Axiom Verge

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 121 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 121
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 121
  3. Negative: 14 out of 121

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  1. SebboBastian
    Dec 24, 2018
    9
    A one man masterpiece of a metroidvania game. Retro vibes with modern touches.
  2. singlungchan
    Sep 30, 2017
    9
    Simply put: just short of greatness.... And I have 2 guesses why - one superficial and one more substantial. The first there is the graphics - I am aware that they are made just by one person, but I am just talking about the end result. While they are not in the way and they do the job just fine, they fail to really convey the atmosphere of the game's world. Next - the story. I tried toSimply put: just short of greatness.... And I have 2 guesses why - one superficial and one more substantial. The first there is the graphics - I am aware that they are made just by one person, but I am just talking about the end result. While they are not in the way and they do the job just fine, they fail to really convey the atmosphere of the game's world. Next - the story. I tried to pay attention but at some point I didn't care anymore. It all sounded like a blah blah and nonsensical. I think the story is there, but it demands too much from the player, instead of just being simple and accessible and leave the supposed plot-twists for later on.

    Ok, now that we have those 2 things out of the way, I was quite entertained playing the game through-out. Nice, tight mechanics, a lot of exploration, good amount of backtracking, secret placed that can be find (not extremely hard) and fun bosses, also not too hard (the way I like them). In addition: interesting weapon ideas, varied enemies with specific tactics needed; good game length; interesting soundtrack.

    Overall: highly recommended for all metroid-like game fans out there.    … Expand
  3. Marmosette
    Feb 14, 2016
    9
    Phenomenal sound design.
    Really nice visuals.
    Great nod to classic metroidvanias, specifically Super Metroid (almost too good a nod to Super Metroid) Solid, unpredictable environmental obstacles. Gets a little overly ambitious with it's controls, as late game environments become a little unwieldy on the fingers. Still, nice that it is also mechanically challenging, not just figuring    Phenomenal sound design.
    Really nice visuals.
    Great nod to classic metroidvanias, specifically Super Metroid (almost too good a nod to Super Metroid)
    Solid, unpredictable environmental obstacles.

    Gets a little overly ambitious with it's controls, as late game environments become a little unwieldy on the fingers. Still, nice that it is also mechanically challenging, not just figuring out where to go and what gun to use.    … Expand
  4. lilkillpappy
    May 19, 2015
    10
    This is pure retro gaming ecstasy. Responsive fluid controls, a wide variety of creatures, worlds and music. It's a game for the adults who grew up playing these games. It has evolved and matured into something new and interesting, but feels nostalgic and comforting. It's like a love letter to the past with some new edginess.
  5. ehasis
    Nov 28, 2015
    10
    Uma verdadeira obra de arte retrô. Excelente história, jogabilidade, trilha sonora. Uma verdadeira homenagem a Super Metroid, mas não um clone. O jogo é bastante longo, possui bastante armas e ferramentas, recomendo!
  6. thomas21r
    Dec 6, 2015
    9
    This game is surprisingly fun and addictive! Good controls large variety of weapons and nice music. Oldschool gamers will love it. Boss fights are kinda easy so i recommend playing on hard difficulty
  7. Landogellis
    May 25, 2016
    10
    Well worth a play if you enjoy Metroid-style gameplay, a solid entry in the genre which is all the more impressive given this is an indie game going against giants. The enemies and upgrades are many and varied, though it gets a little wearisome to have to backtrack through enemies that even well into the game provide challenge.
  8. Miotke
    Dec 1, 2019
    7
    Cool                                                                                    
  9. sh4dow
    Sep 5, 2015
    9
    15 hours in and I'm at 90% map completion. This is my first attempt and I started it on "hard". I don't regret a thing. At first, it seemed incredibly tough and it certainly is even later on. But if you don't just run and gun but try to glitch enemies and lure them into places where they can't hit you, it's very manageable.
    As for the whole "Metroidvania" thing, I have to say... I did    15 hours in and I'm at 90% map completion. This is my first attempt and I started it on "hard". I don't regret a thing. At first, it seemed incredibly tough and it certainly is even later on. But if you don't just run and gun but try to glitch enemies and lure them into places where they can't hit you, it's very manageable.
    As for the whole "Metroidvania" thing, I have to say... I did finish Super Metroid and I believe also Metroid 2. As well as all RPG-style Castlevanias and many other Metroidvanias. But the only game of its kind (Metroid, RPG-Castlevania or Metroidvania) I remember enjoying this much is Symphony of the Night. The art style is fantastic, the music as well and the controls as well as the huge variety of gameplay elements is just great. The only thing that bugs me a little is the fact that effort that it takes to get most pass codes if one doesn't just Google them. Also that the game does not mark found items on the map. As well as the occasionally inconsistent art style. And most importantly, I can't stand the fact that it's Steam-only on PC. This is really what finally made me knock off one point from 10.    … Expand
  10. Psy_pmP
    Oct 15, 2020
    10
    One of the best metroidvania games EVER!
    There are problems with orientation on the map, I was very seriously stuck for several hours twice. But overall, it's hard to find flaws.
  11. Sirwootalot
    Jun 21, 2020
    9
    A huge, detailed, and incredibly atmospheric love letter to Super Metroid, but with a gigantic arsenal of completely unique weapons and powers. The art and programming are impeccably retro; it's pixel-and-tile based but with fluid and flexible controls.

    The only things keeping it from being a 10/10 for me are one bad song on the otherwise amazing soundtrack, and two or three    A huge, detailed, and incredibly atmospheric love letter to Super Metroid, but with a gigantic arsenal of completely unique weapons and powers. The art and programming are impeccably retro; it's pixel-and-tile based but with fluid and flexible controls.

    The only things keeping it from being a 10/10 for me are one bad song on the otherwise amazing soundtrack, and two or three MS-Paint-looking enemy sprites in an otherwise gorgeously dingy art style.

    Oh, did I mention the ENTIRE THING was made by just one guy? He even did all the ports by himself!!    … Expand
  12. Matseb2611
    Jun 24, 2015
    10
    This game is quite simply phenomenal. I've just completed it and I feel buzzed. On first impressions it might seem like another Metroid clone. However, the more you play, the more you realise that it has a unique character and personality of its own. I'd say the words spiritual successor would be most appropriate. It utilises all of the strengths of the Metroid franchise and virtually noneThis game is quite simply phenomenal. I've just completed it and I feel buzzed. On first impressions it might seem like another Metroid clone. However, the more you play, the more you realise that it has a unique character and personality of its own. I'd say the words spiritual successor would be most appropriate. It utilises all of the strengths of the Metroid franchise and virtually none of the weaknesses.

    The game is challenging, but none of that challenge was unfair. It was obvious the developer could see the game through the player's eyes when designing it, like having save rooms spaced apart at perfect intervals (and there's always one before boss fights), the levels being designed really well, the controls being slick and smooth, and you're never forced to do silly wall jumping manoeuvres that Metroid had you do.

    The visuals worked well. Most of them were just dungeons really, but everything was consistent. And the music was a whole new level of awesome, ranging from gripping atmospheric tracks to adrenaline-pumping boss battle tracks.

    The game throws a variety of challenges your way, there are tonnes of weapons and unique accessories to collect that help you get stronger, plenty of secrets to find, but my favourite aspect were probably the boss fights. They were all challenging to some degree, especially the ones in the second half of the game, but each and every one of them could be beaten with the right strategy. The trick is to simply figure out that strategy and to optimize it. I kind of wish there were more of them in fact. From what I recall, the game only has 7 boss fights in total.

    Since this is mostly a dungeon crawler, the story was in the background most of the time, but it had some cool and unique concepts, and the backstory cutscenes were always interesting, as they always revealed something new.

    I can't really find anything major to criticise about the game, aside from the fact that it's not for everyone. If you've ever liked any of the Metroid games, or any other games with similar gameplay, you wouldn't want to miss Axiom Verge. It's slick, fun, and rewarding, exactly as games should be.    … Expand
  13. Deniman
    Aug 23, 2021
    9
    The game is just incredibly interesting :) At first, I really didn't like it...through the force, I played a little longer and just fell in love with the game, I recommend it to everyone :)
    Игра просто невероятно залипушная :) Сначала мне очень не понравилось...через силу я поиграл чуть подольше и потом затянуло невероятно, всем рекомендую :)    The game is just incredibly interesting :) At first, I really didn't like it...through the force, I played a little longer and just fell in love with the game, I recommend it to everyone :)
    Игра просто невероятно залипушная :) Сначала мне очень не понравилось...через силу я поиграл чуть подольше и потом затянуло невероятно, всем рекомендую :)
  14. NatJu
    Jan 22, 2021
    9
    Awesome design and music, exciting story! I kind of did not like that there are too many places, that look like there is a secret, but there was not any, so i spent much time on checking. Certainly must play!
  15. Captain_Chaos
    May 20, 2017
    8
    Axiom Verge is at its heart a love letter to Super Metroid, and you've probably read that sentence a dozen times already. However, like the best "retro" games, it takes some creative liberties with its source material and does things that devs in the 90s probably would not have thought of, and If they had, the tech level wouldn't have been able to keep up. It also has a level of mysteryAxiom Verge is at its heart a love letter to Super Metroid, and you've probably read that sentence a dozen times already. However, like the best "retro" games, it takes some creative liberties with its source material and does things that devs in the 90s probably would not have thought of, and If they had, the tech level wouldn't have been able to keep up. It also has a level of mystery and worldbuilding unrivaled in the genre.

    First, I have to address some personal issues I had with the controls. Axiom Verge handles well enough to be quite playable, but it also rather noticeably doesn't handle as well as Super Metroid or other games of the era, or even some of its own contemporaries: the Shantae games have much more fluid movement, for example. I found myself switching between the keyboard and an Xbox 360 controller on the fly depending on what I was doing, not wholly comfortable using either. In particular, aiming and firing felt much more natural on the controller, but grappling was far easier using the keyboard, thanks to what might be the shortest and most awkward grapple in gaming. It's like nobody but me played the 2009 Bionic Commando remake. It also has curiously easy boss fights for the genre, especially considering how dangerous some of the regular enemies are.

    That probably isn't a fair assessment of it, considering it was developed by one guy, unlike any of the other titles I just mentioned. With that in mind, Axiom Verge is an impressive work. It has a staggering variety of weapons that reads like a greatest hits list of shmup weaponry, everything from a basic linear projectile to a three-way spread, enemy-tracking lightning, R-Type-style curving lasers, Castlevania's fire vials, Ninja Gaiden's windmill stars, projectiles that bounce or travel along the ground, continuous-fire lasers, an ice-shard spreadfire weapon and more.

    Where Verge really shines is in its setting. You are Trace, a nerdy laser scientist who, following an accident at his lab, awakens in a bizarre, otherworldy place filled with fantastic things that want him dead. Like the many dead worlds Samus Aran has set foot upon, what happened to the world of Axiom Verge happened long ago. But this is different. You are not a power-armored, alien DNA-infused super-warrior. You are a dazed and confused everyman lost in a nightmare. You are treading among the bones of giants and the game's foreboding, H.R. Giger-esque artwork and eerie soundtrack heavily reinforces this. It reminds me vaguely of Xargon, an old Epic Games platformer from 1993. A central theme of the game, without going into too much detail, is the idea that things are not always as they appear. As one reviewer put it, you think you know how Verge will end, but you don't. It may not even make very much sense to you when it does, so I suggest you hunt down those notes and pay very close attention to their wording.

    The game makes clever use of "glitchy" textures to represent areas of the world where reality has gone a bit fuzzy, when it is being re-written. What would indicate an error in any other game is a feature here, a potential gateway to elsewhere. With enough items, the world opens up in ways you probably woudn't have anticipated going in- where the journey of many other platformer protagonists would end, Trace's is only beginning. The esotericism of its backstory is even reflected in gameplay- some items are so well hidden that there is no possible way to discern their location without literally shooting and probing every wall with every ability, a questionable design choice, I'd say, but easily remedied by a guide and quite in keeping with the games' overall feel. There are even "secret" worlds whose placement and contents are randomized in each playthrough, that are implied to exist outside of the reality of most of the game- to the point where items found within do not count towards your completion percentage!

    If you are as big a fan of Metroidvania as I am, then you owe it to yourself to play Axiom Verge, but even more so if you appreciate quality aesthetic design in games and the ability of them to put you in a unfamiliar and uncomfortable reality. Verge will remain in my consciousness for a very long time.    … Expand
  16. kempo24
    Aug 17, 2018
    10
    This game revives the formula of the metroidvania and enhances it, its world is simple detailed and beautiful in an eerie and mysterious way. the gameplay is fantastic with a giant variety of weapons gadgets and secrets. the story is not told as children story but from the characters in the game and the secrets you find. in the end the bosses the pacing, the characters the world and theThis game revives the formula of the metroidvania and enhances it, its world is simple detailed and beautiful in an eerie and mysterious way. the gameplay is fantastic with a giant variety of weapons gadgets and secrets. the story is not told as children story but from the characters in the game and the secrets you find. in the end the bosses the pacing, the characters the world and the gameplay are fantastic.… Expand
  17. OberiousLocke
    Aug 11, 2021
    0
    Excellent game, if you like retro graphics and metroidvania, it's really quite brilliant. A shame the dev sold out for Epic exclusivity for the sequel. Automatic 0.
  18. Captain_Faramir
    Apr 8, 2017
    8
    8.4 - Really like how they did classic style of platforming and had some really unique soundtracks. Had some very annoying enemies, but for the most part it was tolerable, and also boss battles were great, and there were a large variety of environments.
  19. Zazcallabah
    Mar 7, 2017
    8
    Axiom Verge is basically Super Metroid. Different enemies, maps, weapons, and story. But the gameplay is very Metroid. The mood and music is very Metroid. I especially like how the animations are always synced to the beat of the background music
  20. bluebeardtattoo
    Aug 10, 2019
    10
    Шикарная игра. Сюжетное наполнение очень хорошее. А вот гейплей сделан в лучших традициях ретро платформеров. Большое количество оружия и потайных комнат в которые можно добраться только при открытии определенных механик. А вот с боссами как-то все простенько. Но это никак не мешает пройти игру в один присест.Шикарная игра. Сюжетное наполнение очень хорошее. А вот гейплей сделан в лучших традициях ретро платформеров. Большое количество оружия и потайных комнат в которые можно добраться только при открытии определенных механик. А вот с боссами как-то все простенько. Но это никак не мешает пройти игру в один присест.
  21. KapCritic
    Nov 10, 2018
    9
    Pretty cool retro-styled visuals and really nice platformer gameplay.
    I played to the end and have so much joy of it. And I think sometime I will play it again.
    If you love old school platformers this game is highly recommended for you!
  22. SilverOrlov
    Dec 3, 2020
    9
    I have tried to approach to this game for a long time because of its graphics. I like pixel platformers, but such strong and "simplicity" colors repulsed me from it. And nevertheless, at some point I decided to start, as I really liked the topic covered by the plot.
    I will say that, surprisingly, I liked it very, very much. There are only two things I didn't like: too many weapons, half    I have tried to approach to this game for a long time because of its graphics. I like pixel platformers, but such strong and "simplicity" colors repulsed me from it. And nevertheless, at some point I decided to start, as I really liked the topic covered by the plot.
    I will say that, surprisingly, I liked it very, very much. There are only two things I didn't like: too many weapons, half of which, in my opinion, are "useless garbage", convenient only 1-2 times during the whole game... And there are too many secrets that are not very obvious, even with a minimal hint. That is, a huge chance simply not to get any character improvements and game achievements in them, banally because you missed a place, although you have excellent experience with secrets in other games(here, by the way, the excessive variegation of the picture sticks out strongly in some such cases ).
    Otherwise, it's great gameplay, music, some kind of atmosphere, and of course, an interesting, albeit rare, plot.
    I definitely recommend it.    … Expand
  23. Scarlsby
    Feb 11, 2019
    9
    A solid Metroidvania. Axiom Verge is a fun game with a variety of weapons, enjoyable music, and an interesting story. My only complaint is with the controls on the double tap to dash mechanic you learn later in the game - it's hard to do properly with a controller unless you use the d pad, but I'd rather use the joystick.
  24. Weny
    Oct 7, 2019
    9
    I'm not a nostalgic player, not a fan of retro-indie titles, but I couldn't put this game down! It's such a great combination of story, game-play, platforming and shooting. Amazing soundtrack and the right amount of challenge. I was amazed when I learned that this game was made by one person. A real gem.
  25. Curzant
    Jun 5, 2020
    8
    even tho its short, its really good. it have some good lore. not the best but its good, i only played this 2 o 3 games but it was with a big smile, try it if you love the metroid style games.
  26. apokalipto
    Aug 11, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.
  27. bar0yka
    Jan 9, 2023
    6
    çok büyük kontrol sorunları var yoksa saatlerce oynanacak oyun .
  28. QAOSbringer
    Feb 25, 2023
    7
    More Metroid than Super Metroid. Back to the original NES roots. If you are not a NES fan, you may have hard times on this game. But if you are American and still crazy on the NES-hype train, then this is your kind of drug. Almost no story, direct to the action. However game can be confusing at many times, and either you have to struggle for eternity to solve it, or consult on the NintendoMore Metroid than Super Metroid. Back to the original NES roots. If you are not a NES fan, you may have hard times on this game. But if you are American and still crazy on the NES-hype train, then this is your kind of drug. Almost no story, direct to the action. However game can be confusing at many times, and either you have to struggle for eternity to solve it, or consult on the Nintendo Power magazine. Rad!

    7: Above average - It presented what we regularly see in a different way.    … Expand
  29. Hyped
    Jan 9, 2021
    7
    This game is not for everyone. A lot of people will understandably hate it, and a lot will understandably love it. The art style is one you find visually very appealing if you grew up with stuff like the game boy, but could also look like **** to anyone who plays nothing but AAA games. Fun mechanics, cool story thats also very, very hard to follow but wayyy too much backtracking.

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Best PC Game of 2015
89
#89 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Games.cz
    Sep 25, 2015
    70
    Honest and robust platformer with an interesting story, which is gracefully bowing to its old-times ancestors. It has the potential to entertain you, but the repulsive appearance does not help it at all.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Jul 4, 2015
    90
    With backtracking done the way it should be done, properly balanced difficulty level and great level design Axiom Verge is the best love letter to Samus in years. [07/2015, p.70]
  3. Level7.nu
    Jun 10, 2015
    80
    Axiom Verge is an action- and exploration sidescroller that pays homage to the classic 2D Metroid-games. Being a one-man project, the scope and presentation is very impressive. Only a few issues with the pacing and mechanics keep Axiom Verge away from the very top scores.
    Read full review
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