Feudal Alloy

Feudal Alloy is a fun, small- to medium-sized metroidvania with nice graphics, an irrelevant story line, mostly good controls, hard-to-understand upgrades, and an interesting checkpointing system.

+ good-looking game
+ nice design of areas - graphical and structural
+ interesting checkpoint system
+ soft-spot: upward and downward slashing
0 souls-lite
0 HUD going for looks rather than info
0 upgrades (skills & items) are too vague
- single savegame slot
- some attacks seem hard to reliably execute
- inventory has strange size and is not convenient
- pet peeve: rare unexplained damage-on-contact
- pet peeve: skills cannot be disabled

The story delivers some motivation at the very beginning of the game and is not touched on again until the very end.

You find the occasional checkpoint which can be activated to effectively select it as the active respawn point - you appear here if you die. (Activating a checkpoint also heals you.) However and unusually, it does not save your state. Any item you consume or drop will not come back on death. On the plus side, anything collected will not vanish on death - including items, money and experience. I like that. It makes me recklessly run into challenge rooms because even if I die I end up with more money and level progression.

The inventory has 90 slots. There are less than 120 different things in the game - some stackable consumables and mostly equipment. Why not allow all of them in the inventory?
There is also no easy way to filter or sort the inventory, or compare things in the inventory to equipped things. Sorting can be done by dropping things and picking them up in the wanted order. Comparing equipment is done by equipping - the cursor shows the "stats" for the selected equipment in the inventory, equipping it will usually put the previously equipped item under the cursor.

Is it souls-lite? Arguably. Almost all situations can be learned and damage avoided, and learning does not take long.

Pet peeves and soft spot

Pet peeve: Some enemies can deal unreasoned contact damage, i.e. they are not doing anything and have nothing like, e.g., spikes.
Pet peeve: Once a skill is bought it cannot be disabled.
Soft spot: I was delighted to find the game has "Zelda 2"-like upward and downward slashing.


Upgrading is not supported by numbers and the effects are hard to judge. There is a skill tree and equipment comes with stats. (There are also some progression rewards that may add combat options in addition to their metroidvania aspect.)
Apart from the starting gear, equipment (weapon and armor) come with two features where a feature is composed of a type and (presumably) strength, e.g., "Damage *", "Damage **", "Armor *". An item may have two features of the same type.
But "Damage **" is not double the damage of "Damage *". An early upgrade to more damage feels almost inconsequential, i.e. the first enemy requires 3 hits before and after the upgrade. Although damage dealt will increase noticably eventually, this initial change is disheartening.
Similarly, skills have only vague descriptions indicating, e.g., melee damage will increase. There is even a "Parry" skill which I am convinced has no effect at all. It does not let you parry. Instead you need to get a reward called "Block" that lets you parry, independent of the skill.
Changes usually make themselves known when fighting harder enemies.

When falling, the camera may be unable to keep up. This can make your avatar needing to react to danger without the player seeing what is going on.

Altogether, I had fun with and recommend Feudal Alloy.

i actually loved this game and couldnt put it down till i beat it... be warned tho there is ton of wonk and a buncha jank. but i can see some thing special in this game... if they make another game kinda like this its gonna be great.... fingers crossed

A personal favourite of mine. The challenging gameplay plus the amazing visuals and music come together to create a nice gaming experience to remember. Hoping one day there will be a part 2!

5/10

I'm going to hesitantly give this game a thumbs up just because I feel like it was a lower budget title, and it was a half decent experience. The game isn't horrible by any standard, but its not really one that's gonna stick with you either. I'd say its very middle of the road. Even if you're a metroidvania enthusiast.

The game starts off painfully slow but does pick up once you start unlocking upgrades and finding powerups for the character. It offers a large assortment of cosmetics that also allows you to customize your stats, which I thought was handled well.

The game mechanics are pretty much what you'd expect from any metroidvania. You have upgraded abilities that you unlock as you progress like double jump and special attacks which later help you unlock areas that were previously inaccessible. And you collect scrap metal you can use to upgrade your attacks, defense and stamina which start to make the game a little more interesting.

The one negative I have to mention is the map however. It's laughably bad. You have no idea where you are specifically in the map, just the general area. It's incredibly vague and becomes very frustrating when trying to navigate to specific areas. Aside from a few of the bigger locked doors, there are no markers to show you sections you have encountered that are closed off but now accessible. An example would be electrical doors that you can start to unlock after you find a power up or yellow barricaded doors that need another special power up, but it is on you to remember the exact area they were in, in this large labyrinth of a maze. I think it's kinda a staple in these types of games that the map marks where they are located so you can easily retrace your steps and access them. They really dropped the ball with this style of game design.

If you're a metroidvania fan you might enjoy this game, but don't expect anything too immersive. If you're a causal gamer this might be a good pick up for the right price, as its more of a causal game with relatively simple combat.

Feudal Alloy, developed and published by Attu Games, is a hand-drawn action-adventure that merges the mechanical quirkiness of robots with the aesthetics and atmosphere of medieval fantasy. It’s a 2D metroidvania with a strong emphasis on exploration, light RPG progression, and stylish animation, centered around one of the strangest yet most endearing protagonists in recent indie memory—a humanoid robot powered by a goldfish swimming inside a glass dome. The game immediately sets a whimsical tone, drawing players into a world where rusting automata fight with swords, explore crumbling ruins, and battle for resources like oil instead of food or gold. It’s an imaginative setup that blends humor and melancholy, using absurdity as a lens to explore a decaying world that feels both mechanical and organic at the same time.
From the moment the player takes control of Attu, the goldfish-driven robot, it becomes clear that Feudal Alloy’s greatest strength lies in its presentation. The game’s visual design is entirely hand-drawn, with backgrounds and character animations that look as though they’ve leapt off the pages of a medieval manuscript illustrated by a modern artist. The pastel color palette, subtle shading, and fluid animation lend a painterly charm to every motion, from the way Attu swings his sword to the way the environment reacts to light and movement. The environments are a mixture of natural landscapes and mechanical ruins, filled with curious contraptions and overgrown relics. Despite being 2D, the layering of environmental art gives the world a sense of depth and life. The level of detail and craftsmanship in the animation gives each enemy and piece of machinery a distinct personality, turning what might have been a simple side-scrolling world into a visually rich experience.
The gameplay follows familiar metroidvania traditions, focusing on exploration and combat across an interconnected map. Attu begins with limited mobility and abilities but gradually acquires new skills and equipment that unlock previously inaccessible areas. The controls are responsive, and combat feels weighty, though it is intentionally slower and more deliberate than in most action-platformers. One of the game’s more original ideas is its temperature system—a form of stamina management that regulates how aggressively you can attack. As Attu fights, he overheats, and if his internal temperature rises too high, he must cool down before he can swing again. This system adds a layer of strategy, encouraging players to pace their attacks and think tactically rather than relying on button-mashing. Early in the game, it provides an interesting rhythm to combat, forcing a balance between offense and caution. However, as upgrades accumulate and cooling efficiency improves, the system loses some of its initial tension, becoming more of a background mechanic than a defining feature.
Combat itself is straightforward but enjoyable. Attu wields a sword as his primary weapon, with additional tools like bombs and ranged items available later in the game. Timing and positioning matter, as enemies often telegraph their attacks but can quickly overwhelm the player if underestimated. The enemy roster is imaginative but somewhat limited, with many foes being variations of the same basic types, reskinned or recolored for different areas. Boss battles appear periodically and are among the most memorable encounters in the game, featuring unique attack patterns that require patience and observation to overcome. Still, the lack of variety in regular combat and a somewhat repetitive enemy pool prevent the game from achieving the dynamic complexity of other metroidvanias. The level design reinforces this issue; while the interconnected world is large and filled with secrets, it can feel empty at times, with long stretches of traversal between meaningful encounters.
Exploration in Feudal Alloy is rewarding for players who enjoy discovering hidden paths and upgrades. The map unfolds gradually as new abilities are unlocked, including double jumps, dashes, and other enhancements that allow for greater mobility. Finding treasure chests, new weapons, and stat-boosting items is satisfying, even if some of these rewards feel minor in the grand scheme of progression. The game encourages backtracking by design, but the scarcity of fast-travel points can make this process tedious. The map layout occasionally becomes confusing, as rooms often look similar and the visual cues for progression are subtle. This lack of navigational clarity, combined with repetitive environments, sometimes slows the pace of exploration. Yet despite these frustrations, there’s a certain satisfaction in slowly uncovering the world’s secrets, much like piecing together the forgotten history of an abandoned civilization.
Narratively, Feudal Alloy is minimalist. The game opens with a simple premise: bandits attack Attu’s village and steal the oil supply needed for survival, prompting the protagonist to set off on a quest for recovery and justice. Beyond this setup, story elements are sparse, told mostly through brief cutscenes or environmental storytelling rather than dialogue. There are few NPCs and almost no exposition, which gives the world an air of quiet desolation. Some players might find this lack of narrative depth underwhelming, but others may appreciate the subtlety—it leaves room for interpretation and enhances the sense of loneliness and mystery that pervades the game. The world feels ancient and decayed, inhabited by machines that have long outlived their creators, adding a melancholic undertone to the whimsical setting.
Feudal Alloy’s progression system allows players to customize Attu’s abilities by allocating points into skill trees that focus on attack strength, defense, or efficiency. These upgrades provide small but meaningful enhancements, allowing for slight differences in playstyle. Equipment and weapons also modify attributes like temperature management, critical chance, and health. However, the balance can feel uneven—certain builds trivialize combat once upgraded, while others feel underpowered. This uneven scaling can make later sections feel easier than intended, undermining the careful pacing established early on. Despite this, the upgrade loop remains enjoyable, giving a steady sense of improvement and reward that encourages continued exploration.
Technically, the game runs smoothly and is impressively stable for a small-scale indie project. The frame rate remains consistent, and load times are minimal, allowing for an uninterrupted flow of exploration. The sound design, like the art direction, is understated but effective. The gentle background music alternates between mechanical ambiance and soft, melodic tunes that reinforce the game’s melancholic tone. The metallic clanks of footsteps, the hum of machinery, and the splashing of oil create an atmosphere that feels lived-in and tangible. Together, these elements form a cohesive sensory experience that immerses players in Feudal Alloy’s peculiar world.
In the end, Feudal Alloy is a charming and visually striking metroidvania that succeeds in style and atmosphere even as it falters in depth and variety. It captures the essence of indie creativity—imaginative, personal, and brimming with character—while also showing the limitations of its small scale. Its hand-drawn art, soothing soundscape, and gentle pacing make it a relaxing adventure for players who value aesthetics and exploration over intense challenge or narrative complexity. Though it may not redefine its genre, Feudal Alloy’s originality and craftsmanship give it an identity all its own. It stands as a testament to what a small team can achieve through vision and artistry, offering a world that is both mechanical and poetic, where even a goldfish can become a hero.
Rating: 7/10

Easy, but fun! In terms of skill level, I think this would have been a great game for my Junior High self. No bugs or achievement issues. The appearance and artwork is very nice the entire way through, which is what got me interested in purchasing the game in the first place. The only thing I didnt really like was having to spend the last couple hours just navigating the labyrinth while checking the map constantly, in order to backtrack to previously inaccessible areas. I ended up using a walkthrough to find a couple things because that part got kindof boring. Ill probably play this one through again in a few years.

Great game. VERY challenging platforming though so you really got to have skill and even then it will take some patience. The game doesn't do a good job at giving you enough XP to upgrade as much as you would like. You get just enough to MAYBE upgrade one full tree. I did a little of each but it's a bummer that I didn't get to experience the higher tree bonuses. The keys can be a PITA to find. I had to find 4 that I was intended to get early game but never found and before running down the final hall after the last boss, I went and back tracked and found them. I didn't get all the chests and I feel like I saw 100% of the map so they just have hidden some exceptionally well. My final critique is that the story is just laissez-faire; the opening is ok since we need some kind of motive but then you get to the 2 bosses (which there looked like there were more than 2 bandits that stole the stuff) there is no fuss whatsoever. They just silently die. The end scene is like "he did it" and that's it. Felt out of place given how passion-made this game feels otherwise. It is a beautiful and well made game.