Alwa's Legacy

 Switch
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. GameSpace
    Oct 30, 2020
    95
    I didn’t have the pleasure of playing Alwa’s Legacy’s title before this (Alwa’s Awakening), but I can say with confidence and un-tinted goggles, Alwa’s Legacy is a fantastic game that can be picked up regardless of your experience with the series. It has an exciting, challenging, and rewarding playstyle that’s accentuated by a beautifully crafted and nostalgic world. What more could you ask for? There’s just so much obvious love and care that has been poured into this game from its developers, and it really gives Alwa’s Legacy a glossy polish that is unfortunately missing from a lot of other metroidvania indie titles we see today. Would I recommend Alwa’s Legacy? Yes, a hundred times over, yes. It is fun from the very beginning to end, and invites you to explore the contents of its world without hand-holding or a curfew to pull you down.
  2. Nintendojo
    Nov 6, 2020
    91
    Short but sweet, Alwa’s Legacy is a must for both retro fans and fans of quality, exciting Metroidvanias. The visuals tout some of the best pixel art on Switch and are joined with a killer soundtrack and sound design. With clever dungeons to explore and an intricate overworld to travel, Alwa’s Legacy will have players ensnared from the beginning to end. Having played Alwa’s Awakening adds some extra nuance to the adventure, but starting fresh with Alwa’s Legacy won’t leave players in a lurch, as it does plenty to solidify this as its own distinct game. Don’t sleep on this one; Elden Pixels has created a 2D platformer for the ages.
  3. Nintendo Life
    Sep 29, 2020
    90
    Alwa’s Legacy is an excellent example of how to do a proper sequel; it takes everything that the original did well and builds on it, adds in a few new ideas of its own, and corrects the issues that were previously present. It may be a little on the short side, but Alwa’s Legacy is the special sort of game that only comes around once in a great while, reminding you of the kind of quality that’s possible when a dedicated crew puts in the time to make a polished and tightly designed final product. The best Metroidvania on Switch? That’s entirely subjective, of course, but those of you who enjoy the genre owe it to yourselves to give this a try.
  5. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 17, 2021
    85
    Video game comfort food. [Issue #51 – March/April 2021, p. 25]
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  6. Vandal
    Sep 30, 2020
    82
    Alwa’s Legacy makes its art style and level design its best assets. Fun, charming and very solid gameplay-wise, this is a great choice if you’re looking for a experience with a retro vibe.
  7. Starbit
    Nov 3, 2020
    80
    Alwa's Legacy successfully follows its predecessor and delivers an experience that exhibits a marvelous world to look at, as well as to explore and especially, to take part in very engaging boss fights. This is a work that easily ranks with the best among its peers and that has more than earned its right to be part of many Switch owners' collections.
  8. Hey Poor Player
    Oct 28, 2020
    80
    Retro gamers, rejoice! Alwa’s Legacy is finally available on the Nintendo Switch, and boy does it feel good being here. If you have a Pro controller, do not hesitate to hook this bad boy up to the TV and play like you’re a kid again. Alwa’s Legacy will remind you of days gone by, when renting a game from Blockbuster and trying to beat it within a few days to avoid racking up crazy prices was the thing to do, and with pizza in one hand and drink of choice in the other, you really can’t go wrong making a retro night out of this. Be sure to check out Alwa’s Legacy for a fresh game with a familiar feel.
  9. Switch Player
    Oct 22, 2020
    80
    Alwa’s Legacy is a sequel done right. It improves on its formula in every conceivable way. There are a couple of frustrations in terms of combat and guidance, but overall this is a stellar Metroidvania from a dedicated and passionate developer.
  10. Pure Nintendo
    Oct 19, 2020
    80
    Whether or not you fancy yourself a platformer aficionado, Alwa’s Legacy should be on your playlist. It combines retro graphics with modern precision to create a wonderfully engaging experience that strikes a fun balance between platforming and puzzle solving.
  11. NintendoWorldReport
    Sep 28, 2020
    80
    When everything clicks into place, Alwa’s Legacy soars. The exploration is filled with brain-teasing challenges backed by a great chiptune soundtrack. Hiccups along the way, mostly due to some obtuse item uses, can bring the experience back to Earth, but thankfully, more often than not, this is a super fun game to make your way through.
  12. Video Chums
    Sep 28, 2020
    78
    Alwa's Legacy is a lighthearted Metroidvania that's hard to put down once you start playing it. With tight gameplay that features an impressive amount of variety, I certainly recommend picking it up if you love exploring 2D worlds.
  13. Gaming Age
    Dec 8, 2020
    75
    It’s fine for what it is, but if you want something that’ll really blow you away, this probably isn’t it.
  14. Nintendo Enthusiast
    Oct 6, 2020
    70
    Alwa's Legacy is a good throwback to the Metroidvania games that inspired many titles in the genre. It features responsive gameplay, clever puzzles, and great visuals. While there isn't much reason to revisit the adventure, fans of the genre will find fun in Zoe's adventure.
  15. God is a Geek
    Oct 5, 2020
    70
    Alwa's Legacy is a pleasant little game that does a lot of things right, but nothing spectacularly. It's fun, if a little forgettable.
  16. GameSpew
    Oct 1, 2020
    60
    Clever puzzles, a decent story and beautiful pixel graphics make up Alwa’s Legacy‘s strengths. But there’s little here that makes it stand out from a sea of more superior games in the genre. If you enjoy classic Metroidvania-style platforming, Alwa’s Legacy is worth a play – but don’t expect an experience that will blow you away.

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Best Switch Game of 2020

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. Switchindiefix
    Oct 10, 2020
    9
    Buy this game, play this game, love this game.

    My only complaint would probably be, I wish it was longer so I could enjoy it for longer.    Buy this game, play this game, love this game.

    My only complaint would probably be, I wish it was longer so I could enjoy it for longer. The Game is about 10 hours long if you’re rifling through it, but could be 15 hours if you try to collect everything.

    Alwa’s Legacy is a gem in a genre that can churn out below average experiences. The game feels like it was carved from stone. What I mean by that is, they’ve thought of every scenario to ensure every playthrough feels natural. It can truly be non-linear. The order of which you discover items will not match the way I discovered items, or areas for that matter. Similar games will have NPCs that will say something that could spoil part of your adventure, or seem out of place.    … Full Review »
  2. crimsonhowler01
    Oct 9, 2020
    10
    Wonderful game cute art music is great plays flawless once you pick it up its hard to put it down i cant stop playing it
  3. loltoke
    Jan 17, 2021
    9
    This game is far superior to the frustrating Alwa's Awakening. The graphics are more pleasant to look at, the music is more pleasant to listenThis game is far superior to the frustrating Alwa's Awakening. The graphics are more pleasant to look at, the music is more pleasant to listen to, but most of all this is how a real metroidvania should be. No absurd ramp up in difficulty right near the end, no infuriating points where you have to backtrack over and over if you keep dying. The improvements were apparently fairly simple - first, the bosses are not as cheap near the end of the game. Second, the genius design of allowing the player to place warp points at save locations of their own choosing. You can place as many warps as you can find warp crystals. By the time I finished the game I had explored about 95% of the map and found about 83% of "secrets" (some of these were just extra orbs or crystals that I decided weren't worth it). All the exploration, power-ups, and dungeons are super fun in this game. It took me about 7.5 hours to finish at this level of completion. The map is fairly large but not unmanageably so - you don't have to do *too* much backtracking like some metroidvanias, so 7.5 hours still covers a fairly large map. Finally, the controls are fairly snappy and the level design is challenging but not punishing. There are a lot of fun platforming challenges involving using combinations of various power-ups and environmental features that vary by dungeon. I would place this in the top 20% of metroidvanias produced for consoles in the last 15 years (I have played around 40 such games across all xbox, playstation, and nintendo consoles).… Full Review »
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