Axiom Verge isn’t just a game in the Metroidvania style, it is a Metroid game. Firstly, the art nails the Metroid look almost better than Nintendo. I bet if you photoshopped Samus onto a screen shot of this game it would not be difficult to convince a lot of people it was a new Metroid game. Beyond the art style though, the game feels like Metroid. It’s solidly built with perfect controls that make it feel great.
The gameplay really goes back to Super Metroid and does it justice. During this short demo I kept finding more and more abilities that all had a function in exploration and combat. There are going to be a lot of abilities in the final game and to keep the pace going there are two different buttons, one for the main weapon and one for a side weapon. This, and the ability to quickly switch between weapons without pausing the game and dealing with menus, will make sure the combat is fast and fun. The weapons themselves are novel as well and look to have multiple different uses. I got a more powerful blaster that allowed me to remotely detonate its shot so that far off switches could be activated.
It all comes back to exploration and in this demo there was backtracking with the new itmes and finding secrets galor. The level branched out and looped back on itself in a very intriguing manner as well. It was a great time and easily one of the best games I played at the show. It really was just pure fun.
There has been a Metroidvania craze in the indie scene in recent years but the only one I’ve seen nail the Metroid look and feel is Axiom Verge. Fans of this style of game will have a real treat on their hands when it releases early next year for PS4 and Vita, with at PC release to come later.
