Axiom Verge

Although it closely follows the Metroidvania blueprint, the brilliantly designed and executed Axiom Verge adds enough new and original features to make it a truly great game in its own right. An absolute must for retro fans.

It looks great, controls really well, and has a level of difficulty that makes things challenging without making them overtly frustrating. If you've ever been into this sort of action-adventure game, Axiom Verge is positively terrific.

That said Axiom Verge is a game that absolutely nails exploration/discovery and that’s an experience that people deserve to have for themselves. After three full playthroughs I can’t think of many other games that have proved to be as rewarding as this. It’s the kind of game that, just when I thought I figured it out, it would surprise me again and again.

It’s as much a living homage as it is a natural successor to Nintendo’s 2D Metroid games.

Axiom Verge is a constant surprise to gamers. The surroundings are interesting and change often. The weapons and items are rewarded with perfect timing. It's brilliant.

Throughout my time with Axiom Verge I was constantly excited to explore strange worlds, gain game-changing powerups, and fire off a new gun for the first time. Almost everything you pick up feels meaningful, unlike collecting overabundant missile-capacity expansions that you don’t even need. I heartily applaud Tom Happ’s first solo effort. It’s incredible that he was able to nail every component of game creation in one package.

Axiom Verge is simply the best metroidvania so far. Big, tough, beautifully retro and with a lot of things to do. One of the best 2015 games so far.

Axiom Verge is a near-flawless indie game that is sure bound to entertain you with its wide array of creative weapons and deep exploration that, at the end of which, rewards you handsomely.

The lack of fast travel is the game’s lone big flaw. The graphics, audio, and control work marvelously – anyone who grew up with Metroid should give Axiom Verge a shot.

Whilst the one man team isn’t exactly new, it still impresses when the game in question has the level of polish that Axiom Verge does, it may look extremely retro, but it feels fresh because of the way it plays.

In the end, Axiom Verge is an excellent homage to Metroid that also brings some interesting touches to the table.

Axiom Verge does a phenomenal job of not only paying homage to some of the greatest games of the past, but also of crafting its own identity in the process. It doesn't just pay respects to the greats. It deserves its own place alongside them.

Precise controls, challenging enemies, fun bosses and clever level design make Axiom Verge a great and solid game. This isn’t about being retro, it’s about challenging the players in memorable ways. We want more of this.

Axiom Verge looks like a NES-game on steroids, but it is way more than that. Axiom Verge is one of the best games in its genre, thanks to its unique old-school style and tons of secrets to discover.

The colorful levels, the synth heavy soundtrack, and the varied weaponry create a feel that’s unlike anything seen today, and the boss battles are equal parts challenge and bombast.

I had no idea I'd enjoy Axiom Verge so much. Whereas many modern takes on classic retro genres fall foul of style over substance, this has been built with such skill that it doesn't need to rely on our annoying fondness of the past to impress.

Axiom Verge is fantastic addition to any fan of the genre.

This game may lean far more heavily on the Metroid homage than most, but it still manages to perfectly capture the tried-and-true gameplay elements of Nintendo’s classic while also incorporating several new ideas to let it stand out on its own, turning an homage to a retro classic into a modern classic that future titles will want to follow.

Axiom Verge is an outstanding homage to the metroidvania genre and one of the best independent productions so far in 2015.

Axiom Verge leverages everything you’ve come to expect from retro gaming and uses it all to create a memorable new platformer that gives even the best classic Metroidvania games a run for their money.

Sublime, creative, fun, challenging. Axiom Verge is truly a must buy for fans of classic games and contemporary challenges. The game combines elements that remind us emblematic classic master pieces and original elements like creative game mechanics and a captivating atmosphere.

This is concentrated, unfiltered, Super-Nintendo-excellence given the modern treatment, and a landmark indie title.

If you've never seen the appeal of these types of games, then chances are this won't change your mind. Devoted fans of the genre, however, will no doubt adore Tom Happ's opus.

At its apex, Tom Happ's brainchild unequivocally proves just how far video game development has come in such a short space of time and that you can in fact teach an old dog new tricks.

Axiom Verge is more than a spiritual successor to Metroid. It’s a tribute to an era, a story whose words are pixels, arranged with maternal care and extraordinary wealth. In addition to being a great video game is also an ode to the past, the cry of a creature never really extinguished, that now more than ever is able to recover from the ashes of the mass market.

Axiom Verge is a very traditional metroidvania, but in its details lurks a whole lot of innovation. [Aug 2015]

I can’t say that his Axiom Verge game has made me rethink my stance on retro/retro-inspired games or platformers, but I had more fun than I thought was possible with this type of game.

Everything reminds to the player the old Metroid episodes. Despite too much backtracking, Axiom Verge is a "one man band" production that no one should miss.

Stylish and superbly designed. [Issue#256, p.73]

Tom Happ took great care when taking the Metroid formula and expanding on everything that makes it great, and it shows. Although I spent a bit too much time wandering around and I could have done without the eleventh-hour difficulty spike, Axiom Verge is an excellent Sci-Fi adventure that I'd recommend to anyone.

A nearly top notch homage to one of the best sci-fi 2D action adventures of all time, the classic Metroid saga.

The Metroidvanis genre has rarely been done this well and this adventure deserves to be held up there among the greats like Symphony of the Night and the original Metroid.

A solid game that feels like the old classics, where the talent was as important as the technical side of the program.

Axiom Verge uses Metroid’s building blocks to create a fantastic adventure that can stretch for hours if you want it to … though maybe not always in a good way. I’m not a big fan of the genre, but even I started getting obsessive over my map and item completion rates.

Axiom Verge borrows heavily from the classic games of yesteryear, like Metroid and Master Blaster, but unlike so many other indie games out there, faithfully recreates the gameplay elements found in those titles.

As it stands Axiom Verge is highly recommended, it is a game that knows its source material, has the ability to authentically replicate its inspiration but interesting enough to add its own spin.

A punishing, defiantly old-school adventure. [May 2015, p.94]

In terms of reaching its clearly defined goals, it is a triumph. [May 2015, p.122]

Extremely well-made title, worth recommending to fans of classic Metroid-style games even despite its flaws.

Axiom Verge is so much more than a retro throwback to the days of Metroid. It builds on this formula and adds new ways to play these games with clever guns and game mechanics.

Five years in the making, this one-man project is an ode to retro games like Metroid and Castlevania. From graphics and music to design and mechanics, it channels a late 80s gaming vibe in a way few other modern takes on classic genres do.

Axiom Verge is another good metroidvania game with 8 bit visuals and a deep weapon system.

Axiom Verge may not be much more than an homage to Metroid, but it's a very good homage.

Axiom Verge's design stands out, particularly when it fiendishly deviates from the expected.

The level of execution and polish in Axiom Verge makes it seem as though it came from a well-established studio, let alone a single person. There's a confidence in the design that channels the best parts of successful Metroidvania games.

Regardless of what label you end up applying to Axiom Verge in your own discussions, the most important one to keep in mind is this: Axiom Verge is a damn fine game.

Axiom Verge is a game that's easy to fall in love with because it hits so many high notes. It takes the Metroidvania model and adds layers of ingenuity that are in a league all of their own, the most notable being the Address Disruptor.

Axiom Verge is absolutely worth your time if you’re a fan of old-school Metroidvania games, but even if you’re not, it’ll still be a lot of fun.

Axiom Verge is one of the purest forms of Metroidvania titles that we’ve seen in recent years.

A wonderful throwback to a bygone era, Axiom Verge’s focus on classic gameplay provides a welcome change of pace, even if it could’ve benefitted from a hint of modern design.

While I wish it balanced it's lack of mission explanations with its overabundance of exposition, I still really enjoyed my time in its strange, yet familiar world

Axiom Verge isn’t the best in its class, but it takes a familiar structure and adds a tool belt loaded with interesting weapons and gadgets. It’s a worthwhile adventure that entices you to unearth its secrets and rewards you for doing so.

You can’t be a master of everything, and Tom Happ has cleared mastered the exploration element, level design, and sense of progression - the most fundamental parts of a Metroidvania game.

While some aspects of the narrative -- particularly its protagonist -- have rough edges to them, it remains intriguing and mysterious through to its climax.

Some impressive innovation towards the second half of the game lifts Axiom Verge considerably, but if you're after a genuine and whole-hearted twist on the tried-and-tested formula, it will disappoint. [Issue#160, p.102]

If you don’t have to turn down your TV volume from its usual spot I salute you.

Axiom Verge is a clear love letter to the Metroids and Super Metroids of the world, playing just like those classic exploration platformers and doing the genre justice.

Its inability to make me feel rewarded is really the core difference between Axiom Verge and the Metroid games it emulates so aggressively.

It spends too much time recreating the genius of Metroid rather than adding to it, but this is still one of the best examples of the genre in recent years.