Valfaris

 Xbox One
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10

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  1. Xbox_Alive
    Nov 27, 2019
    8
    Vafaris: Having mysteriously gone missing, the space fortress Valfaris suddenly reappears in the orbit of a dying sun, having been thoroughly transformed from a paradise to a hellhole. You play Therion, a loyal son who must return to Valfaris to discover what has tainted it. So far so generic, but the narrative isn’t particularly important here. It sets the scene for an action-packedVafaris: Having mysteriously gone missing, the space fortress Valfaris suddenly reappears in the orbit of a dying sun, having been thoroughly transformed from a paradise to a hellhole. You play Therion, a loyal son who must return to Valfaris to discover what has tainted it. So far so generic, but the narrative isn’t particularly important here. It sets the scene for an action-packed journey across a metal immersive adventure that is filled with robotic and organic threats. The pixel art aesthetic of Valfaris are crisp and suit the over-the-top retro feel perfectly. Despite the setting, there is a surprising amount of color and contrast throughout the game’s levels, although there are times when the screen can feel a little cluttered. This becomes particularly awkward once you’re trying to dodge multiple projectiles, but didn’t cause too many unfair deaths. This isn’t to say that you won’t die, as Valfaris is still quite a punishing game. Fortunately, regular checkpoints and rapid restarts mean that death is mostly a learning experience rather than an irritation. The music is suitably metal, but can be a little repetitive as it largely chugs away in the background without much in the way of hooks or melody. Therion is equipped with three types of weapon: a regular sidearm with unlimited ammo, a melee weapon that generates power upon contact, and a powerful secondary weapon that then unleashes that power. There are many different weapons to discover within each set, with most having well balanced strengths and weaknesses. The need to build up power with your melee weapon before you can use your missile launcher or flamethrower makes for a fluid combat system that keeps you moving. You have to balance the need to get up close to build up power, and the natural inclination to keep distance and fire from afar. Added to this risk and reward system is the fact that your shield uses the same power resource, so there is danger in relying too much on the powerful sub-weapons. Once the combat system feels natural to you, the game opens up to become a hugely enjoyable challenge, but there are clear difficulty spikes. You have a health bar and healing pickups are occasionally dropped by enemies, but it is quite common to find yourself killed very quickly if you make a simple mistake. This is especially true in some quite tricky platforming sections where mistiming a jump will see you immediately killed by environmental hazards. A few sections proved a little frustrating, it made progressing feel rewarding. Every weapon that you collect can be levelled up by collecting Blood Metal, with the final upgrade requiring the rare Blood of Valfaris material. This light RPG approach is a welcome addition, but does mean that earlier weapons feel more powerful than later ones until you find the items needed to upgrade them. This was especially the case with my sword, as the speed at which your beginning weapon generates power proves particularly useful. Upgrade materials are scattered throughout the levels, with some being hidden behind extra tricky platforming sections or in battles. Fortunately you keep the collected items even if you die, so you aren’t forced to repeat those sections once you have beaten them. The green orbs that activate checkpoints are also often hidden away, as extra ones you find can be exchanged for upgrade material at regular upgrade stations. Valfris is quite a diamond in the rough and I'd highly suggest this one for fans of the genre on their Xbox One.… Expand
  2. Bitsmebite
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Valfaris is a game that can surprise you right away and can keep the excitement throughout your narrative. The theme, soundtrack and gameplay style are very common to the genre and here you would think we have nothing new, but the merge of these elements in the title are very well executed, showing a maturing development team and a great title of the shoot games. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves classic games and / or who likes a challenge the old fashioned way. He's not flawless, but can deliver a few hours of fun.… Expand
  3. robimus2d
    Apr 24, 2020
    9
    Awesome game -- amazingly satisfying and have never seen this much weapon or boss variety in a platformer. The weapon-upgrade, life and energy systems force you to make trade-offs which make successive run through a worth it. The only thing is sometimes the animations seem a bit stiff -- especially compared to the previous team's game, Slain.

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best Xbox One Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. XBLA Fans
    Mar 2, 2020
    80
    You can’t get much more metal than this. Valfaris Full Metal Mode is a package of brutal action and awesome music, yet still holds a nostalgic retro platforming vibe. While I didn’t play Slain all that much, I might go back to it because I absolutely loved this game. There are but a few downsides, but they are based mostly upon skill level which is why I can’t say it’s going to be for everyone. The weapons are fun and exciting, but not being able to fully upgrade all of them is a bit of a letdown. Other than that, it’s a great game that most people will enjoy. I had a lot of fun playing it and hope to see more titles based on the same themes.
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  2. XboxAddict
    Feb 24, 2020
    88
    I wouldn’t usually categorize a game as ‘metal’, but that really is the best description for Valfaris. I’m not great at Valfaris, given its challenging and difficult gameplay, but I never really became discouraged with it to the point of an uninstall or great frustration. I’m slowly making progress and is an easy recommendation if you’re into challenging games with a retro look, feel and kick ass metal soundtrack.
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  3. ZTGD
    Dec 19, 2019
    65
    Developers spend so much time trying to recapture that magic of classic pixel-style games and instead forget about what made them special. It wasn’t the look, it was the loop. There are plenty of 8 and 16-bit titles with mundane game play and nowadays it shows why some games stood the test of time. Be challenging, but be interesting. Don’t just punish players and throw lush visuals at them. Make the game play interesting as well. This is something Valfaris lacks, and I wish more indie developers understood when making these games that I very much want to play, I just lose interest in far too soon.
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