This review contains spoilers
It's upsetting to me that barely anyone is talking about this game, because it's honestly quite great. I think this game represents a design philosophy that is unfortunately dying.
What do I mean? Well, look at the three biggest Metroidvanias: Symphony of the Night, Super Metroid, and Hollow Knight. When you fight a boss in each of these games, it's very simple: Hit the boss and don't get hit. There are some exceptions in each game, and this isn't a bad design, but it can be tiring when each game, despite how different they are, aim to accomplish the same thing. Iconoclasts is different, because of how puzzle oriented the game is. Not only are there environmental puzzles, but the bosses are also puzzles. This game might just have the best bosses I've seen in any game, because they push the mechanics to their absolute limit and make you think.
As a result, there are some uncharacteristic elements of a Metroidvania here. One is that there are very little powerups in. Along with your base moveset, you get 2 extra guns and an electricity mechanic. That's it. You also get optional upgrades called twinks made of simple crafting materials. You can only equip 3, and I wish there were a few more, but the ones that are here are pretty useful. I think this scaled-back design works because, once again, each mechanic is used to great potential.
Now, you may be wondering, 'Hey DeltaWDunn, if there's so few upgrades, what motivates you to explore?' Well, that's the thing: There's not much exploration. This is actually a pretty linear game, and while you can backtrack to collect some tweak parts, You'll usually be going to brand new locations. It's hard to even call it a Metroidvania because of that; It's more of an interconnected puzzle-platformer. However, I urge you to not skip this game purely because of its linearity. Some of the greatest games ever made are linear, and linearity has its strengths, such as letting the story shine, and... Oh boy.
(This paragraph and the next is a spoiler) The story of this game is unexpectedly great, and I love almost all of the characters. The exception is the protagonist Robin because she's the stock silent protagonist. Other than her, every character is pretty good. My favorite is Royal, who is clearly good-natured, but is somewhat Narcissistic and brainwashed. The story focuses on environmentalism and religion, and different characters focus on different elements of this. Spoilers coming up, because I have to discuss an incredible moment in the game.
So, Royal kind of dooms the world to ruin by freeing some eye monsters. However, he and Robin go to the moon to get Royal's god to help. Unfortunately, the deity doesn't, and Royal is left broken. He has doomed the world, and the god he so admired did nothing to help, and left him injured. The moon is going to explode. You pick up Royal and head to the escape pod. However, the door, which is activated by sensors, won't open because the sensor is hanging from a wire to the side. you realized that there's no way to progress without leaving Royal with the sensor. You search for another way, but there is no other way. What makes this moment so impactful is because you choose to leave Royal there, and you choose to keep going. This moment broke me, because all the growth Royal experienced was gone. This was one of the best moments in the game.
Visually and Musically, this game is great. It's not particularly unique, except for certain motifs and color choices, but it is good nonetheless.
So you're probably wondering what's wrong with the game. Well, while the boss fights are excellent, the normal enemies are mixed. Some are good, and some are tedious. Obviously, that's something very common to be spotty and still contribute to a good end product, but I think that just shows how great everything else is. If the moment-to-moment combat was better, the game would have potential for at least a 9/10. There's also this one section in the game where you're exploring a tower with two elevators, which was made tedious by the other elevator not moving to the floor you're on. It's annoying. I know people hate that one stealth section, but it was pretty easy and short so I didn't care.
Overall, Iconoclasts is a well-designed game that challenges you to think with both its story and combat. I highly recommend it.
What do I mean? Well, look at the three biggest Metroidvanias: Symphony of the Night, Super Metroid, and Hollow Knight. When you fight a boss in each of these games, it's very simple: Hit the boss and don't get hit. There are some exceptions in each game, and this isn't a bad design, but it can be tiring when each game, despite how different they are, aim to accomplish the same thing. Iconoclasts is different, because of how puzzle oriented the game is. Not only are there environmental puzzles, but the bosses are also puzzles. This game might just have the best bosses I've seen in any game, because they push the mechanics to their absolute limit and make you think.
As a result, there are some uncharacteristic elements of a Metroidvania here. One is that there are very little powerups in. Along with your base moveset, you get 2 extra guns and an electricity mechanic. That's it. You also get optional upgrades called twinks made of simple crafting materials. You can only equip 3, and I wish there were a few more, but the ones that are here are pretty useful. I think this scaled-back design works because, once again, each mechanic is used to great potential.
Now, you may be wondering, 'Hey DeltaWDunn, if there's so few upgrades, what motivates you to explore?' Well, that's the thing: There's not much exploration. This is actually a pretty linear game, and while you can backtrack to collect some tweak parts, You'll usually be going to brand new locations. It's hard to even call it a Metroidvania because of that; It's more of an interconnected puzzle-platformer. However, I urge you to not skip this game purely because of its linearity. Some of the greatest games ever made are linear, and linearity has its strengths, such as letting the story shine, and... Oh boy.
(This paragraph and the next is a spoiler) The story of this game is unexpectedly great, and I love almost all of the characters. The exception is the protagonist Robin because she's the stock silent protagonist. Other than her, every character is pretty good. My favorite is Royal, who is clearly good-natured, but is somewhat Narcissistic and brainwashed. The story focuses on environmentalism and religion, and different characters focus on different elements of this. Spoilers coming up, because I have to discuss an incredible moment in the game.
So, Royal kind of dooms the world to ruin by freeing some eye monsters. However, he and Robin go to the moon to get Royal's god to help. Unfortunately, the deity doesn't, and Royal is left broken. He has doomed the world, and the god he so admired did nothing to help, and left him injured. The moon is going to explode. You pick up Royal and head to the escape pod. However, the door, which is activated by sensors, won't open because the sensor is hanging from a wire to the side. you realized that there's no way to progress without leaving Royal with the sensor. You search for another way, but there is no other way. What makes this moment so impactful is because you choose to leave Royal there, and you choose to keep going. This moment broke me, because all the growth Royal experienced was gone. This was one of the best moments in the game.
Visually and Musically, this game is great. It's not particularly unique, except for certain motifs and color choices, but it is good nonetheless.
So you're probably wondering what's wrong with the game. Well, while the boss fights are excellent, the normal enemies are mixed. Some are good, and some are tedious. Obviously, that's something very common to be spotty and still contribute to a good end product, but I think that just shows how great everything else is. If the moment-to-moment combat was better, the game would have potential for at least a 9/10. There's also this one section in the game where you're exploring a tower with two elevators, which was made tedious by the other elevator not moving to the floor you're on. It's annoying. I know people hate that one stealth section, but it was pretty easy and short so I didn't care.
Overall, Iconoclasts is a well-designed game that challenges you to think with both its story and combat. I highly recommend it.