‘Metroid’ Fans – And Everyone – Should Love ‘Axiom Verge’

Welcome to Indie Spotlight!

Today we take a look at one of the most intriguing sci-fi action games in recent times — Axiom Verge!

Created by Thomas Happ, Axiom Verge is the latest addition to Metroidvania titles (games that emulate the classic style of Metroid/Castlevania). It’s a side-scrolling platformer that takes you through a mysterious journey on an alien homeworld.

You take on the role of a scientist known as Trace. A recent experiment resulted in your lab exploding and supposedly killing you. However you wake to find yourself emerging from a mechanical egg in a place you’ve never seen…

The game starts you off with only one way to go, meant to teach you the basics of jumping and navigating. Shortly after you find a standard weapon that allows you to progress further. From here, it’s up to you to find your way through a vast world full of monsters and puzzles and discover what’s really going on.

How your character develops depends entirely on where you explore and how well you find hidden treasures. Anything essential to the plot will be simple enough to come across, like a laser-focused drill to dig through rocks or a lab coat that gives you the power to phase through thin walls. Dozens of weapons, health boosts and upgrades are stashed away throughout the world. I come with a lot of experience playing Super Metroid, and I still only found about 60 percent of all items in my first playthrough.

Axiom Verge has a captivating story that never goes the way you would expect. It involves massive robotic warriors, cyber-fantasy hacking and psychological mind melting. I was literally on the edge of my seat at every major development and couldn’t stop going.

And for those that enjoy to collect everything or do speed runs, Axiom Verge has a Speed mode built in for you! It’ll keep a running clock and skip all dialogue and cutscenes. You’re free to do it over and over again to earn your best record.

If you’re a fan of sci-fi settings or enjoy retro open worlds that lead you to feeling overpowered and limitless, Axiom Verge is hands down one of the best games out there. It’s a clever take on the games of old, and yet feels extremely polished and advanced for today’s technology.

Axiom Verge is available on Steam and PS4.