Game Info
GAME NAME: Axiom Verge
DEVELOPER(S): Tom Happ
PUBLISHER(S): Thomas Happ Games
PLATFORM(S): PS4 (Reviewed) , PS Vita, PC
GENRE(S): Action-adventure
RELEASE DATE(S): March 31, 2015
Where to start. Axiom Verge is a 16-bit style platform, retro, action, exploration Metroidvania title that does the time era and genre justice. It is developed by Tom Happ who was most recently from Petrogylph. There was a lot of love placed into this title from great talent and it shows.
The story begins in New Mexico. You start the game off in a lab. It appears that you are a scientist and your name is Trace. There was a lab mishap and you wind up waking up in a strange place when you’re confronted by a female voice who is guiding you to get the gun in the next room and start moving because someone is after you. Axiom Verge is a game that shrouds it’s story in mystery and does some excellent character development as you progress through the stages of the game.
With the graphics being a retro 16-bit style they are beautiful in regards to the genre. They are detailed and feel top notch. They do have a strong Metroid feel. If I wasn’t playing Axiom Verge on my PS4, I would think it was an SNES game that I missed out on as a kid. I think one of my favorite graphical set of details are the enemy explosions. When you shoot and kill and enemy it’s an excellent particle effect, especially when you destroy a large boss. I also like the organic/technology combination, it feels very Metroid meets Contra and Castlevania. The sound design of Axiom Verge definitely holds close to the 16-bit genre as well, the level music resonated well with me. During story areas where text is running you here those classic beeps of text typing out and the weapon sounds are fantastic as well.
One thing that Axiom Verge does not do, is have a detailed map like Metroid. You pretty much have only colored squares with no indication of what may lie ahead, save chambers, etc. You just have to explore (and get lost), which is awesome and bad at the same time. Let me elaborate. It’s awesome because I love exploration games where you earn more snippets of story and also use intelligence to solve puzzles that lead you forward. I do not however like misleading paths, getting lost due to vague level backgrounds or getting stuck in levels with no escape. I ran into a few areas where I was so keen on exploring I didn’t have the required power to return thus having to start over…start over. I was not happy about that. Besides those few minor glitches/development oversights within the game I did highly enjoy myself as the game mechanics are highly fun and very well developed.
You definitely need to be familiar with your weapons, there are over 40 weapons and tools to use throughout the game. Unlocking them as you progress and find more areas. The controls are pretty basic on PS4. To jump press X, press Square to fire and if you hit square mid fire it will explode some weapon shots. To move around you use the D-pad or the left analogue. To utilize your laser drill hold R2, and hold R1 to utilize your address disrupter which turns enemies into platforms and creates/hacks glitches into tangible platforms. If you Push Right on the analogue stick you can select your weapon type.
There are also ample save points and the level loading is quite nice since it’s pretty much instantaneous. You’ll experience over 80 different enemies within the 1000 rooms that exist within Axiom Verge. The boss encounters are pretty epic. Each boss is a challenge and each boss varies on how you can destroy it. You’ll need strategy, time and patience which I highly enjoyed. I died a lot during boss fights.
The Recommendation
I highly enjoyed Axiom Verge for the 10-20 hours of gameplay that’s involved. You get a lot of content, so if the $19.99 price tag doesn’t bother you then definitely jump at it. If you’re wondering if it’s worth the price, if it was printed to disc then yes in a heart beat but personally I would be scared it would wind up on PS+ for free. I think $15 would be a sweet spot for this title’s digital download price but that’s my own humble and cheapskate opinion. If you love Metroidvania games and are going into this knowing that it’s not perfect and it’s not Metroid, then you’ll highly enjoy it. It’s a very well developed game and it shows, you’ll get sucked into the story and world like I did.
Below is our first impression of Axiom Verge up to the second boss.
