapons to obtain and almost every one of them is useful in different situations
+ Fascinatingly unique abilities, upgrades
+ Amazing art and character designs
+ Graphics pop really well on handhelds like the Switch
+ Really good music for the most part, even listenable outside of the game which isn't always a given in metroidvanias (check out Cellular Skies if you're unsure)
+ Fun to speedrun
+ Sets up an infinitely entertaining storyline that I can't wait to see completed

Cons:
- For such a fascinating and deeply layered game, its ending and final boss is a bit of a letdown. Not spoiling anything, but the main character is seemingly given an option to choose his ending or at least affect it in some way, but then it's not carried through. In general, the ending feels just a tad bit unfinished even though the rest is phenomenal
- Secret Worlds should maybe be just a bit easier to find
- A few tracks can get a bit jarring when repeated, like Inexorable
- Music also doesn't properly loop around, the tracks just abruptly end and start back up from the beginning again without any mixing which can break immersion
- Some bosses are great, while others are easy button-mashers if you know the exact place where to stand
- Fast travel can be a bit of a pain and is improved upon greatly in the sequel
- Some weapons and abilities feel a bit clunky to use with the aim lock controls

My veins are filled with pulsing techno beats
accentuated by alien forms
threatening and helpful - it's hard to know
which is which at times. Impressive unique
upgrades that vary from the genre norm,
like tentacles or teleporting drone,
make backtracking for secrets fresh and fun.
One complaint - despite my bulletstorm,
takes too long to down even normal foes.
But did that stop me from having my fun?
Hell no.

fantastic aesthetics and music. the gameplay veers between solid or passable to irritating on a moment to moment basis with little in between. i don't think a ton of this is any specific fault of the game itself versus it just not being my thing. (except for the grapple and teleport/dodge controls, those were rancid.)

i think i'm gonna need titles along these lines to have more modern QOL features for me to fully get into them. a fast travel system (beyond the middle area that branches off to the rest) could've went a long way. i know the revisiting old areas to find new stuff is the point but when you're in the end game and trying to just wrap up some last minute exploration or whatever it really drags. especially with the enemies all over the place.

will be keeping an eye out for the sequel. there's definitely room for it to grow on me.

rly cool stuff ! definitely better at channeling the Unknowable Alien Semi-Lovecraftian vibes in the actual play then in the writing...i didnt have much patience for the way the protagonist's Normal Dude-ness was expressed thru early 2010s type quips tho at least those phase out. and rly the whole thing is carried v well by not only the atmosphere and map design, but also the fact that this is one of the only indie metroidvanias ive played where i had Genuinely No Idea what kind of abilities i was gonna unlock...rly rly admirable for that alone, the sense of discovery thats so important to this genre is harder to achieve when yr following super metroid So Closely as a template. bangin tunes, and rly awesome boss fights too, even with an unaccommodating difficulty spike in the ending stretch. i genuinely treasure every moment i can in these games where i have no idea where to go, thats what video games are all about

This is a neat metroidvania that is surprisingly only made by one person. I found the exploration to be fun, but I wish the movement was a little faster as it can feel like a slog to get around sometimes. There were also a few points where it got rather confusing what was a platform and what was just decoration, but it didn't hinder my experience that much. I enjoyed the enemy variety and how unique they were, even if a few were annoying to fight. The big assortment of guns is also cool, but I would've greatly preferred more unique upgrades instead. Speaking of guns, they (along with some optional upgrades) were usually hidden in great spots, but there is a good amount of them that I feel were really cryptic, which can be frustrating for a metroidvania. Despite the many flaws, I did enjoy most of my time with this game, and I'm interesting in trying the recently released sequel down the line, which I'm hoping solves some of my problems with this game.

This was a perfectly fine metroidvania game. Some really good music and good level design, but I felt like most of it was trying to imitate something else instead of being its own thing. Still, I had fun.

There's also, like, no reason to have that many weapons in a metroidvania.

(BacklogBeat’s Game Club - March 2021 Nomination)

Axiom Verge is a really cool game. It's got some really great visuals and game mechanics. However, with every good aspect probably comes one piece of clunky game design. I do have mixed feelings on Axiom Verge as a whole, but I still believe it's a unique sci-fi game worth checking out.

Gameplay:
Axiom Verge is your average 2D Metroidvania. If you've played Metroid, this game should feel very familiar. You gotta platform around a huge map collecting items to upgrade your arsenal. Standard stuff. However, where Axiom Verge still finds ways to set itself apart. Axiom Verge has a host of weapons to collect. You find a few by just progressing through the story, put a lot are hidden away and optional. I didn't really find much use in most of the optional weapons, but a few I found were almost necessary for defeating certain bosses. Most enemies move way, WAY too fast for anything but the shotgun type of weapon to be useful anyway. It did get quite frustrating to just be stuck with one type of weapon, especially in the late-game. The game also gives you a drill to work with as a weapon though it is mostly used for mining walls. I thought the drill mechanic was a pretty awesome edition.

Besides weapons, you can also collect many other items in Axiom Verge. There's a few optional items to collect that effect gameplay, which I thought was neat, even if they're not particularly useful. There's also some notes to collect containing extra lore. The game also has the obligatory health upgrades, as well as weapon damage upgrades, range upgrades, and bullet size upgrades. There's a ton scattered throughout the world but good luck keeping track of which ones you have. Axiom Verge has a map reminiscent of Super Metroid's, though unlike that game, it does not at all show where collectibles have been found. Going for completion is an absolute nightmare in Axiom Verge and I gave up on it.

Axiom Verge's collectable woes are certainly not at all helped by the game's rather poor map design. Backtracking feels like a total slog in Axiom Verge. The map could have really used some shortcuts to discover that would make navigation a lot less tedious. It does have some sort of fast travel since via a biome in the middle of the map with this weird thing that flies you around but it hardly helps to solve the issue. Axiom Verge also does an awful job at giving the player any sort of direction. I had to use a walkthrough countless times on my first playthrough to get anywhere. The map is so huge with so many branching paths that the frequent lack of direction makes figuring out where to go near impossible sometimes.

Axiom Verge's most unique mechanic is what I call the "glitch mechanic", but is officially called the address disruptor/address bomb. The game makes visual glitches an actual mechanic and it's really cool. The address disruptor (and bomb) can be used on glitchy looking materials to bring platforms into existence or open new pathways. It can also be used to "glitch" enemies, though it often has weird effects and I find it more of a detriment than a help. Along the same lines, you can collect different coats that allow you to "glitch" through walls. It's pretty cool overall and definitely something I've never seen before.

The boss battles are pretty alright over all. The first two bosses are fairly easy with the third making for a great challenge. The fourth is... uh... bad. It took me forever to figure out how to beat it since its only weak point is on its back, and when I did, taking it down was a pain. It has way too much health and doesn't understand personal space. The giant bee boss has a similar issue, being an absolute pain without the use of a certain optional weapon. For the last two bosses, I just got fed up and backtracked to collect all the health upgrades. Even with all of them it was still rough, which I suppose isn't a bad thing but it does say a lot about how annoying the game can get with its combat.

Story:
Axiom Verge has an... interesting story. I've played the game twice now and I'm still not sure I get it, and frankly, I don't want to. The game really thrives in its surreal sci-fi vibe and the strange story absolute helps.

Axiom Verge follows Trace, a scientist who was in a horrible accident in lab. He then suddenly wakes up in a strange world, guided by massive war machines called Resulka. The Resulka are friendly towards Trace for the most part and seeing their rather monotone personalities bounce off Trace, a confused but normal dude, makes for pretty compelling dialogue I think. They send and help Trace on a mission to take down an evil version of himself named Athetos who is attracting a deadly force to the world. I'm not sure how much more I could explain confidently but that's basically the premise. I'm not sure if I really love the story with how vague it is but it's certainly good enough, and like I said before, it works for the game.

Sound & Visuals:
Axiom Verge's sound design is very hit or miss. For starters, the music is super awesome for the most part. It's got this great, action-packed, sci-fi sound. However, this is where I have to mention the audio mixing. The music can be LOUD, and I mean LOUD. It's a little ridiculous. Luckily there is an option to adjust it in the main menu though. The enemy sounds also have really inconsistent volume. Sometimes it's good and other times they scream in your ear. I really like the sounds themselves though. The audio design is superb if you ignore the mixing problems. It really sells the sci-fi atmosphere.

Speaking of sci-fi atmosphere, I'd say the visuals are the real selling point of Axiom Verge. The artwork in the game is remarkable. The environment design feels so abstract and surreal. The character and enemy design is really solid. The visuals can be downright breathtaking at times. It's honestly some of my favorite sci-fi imagery ever.

Conclusion:
Axiom Verge has a lot of problems, but its good parts are nothing to sneeze at. The game offers some really unique mechanics, stellar visuals, and a pretty great soundtrack. I think it's a must-see for Metroidvania fans, or even just fans of sci-fi in general. It was a cool experience that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.