After finishing Octopath 2 recently I was in the mood for a significantly shorter game. I struggled to decide on something to play, actually finding myself in a pretty big gaming slump for a few weeks, but I had heard good things about Infernax so I thought I decided to try it out.

Infernax is a throwback to earlier Castlevania games and Zelda 2, but with some modern-day improvements and a morality system of sorts. As the game's protagonist, Alcedor, you explore a 2D world while defeating enemies with your trusty mace, this game's version of Castlevania's whip/ Link's sword. An evil presence has been wreaking havoc on the world and it is up to you to destroy 6 crystals, which are guarded at the end of 6 castles by 6 bosses, to restore peace to the world. Along the journey you find new abilities that allow you to reach areas you could not reach previously. It felt very similar to the to the games that inspired it, but I guess that was kind of the point.

As you explore the game's world you defeat enemies with your mace, earning you XP and gold. XP can be used to increase Alcedor's weapon damage, health points, or magic points, and gold can be used to buy items from shops, such as additional lives, more health points, new armor (decreases damage taken), new weapons (all of which are maces - increases damage dealt), and new spells. You also gain additional XP and gold by completing side quests or by defeating bosses.

The game started out pretty challenging, with regular enemies often taking me out before I could get from one save point to the next. However, after getting the healing spell and a few health and weapon upgrades I found the difficulty was more or less completely negated, leaving the game feeling far too easy. Regular enemies could then be downed in just a few hits and rarely caused any real problems (minus the few times they were placed in cheap locations). After the first two castles I was able to get through most of the remaining castles and their bosses on my first attempt.

The game's world wasn't terribly large, but it was enjoyable enough to explore. On the path to the next objective there were different paths to check out, though going the wrong way generally led roadblocks that required a certain skill or ability to overcome. Directions on where to go next were usually pretty obtuse, but thankfully the game's map made it fairly easy to deduce which areas had yet to be explored. There were a few instances where I had to look to a guide to determine where I was supposed to be going, which I hate doing, but it didn't happen too often.

While exploring the world there were NPCs to talk to, oftentimes providing a side quest to complete. A lot of these side quests had moral decisions to make, having to choose between one of two outcomes (for example, sparing or killing an infected person). This morality system was part of why I chose to play this game, but ultimately, I found it underwhelming. If I planned on playing through Infernax multiple times maybe I would have got more out of the system, but most decisions left little to no impact on me and I had no interest in seeing what the alternate outcome would have been. The ending I got upon felling the final boss was also lackluster, likely due to the moral choices I made throughout my adventure, which further detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game.

Infernax did a fairly good job of paying homage to the genre classics that inspired it, but ultimately, I left feeling a bit disappointed. While initially a decent challenge, the introduction of upgrades and new abilities destroyed the game's difficulty and greatly diminished my level of enjoyment. The morality system was underwhelming and the ending I received was incredibly lackluster. Despite its flaws, I still had a good time playing through Infernax and I would recommend it for fans of retro-platformers in the same vein as earlier Castlevania's or Zelda 2.

Bom jogo, bem difícil e bem interessante. Apesar da óbvia influência de Castlevanias clássicos, esse jogo puxa muito mais para Zelda 2 (o que me disseram que o Castlevania 2 em específico também faz) do que para os Classicvanias mais famosos. Muitos elementos, como a maneira que você upa seus atributos e uso de magias, até mesmo as animações de ataque, são extremamente parecidas com Zelda 2.

O jogo é difícil e punitivo, mas justo até certo ponto. Com todos aqueles elementos que você esperaria das inspirações dele, como plataformer com buracos que te matam, knockback, posicionamento de inimigos bem agressivo, projéteis voando, normalmente uma morte significa voltar do último save perdendo todo o progresso. A melhor notícia aqui é que o jogo oferece várias opções para facilitar a experiência, desde um modo menos punitivo a até mesmo só tornar seu personagem invencível. Opções muito bem vindas porque com certeza não é todo mundo que curte a experiência que esse tipo de level design propõe.

Infernax ainda trás óbvios motivos para rejogar, você tem uma série de opções morais pelo jogo e várias dicas de como jogar com outros personagens, além de um modo para 2 jogadores que pode ser jogado solo alternando personagens. Dessa vez, eu vou parar por aqui mas me vejo voltando para ele no futuro.

Um bom jogo. Recomendo mesmo para quem não curte Castlevania clássico. Tem bastante pra divertir aqui e as opções de acessibilidade garantem que qualquer um possa aproveitar a experiência de seu próprio jeito.

I didn't like Infernax the first time I've played it. It was still on Game Pass. My Xbox console was fairly new. I opened it, and found it (a) very 8 bit looking, which is a style I don't have fond memories of, as I was born in the 16 bit age, (b) punishing, (c) I really didn't care for the game.

Almost a couple of years later, I give Infernax another shot. The game instantly hooks me. I liked the upgrade system. I liked the sidequesting. The 2D dungeons in this game are amazing.

I recommend it.

I like challenging retro platformers a lot, and I tend to replay ones I've fallen for frequently. Infernax hits me right where I live. Like "Hollow Knight", it wears its retro Metroidvania influences on its sleeves. Unlike "Hollow Knight", Infernax isn't a 60 hour marathon to the end, but instead packs a retro game length paired with its difficulty. Like "Shovel Knight", Infernax augments its short main campaign by packing the game full of reasons to return to it. Unlike "Shovel Knight", these 'other things' aren't extra campaigns and modes, but new ways to replay this one, with several endings to find, and new playable characters to uncover. In this tale of three indie knights, Infernax stands above the rest, when it comes to crafting a game you'll be unable to put down until you've squeezed every last bit of nectar from it. Frankly, it's a masterpiece, and any fan of retro platformers and metroidvanias owes it to themselves to play this game. And replay it, several times.

Correct castlevania. In short, the game is not very big and plays on old school moments. In fact, about horrors - they are not as frightening as the developers warn, but the images of demons (especially bosses) are quite coolly drawn. The game itself is quite smooth both in terms of mechanics, but also in difficulty.

Правильная кастлвания. Если не так коротко, то игра не очень большая и играет на олдскульных моментах. Про ужасы на самом деле - они не столь пугают, как разработчики предупреждают, но образы демонов (особенно боссов) достаточно круто нарисованы. Сама игра достаточно гладкая и в плане механик, но и в сложности.

"What If Castlevania 2 was a good game", the answer to this question is Infernax.

The game has the classic NES style, both it's graphics or difficulty.

The controls are good, excellent soundtrack and a fun Adventure. The bosses are always diferent, but way too easy.

(The only bad side of this game are the 2 out of 5 castles, wont spoil anything other than that).