Axiom Verge

Axiom Verge is a wonderful metroidvania, perhaps one of the finest in it's genre. While there might be better ones out there, Axiom Verge is the closest to replicating the terror and atmosphere of the original Metroid series.
And for that, it gets a MASTAH PEAS in my book.

Well, I give it a modest recommendation. I found the gameplay a bit dull, but A.V. is trying to capture the feeling of the nintendo classics. I did not find the challenge too hard or too easy, and there were a lot of findable upgrades to keep me interested. One super nice feature was how each boss had multiple strategies, including a cheese-move that let guys like me advance.
The game worked great on an old ubuntu desktop with radeon mesa drivers and two xbox-type gamepads. The game takes 160MBs of diskspace, and it uses a Mono-type game engine. I would recommend anyone still on the fence to wait on a big sale, since I feel the full price is a lot for a game that is not real accessible. (86% of owners got the achievement for the first boss, but only 56% got the one for the third boss.)

Axiom Verge is a game I CONSTANTLY recommend, and have bought multiple times to gift to friends. It is a HIGHLY WORTHY spiritual successor to Super Metroid, and I say that as someone who considers Super Metroid as her favorite game of all time. If you like Metroid / Metroidvanias at all, don't hesitate. Axiom Verge is wonderful.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Axiom Verge. Its not just a metroidvania in game play and formula, but a direct love letter to the genre. Hands down, its the closest thing to Metroid I have ever seen that wasn't actually a part of that franchise and it takes that obvious inspiration while somehow still maintaining a unique identity.
The atmosphere is amazing, illustrating a massive alien planet while maintaining a sense of bleak loneliness in a dying world. And it keeps that tension high through the whole experience while still having a small cast of characters to interact with. Their presence keeps the story compelling but by no means cut through the feeling of being alone and stranded. If anything, they exacerbate it by being unrelatable and eerily inhuman.
The graphics and sound are top notch, the mechanics are fluid and fun, exploration is interesting and rewarding and the story is amazing (especially for how few words its conveyed in). The ending is satisfying but the narrative is open enough to allow for thought, and I love all the potential explanations as to what is really going on in Axiom Verge. Its creepy, interesting and compelling.
Its a highly polished, modernized love letter to the original NES era Metroid, and its really impressive that this entire project was brought to life by one person.

I adore this game! Some people play it for five minutes and dismiss it as a Metroid clone, but I promise it really isn't. Obviously it's Metroid inspired, as all metroidvania games are (and also the retro pixel art yada yada), but dismissing it as a clone ignores all of the good things this game has to offer. There are certain obstacles that lead you to think you'll be getting a roll or a double jump later on to clear them, but instead you get a completely unexpected ability. Every time I unlocked something or found a secret it felt super rewarding and got me really excited to find more! The environments are super atmospheric and look amazing. The soundtrack for the game is equally amazing, and helps support the atmosphere even more. It was super hard to stop playing for the night, and I honestly wish there was more. Idk I'm not very good at forming cohesive thoughts, so here's a quick list of good things about this game:
- the map is HUGE
- the robot ladies look so cool
- holy moly so many weapons
- holy moly so many mobility options
- holy moly so many upgrades
- tons of secrets and hidden abilities
- secret worlds are so cool
-designs for bosses, enemies, weapons, and environments were well made and also COOL
- the map helps completionists know when they've collected everything

It wouldn't be a fair review without criticizing the game a lil, so here's a list of cons:
- lore is a bit confusing but is good once you figure everything out
- I wish there was more environmental storytelling instead of just reading stuff out of tablets (there is some environmental stuff tho)
- there is no quick way of crossing the map unless you're very experienced and know what you're doing.
- the grapple is CLUNKY and I hate the first area where it is introduced. It does gets easier as you figure it out though.
- I wish my character moved faster but whatever
- bosses could be a tad bit harder- especially towards the end
In conclusion, game is fun please give it a try

Axiom Verge? More like, I'm on the Axiom Verge of giving this game a glowing recommendation that's what. I haven't said 'this game kicks ass' in a decent amount of time prior to exploring this incredible, grotesque underworld.
A solid 9/10. If I have anything against this game, its that one stupid song with the autotuned vocal track. If I can turn off the vocal track, then maybe... just maybe...
I'm only half-kidding. I was definitely INTO this game, and I can see myself coming back to comb down more of its secrets. It may be a bit blatant with its Super Metroid inspiration compared to... say, Hollow Knight, but damn this was a great time. Loved the abilities you get and the pacing was on-point. Secrets were pretty good too. Check this one out for sure.

-Personal Opinion, take with a grain of salt-
Overall love this game. It's a bit short, you can expect about 10-12 hrs if you're not speedrunning it and trying to explore as much as possible, but it's a ton of fun. It's a Metroidvania that leans much more on the Metroid side.
Pros:
-Good story and storytelling, with parts of the plot hidden as collectables
-Excellent sense of progression and the necessary backtracking does not feel tedious (YMVM, I actually enjoy backtracking to find things I couldn't get before)
-Fun combat if you like the Contra style controls, with lots of different weapons
-Great soundtrack
-Creative upgrades, doesn't feel like it borrows too much from the games that inspired it
-The art is fantastic, I really liked most of the character designs and environments
Cons:
-As with the old Metroid games, there are hidden passages and collectables that will sometimes just look like an ordinary block. If you don't like smashing your face against every wall, then you might not enjoy that aspect.
-While the variety of weapons is fantastic, you do get a lot of them and sometimes in quick succession. Doesn't necessarily leave much room for each weapon to shine. You'll probably end up taking a liking to a select few of them and ignoring the rest. On the plus side, this does leave room for many different styles and preferences.
-The controls are usually pretty tight, but there's one movement upgrade (won't spoil it) that relies on double tapping a direction. It can feel a bit clunky and non-responsive when you're trying to combine it with just moving regularly.