Axiom Verge

It's been many years and this game and its soundtrack still live rent free in my head. I'll hear a song or random electronic noise that reminds me of the game and instantly feel nostalgic. It's a really fun game that keeps you questioning everything you know about the in-game world. It also has a lot of extremely difficult optional puzzles / hidden areas which add to the game's aura of mystery. 10/10!

a metroidvania that came out 10 years ago before the genre blew up in indie game sphere feels more unique and fresh than most of the similar games that since been coming out, crazy.

Story, visuals and music are all amazing. Gameplay is pretty sharp and on point, but can be a bit dull at times. Some of the bosses are annoying bullet-sponges. There are some old metroid-isms that can get rather annoying quickly. Also, there's a lot of cryptic BS, some which unlocks the cooler weapons and power-ups; you might need a guide for that, I sure did.
Overall, it's a very worthwhile experience for veterans of the genre. Wouldn't really recommend it to someone that hasn't played a Metroid game before.

I give it a "maybe". This game is not for everyone, especially if you are used to modern metroidvanias that mix Soulslike gameplay with lighter metroidvania exploration (and a lot of QoL).

This game definitely draws inspiration from earlier metroidvanias. If you are aiming for a completionist run, prepare plenty of paper so you can note and map out your discoveries, or follow a walkthrough. There are no tools to help you seek what you might have missed, and exploration is very slow, with limited quick travel methods.

But if you are simply on the lookout for a unique world to explore, it is a very unique game, with an amazing soundtrack. Just enjoy and do not worry about missing out a few upgrades or weapons!

Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Axiom Verge is a respectable entry to the Metroidvania genre, feeling
close to the vibe of some of the older 2D Metroid games. Overall, it does many things right,
creates an intriguing atmosphere through it's soundtrack, artstyle and story,
but does have some rough edges along the way.
Pro's:
- simple but catchy soundtrack that definitely adds to the vibe
- awesome pixelart at times, especially regarding backdrops and certain characters
- uniqe set of gadgets to use
- variety of weapons that allow different approaches to any situation
- interesting story to keep you motivated
- many things to discover off the beaten path
Neutral:
- This is a metroidvania thing, so it depends on how you react to it personally,
but I did get lost ~3 times along the way, not knowing where to go next to progress the story.
There are no "quest-markers" and no reminders, which makes discovering something feel
more rewarding, but also causes you to backtrack aimlessly quite a bit every now and then.
Thankfully the map shows quite nicely where there are still unexplored areas, and you'll most likely find some optional upgrades along the way.
Con's:
- Some enemies and bosses feel like it is impossible to avoid damage,
so straight-up trying to kill them before your health runs out is probably your best bet.
I'd like to be able to gain an advantage through my movement, possibly even
beating bosses without loosing health, but I honestly don't feel it's possible for some of the bosses.
Some enemies jump-attack you out of nowhere without indicators to their hiding-spots. (at least on your first try)
Other enemies tend to slow you down - laser crawlers and steam/sand creatures. Either you wait for them to pass, which tends to be annoying especially when backtracking, or you'll have to accept some damage trying to force past them.
- Finding a health upgrade-piece just to need ~4 more of the same to actually gain any effects is not a fun mechanic in my oppinion. It just spreads out the process and feels unsatisfying.
- There are some secret levels that are apparently procedurally generated. While this could be a nice idea to add to the replayability of the game, these levels felt kind of off. They were mostly a mixture of existing rooms, just with very glitchy visuals. These levels sometimes looked so broken, I couldn't even figure out which tiles you can walk on, or which tiles do damage to you. Also, once, I couldn't even exit the secret level and had to quit to the main menu to get out. That should really not happen in a game.
- there is a dash mechanic that works by pressing the trigger into the desired direction twice.
On my XBox Wireless controller, that was kind of hard to do, especially when dashing diagonally.
On the other hand I would often dash when I did not intend to.
So yeah, some rough edges here and there, but If you like the genre and are ok with some hickups,
I would still recommend this game as it had entertained me well for about 11hours.

Very solid game. I can see this being a divisive Metroidvania, because it's designed to be much, much more of a Metroid game than the standard more mixed, balanced formula. I enjoyed this, but I grew up on Matroid, spending hundreds and hundreds of hours in Metroid 2 alone, so it may not be to everyone's taste.
There's a wide variety of different weapons here, consistent upgrades, some very well-hidden secrets--many of which I actually felt really joyed to find, I felt accomplished actually having the intuition to seek some of these out... but it can be tough. I've beaten the game with a near 90% completion for map and items, and I'm missing several of the main health and weapon upgrades and at least one weapon... this last I found, but it seems to be sealed away beyond my ability to get to, and seeing as how I have all of the traversal abilities unlocked I can only assume it's either accessed from somewhere else on the map I haven't discovered yet or through some other means.
That aside, the difficulty can be pretty tough from time to time, but as you get upgrades and find a weapon you can get used to, it starts to click. Some of the enemies can be ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, some of the weapons are more fun than they are useful, and the lack of a late game quick travel is more slightly annoying than actually troublesome; most of what I wanted it for was late-stage item hunting, but it is what it is.
That said, the game has a wealth of interesting lore, a very odd high-concept world with strange entities and narrative twists and turns really related to the environment and your existence in it. There's also a whole hoard of interesting ideas implemented in the game, as well; odd 'glitches' as part of your movement and exploration, as well as your combat, diegetic death and rebirth, and a note and password system you should NOT ignore to get the most out of the game.
I can recommend this easily, and I'm extremely excited to play 2 when I can, but don't take the association with Metroid lightly. This is a very distinct Metroidvania with much, much more of the Metroid in the mix and if you aren't a fan of those core concepts, you might struggle to find value here for yourself.

I’m 10 years too late, but this is a great game and it still holds up. Gameplay is similar to Metroid, with some cool different gimmicks. My favorite part was the soundtrack, though!