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| Photo courtesy gamespot.com |
I’ve never played Super Metroid… or any of the 2D Metroid
games. I enjoyed Metroid Prime back in the day and I’m a huge fan of the
“Metroidvania” sub-genre, but Super Metroid remains the most coveted titles
that I’ve yet to play.
Still, games like Symphony of the Night, Shadow Complex,
Batman: Arkham Asylum and Guacamelee hold dear spots in my heart. I consider
that genre to be the pinnacle of game design, with an addictive and rewarding
system that compels the player to press forward while building a tangible sense
of place. And by all accounts, Super Metroid is the pinnacle of that style of
design. I plan on playing it at some point in the near future. I just need to
get my hands on an SNES original cartridge (which is selling for a pretty hefty
$50 on Amazon).
The genre is also a notoriously difficult style of game
design to develop, with its labyrinthine worlds and precisely paced progression
system. So it’s all too rare to find a game that attempts this game design, let
alone nails it. This scarcity is why Axiom Verge is one of my most anticipated
games. This isn’t to say that Axiom Verge will be a
sure-fire indie hit – but from my recent hands-on with it, I came away even
more excited for the final product.
"Basically it looks and sounds
just like Super Metroid"
The first thing I noticed from the demo, which takes place
at the very beginning of the game, is how it not only looks like a game that
should’ve been made in 1991, but it feels like one as well. The main character
is a nerdy slacker type with scruffy hair, and the music would have fit right
into a grungy 1980’s Hollywood sci-fi movie. Basically, it looks and sounds
just like Super Metroid, right down to the enemy design and AI routines.
As I played for the next half hour, I noticed little
oddities that caught my eye for how subtly they were integrated into the world.
When enemies are hit, they take on a glitchy blank space like a computer on the
fritz. The controls feel familiar, but the speed and agility of the character
add a versatility that feels decidedly modern. Again – these are minute details
that are easy to miss, but stand out enough to prevent Axiom Verge from feeling
antiquated.
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| Photo courtesy axiomverge.com |
The progression of your character is also impressively
expedited. New weapon upgrades and abilities come at a pace that I haven’t seen
in the genre. The game’s creator, Tom Happ has noted that he wants Axiom Verge
to appeal to speed-runners, with speed-running becoming an integral part of the
experience. How exactly that will be done is yet to be seen, but from what I
played, the game moves at such a steady clip that it made me not want to put
the controller down.
But alas, we have to wait a while longer to uncover all the
mysteries Axiom Verge holds in its Metroid-inspired world. Hopefully we’ll have
a release date soon, but for now, we should all just go play Super Metroid. I
know I will be, and I plan to write all about it in a later edition of The
Weekend Paper, so stay tuned.
Axiom Verge is set to release on PS4, Vita and PC in early
2015. Check out the trailer below.
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