Odallus: The Dark Call

A really fun throwback type game that merges elements of Classicvania and Metroidvania; levels are largely linear, but all have hidden secrets off the beaten path, many of which are crucial upgrades that fundamentally change how your character plays. You wind up revisiting levels later on after you get some movement options, and the power curve was pretty much perfect; my character was noticeably more resilient by the game's end, and the game knew it too, because it ramps up in challenge significantly in the final few levels. Like the Classicvanias of old, levels are more about positioning and timing than overtly difficult enemy encounters. While your character moves much faster than the Belmonts used to, it's still important to take in your surroundings and consider when to perform certain actions.
Meanwhile, the presentation is excellent. The few pixel cut scenes look fantastic, with really detailed and expressive character models. In game it's like a slightly upgraded NES title, with consistently great looking pixel art across the board, especially when it comes to the design of the bosses. The music is no slouch either. It's not a super expansive sound track, but what's here stands proudly alongside the many iconic chip tunes of the past.
The game is moderately challenging for most of its run time, but as I mentioned before, it ramps up pretty significantly in the last couple levels, and I found the final boss to be an overall satisfying if somewhat bruatl challenge; if you can learn boss patterns quickly, you can take down most foes in not much time at all. By the end I felt that the game was fair but on the harder side.
Overall this is just a really fun game that manages to modernize the Classicvania format. It won't win over people that don't care for the "clunkier" titles in the legendary franchise, but I really enjoyed how it provided a compact and satisfying challenge, and the medeival horror vibes and great presentation are the cherry on top.

Really great game. Reminds me of the Adventures of Link, if they went with a dark fantasy setting. The last boss is hard. I would def consider this a dad game. Pop it on your deck and play it between feeding your lil gremlin.

Odallus: The Dark Call is a 2D Retro Action Platformer inspired by games like Castlevania and Ghosts n' Gouls. The game is about a warrior named Haggis who sets out on a mission to find his lost son.
There are multiple stages with many secrets and upgrades to find, including stronger weapons, armors and gear. There are many platforming sections inside each stage that will test your skills and quick reactions.
The retro OST is a big highlight even though this game was released in 2015.
The boss fights can be challenging if you don't remember the patterns and you can be overwhelmed quickly if not careful.
This is a really recommended 2D Action platformer for the fans of the genre especially if you're into retro graphics. It's a really solid and very underrated game that didn't get much attention when it released back in 2015.
Overall Rating 10/10

This game brought about so many Nes era memories. Where back in the 90s you'd go to Toys R Us and pick out the game with the coolest box art, not knowing if it was going to be absolutely terrible or amazing.

This ended up being one of the amazing ones.

Fken amazing. Excelent dificulty curve, heavy atmosphere and delicious gameplay. Amazing mix of classic inspirations. 100% and recomend it!
Jogaço do carilho. Excelente curva de dificuldade, atmosfera pesada e jogabilidade delícia. Magnífica mistura de inspirações classicas. Zerei com 100% e recomendo demais!

It's a great game if you like/stand the super retro graphics.
The gameplay is fun and the boss fights are amazing.
There are also plenty of secrets to find.

CONS
There's a bit too much backtracking.

Basically makes me think of Castlevania III but as a metroidvania. It's not a perfect description, but it gets you pretty close. The difficulty curve is a bit odd, starting off damned hard, getting better as you collect power ups, getting really hard again at various points, before evening out towards the end again. There are some other things I could probably nitpick, but overall it's a solid game.