They take on their own unique personality through soulful use of bass and electronic sound. From the opening credits, Axiom Verge ’s retro tracks are engrossing and nostalgic. The 16-bit art is a continuing love letter to classic video games.Įveryone loves a quality soundtrack as well. That being said, it is undeniable that the world of Sudra bears a unique visual style with its dreary color scheme and horrifying slug monsters. This is both a uniqueness and a detriment to the title, as the game features a healthy variety of creatures, but the lack of description and detailed plot leaves the player feeling as though they are simply barricades standing between Trace and his goal. While many games in the genre prefer to tell their stories through the world itself, Axiom Verge ’s world often feels empty and desolate. While the level design never meets the caliber of previous games in the genre, it does possess its own flair. The boss fights are the liveliest experiences in the game. You may also find yourself swapping guns on the fly. Many of the games battles will force you to experiment with your vast weapon wheel and finding what best suits your playstyle. The meeting always results in a unique boss encounter that require their own special mechanics. Periodically throughout Axiom Verge, Trace will encounter giant alien lifeforms that attempt to make sense of who or what the scientist is. It’s important not to hold the player’s hand, but some form of visible objective can go a long way in improving the experience. However, once you finally discover a new path, it is supremely gratifying – until you reach the next wall of progression. Because of this, it is not uncommon to spend several hours in frustration while trying to proceed forward. I would discover several new items, only to backtrack through five different open areas while trying to remember where they could be usable. The experience can harken back to players drawing out their own maps on graph paper. The most frustrating part about the gameplay can also be its most rewarding. Times recorded by your friends will show on the leaderboard, encouraging you to post a speedrun time of your own.Īxiom Verge boasts a large variety of weapons. In addition to the main game is a timed trial mode that removes the dialogue and cutscenes from the game. Players can collect hidden documents, but they are by and large indecipherable, only able to be read by using an item that is secret and unnecessary for the game’s completion. Not nearly enough is given in terms of clues or reasons to care about those involved. Players are occasionally treated to bits of exposition, but the overwhelming majority of the game is deciphering how to progress. This leaves room for disappointment as Happ creates an otherwise wonderfully stark world to explore. The plot is merely serviceable to what is an enjoyable and addicting gameplay experience. While set up with a potentially interesting exposition, the game never goes to great lengths to create meaningful character interaction or development. Arming himself with the Axiom Disruptor weapon, Trace must trek through this world filled with strange organic and mechanical lifeforms in effort to discover the truth as well as how to escape this world known as Sudra. However, Trace neither dies nor comes to consciousness, but wakes in a desolate, alien environment where he must fight for his life. The story of Axiom Verge follows a scientist, Trace, who suffers severe injury after an accident within his laboratory. Though it begs comparison to classic 2D side-scrollers such as Metroid and Symphony of the Night, Axiom Verge masterfully champions a unique sense of style that Happ can be proud of. Steve Jobs once said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” What dev eloper Tom Happ accomplishes with his breakout title is an embodiment of something further beyond.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |