Iconoclasts

 Switch
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. God is a Geek
    Aug 6, 2018
    95
    The Vita port is great but this game looks absolutely stunning on the Switch screen.
  2. ZTGD
    Aug 22, 2018
    90
    Iconoclasts is a brilliant game that permeates from the amount of care and time put into it. It is by far one of the best of 2018, and I recommend everyone give it a go. It is now available on almost everything (still waiting on my XB1 version guys!) and even if you are as sick of the tried and true formula of so many other games in this genre, this one stands out. Yes it is worth noting that we are affiliated with the publisher, but I promise that has no bearing on my feelings for this game. It stands out above the crowd and deserves so much more attention than it is currently getting.
  3. Cubed3
    Aug 13, 2018
    90
    If you have ever been turned off Metroidvanias for their tendency to prove too confusing or challenging, or pined for a larger focus on plot, Iconoclasts is the answer. By relegating the heavy exploration side of the popular genre in favour of driving a captivating narrative and characters to the forefront, Joakim Sandberg has crafted a 2D adventure that comes out as one of the most entertaining of the year, and certainly in the genre as a whole. Don't sleep on this.
  5. COGconnected
    Aug 9, 2018
    90
    Iconoclasts is an excellent game. The visuals and audio work well, the story is deep, the characters are well developed, and there’s a nice dose of humor thrown into the mix.
  6. NintendoWorldReport
    Aug 7, 2018
    90
    Iconoclasts is one of the biggest surprises of the year. Despite occasionally suffering through the story sequences, I found that I couldn’t stop playing (it’s about 10 hours long). I can’t recommend the game highly enough--go play it.
  7. Nintendo Life
    Aug 2, 2018
    90
    On the whole, Iconoclasts is a memorable, thought-provoking, and enjoyable take on the Metroidvania genre which manages to stick out from the crowd with its chipper presentation and deeper storytelling style. Couple those elements with some of the best 16-bit spritework we’ve seen and a killer lineup of awesome boss encounters, and you’ve got another must-have for the Switch library. It may have been eight years in the making, but this one has certainly been worth the wait; don’t miss out on this one.
  8. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Oct 29, 2018
    85
    I went into Iconoclasts completely blind and came out at the other end of the tunnel smiling. [Issue #36 – November/December 2018, p. 23]
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  9. TrueGaming
    Aug 4, 2018
    85
    It is obvious that a huge amount of love and care went into creating this game. it is almost unbelievable that one person managed to create this wonderful adventure. if you like 16-bit games, you owe it to yourself to play this game. the only issue we had with it is the fact that tweaks aren't really that helpful, which impacted our desire to explore more.
  10. Switch Player
    Sep 4, 2018
    60
    Iconoclasts is a fun, but difficult platformer with a great cast of characters, brilliant controls and a fantastic soundtrack that is let down by a story with little direction.

Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Best Switch Game of 2018
59
#59 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 76 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 76
  3. Negative: 8 out of 76
  1. Ophenix
    Aug 10, 2018
    6
    This game is a mixed bag for me. For every brilliant feature there's a bad design choice.
    Platforming is mostly fun, the lack of accuracy on    This game is a mixed bag for me. For every brilliant feature there's a bad design choice.
    Platforming is mostly fun, the lack of accuracy on the wrench add some skill to the whole thing... Till it gets used in a boss-fight as a gimmick and leaves you hating the game.
    A lot of the bosses are fun and original, while the rest are pure **** That part where you are stuck in the elevator and one pixel to the left or right means 25 of your health? fun :|
    World building is phenomenal, but nothing is explained in depth and half the plot threads go no where.
    You get extra characters to add some diversity! But they handle like ass, are slow and one of them is literally crippled and plays like it. Fun :|
    Dialog is mostly great but the phrasing and the wording leaves you very confused when it isn't, like someone didn't proof-read the whole thing to see if every sentence had a noun to tell you what the **** are they talking about...

    I honestly feel bad for giving a mediocre review to a game made by one man and this game is unique in every aspect, from the tone to the world to the dialog. But it is a very uneven experience with entire segments ("lets split up so we can fight 3 characters that were introduced this very second! Why? To pad the game out of course!") being completely redundant and most of all frustrating.
    The best thing about this game is that at any point you can turn on the casual mode and just stroll to the ending while enjoying the story.    … Full Review »
  2. Spassbremse
    Oct 18, 2018
    7
    This game has an excellent story, interesting and complex characters, and quite a bit of fun puzzle-platforming and combat. I want to give itThis game has an excellent story, interesting and complex characters, and quite a bit of fun puzzle-platforming and combat. I want to give it a 9/10 for that alone, but...sadly for every brilliant feature of the game there's an awkward or awful design choice in equal measure.

    Great:
    Characters/Story/Themes
    Music
    Inventive boss fights

    Bad:
    Random enemies at different parts of the game are unkillable and will stonewall you
    Bad boss fights with imprecise hit detection
    Being told "to go somewhere" by the game and getting lost for hours because the hint was vague, stupid, and ultimately misleading

    There is a lot to love here, it's just held back in weird ways throughout the game; still, overall, I enjoyed my time with it.    … Full Review »
  3. bskierys
    Jan 12, 2020
    8
    I was attracted by the graphics and sound affects that are extremely pleasent. Then I was entertained by the metroidvania gameplay and focusI was attracted by the graphics and sound affects that are extremely pleasent. Then I was entertained by the metroidvania gameplay and focus on puzzles and finding the way rather than combat skills. And then I was charmed by the characters and how your relationship with them evolves through the story. Even if the story itself is not so engaging and the world, even if original lacks depth - the chemistry between characters is what kept me to the end of the game.
    And well, then I stay even more, because I had to "complete" it. It's an open-world. I had to pick up everything.    … Full Review »
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