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November 2016

As far as I know, every aspect of Axiom Verge - the music, gameplay design, programming, graphics, etc. - was created by one person.  With that in mind, this game is an amazing feat in and of itself.  And what's more it's actually a pretty awesome game.  The basic game design is very similar to Metroid on the NES; you begin with some basic abilities but through exploration and defeating bosses you gain additional abilities and can reach new areas of the map. It's a fairly straightforward formula but Axiom Verge is probably the best execution of it that I've played.  If it was released around the time of Metroid or Contra it would probably be talked about just as much as those games, if not more.

 

One annoyance I have with modern games with RPG elements is that certain earned abilities feel like they should have been accessible from the very beginning, but were locked out so that you can unlock it as part of the game mechanics.  I should already be able to turn 180 degrees - why did I need to unlock that ability?  It's just stupid and feels forced.  I absolutely did not feel this way with Axiom Verge, which is all the more impressive considering there are probably 15+ weapons in the game and about as many special abilities.  The creator of this game is seriously creative, and it's obvious that this game has been designed very thoughtfully - perhaps across a number of years.  

 

There are several different areas of the map with their own design, themes, enemies, and music.  Each feels distinct but still part of the larger map. And the variety of enemies really is impressive - it seems that modern games have half a dozen enemy types (if that) and they all basically behave the same way, but the enemies in Axiom Verge are distinct and require different strategies.  And like with the upgrades, none of the enemies or their strategies feel forced or annoying.  I've played games where each enemy requires a different strategy but it comes across as a chore to fight them because you can only defeat them in a certain way - it feels like the game gives you the illusion of choice but ultimately forces you to play with a certain strategy (think of the Batman: Arkham games and the thugs with the knives or guns).  Axiom Verge expertly balances these dynamics in what I imagine is a fairly straightforward way - I assume each enemy has a certain number of hit points and is weak or strong against the different weapons.  I'm not sure why other games unsuccessfully try to complicate things, but Axiom Verge shows how things ought to be done.

 

The weapons have good variety.  The primary weapon just shoots a bullet forward but is a solid all-around choice. Other weapons include shooting a homing beam of lightning, shooting a blast of energy right in front of you (that can go through walls), and a flamethrower.  The weapons don't have limited ammo so you can use whatever you want at any time.  The special abilities include things such as being able to jump higher, use a grappling hook, teleport a few spaces at a time, or to launch a remote control drone.  In some games you can tell what kinds of abilities are in store because you'll come across something in the environment that suggests you need a new ability; for example, if you come across a boulder in a Zelda game you know that you need to acquire bombs.  There are moments like this in Axiom Verge, but a number of times I was surprised and delighted at how I progressed at a certain point and how a creative new ability solved a problem I didn't even know I had. Again, it's just a well designed game.

 

Unlike many games of this sort, Axiom Verge actually has a decent storyline.  It's cryptic at times, but in a good way.  The pacing is decent and the revelation of new information and subsequent new questions are addressed in an engaging manner. There is sort of a "surface" story going on, but a "deeper" story is told as well.

 

There will be people who do not like Axiom Verge for one reason or another, but on the whole I think that most serious gamers - especially those that lived through the 8 and 16 bit eras - will really enjoy it.  It's just such a breath of fresh air in a market of games created either by committees or by eccentric designers that can't approach their ideas in a rational way.  It's a solid game that's smartly designed, fun to play, and engaging. Well done, Tom Happ!

Axiom Verge

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You've got your life bar in the top left, the selected weapon in the top right, with the mini-map just to the right of the weapon.

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Occasionally you'll find these weird egg things with new items inside. In this case it's a weapon that fires slowly but if you press the fire button again the projectile will explode into smaller pieces.

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A boss.

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The column-like room reminds me of a similar one at the start of Metroid.

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A giant robot/person that is not quite fully functioning.

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Gross! That's a huge pile of bones!

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Oh my . . .

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Another boss.

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The boss is taking damage.

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The boss is getting orange-ish and red-ish, which means it's close to death.

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When you get a new weapon, ability, or other item this alien text covers the screen.

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One of the more clever items in the game can glitch and un-glitch enemies and parts of the environment. It's a cool effect that looks a lot like how old cartridge games used to glitch out. As if the game didn't already have enough variety, each monster can be glitched and has new abilities, actions, and weaknesses.

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This weapon is pretty awesome because it's one of the only ones that can go through walls and other objects.

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Sometimes the environment will have a bunch of crap in the way which makes it more difficult to hit the enemies.

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A pretty big boss.

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BOOM!

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Huh. Another one of those things. . .

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But of course you'll inject it, right?

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Another . . . one . . . ?

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This item grants you the ability to try to enter secret codes. Really. If you are extremely observant, there are places where such codes might be found . . .

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I used this weapon a lot. It's not particularly strong but it covers a wide area. It also looks cool and fires slightly different every time.

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This boss is a bit of a jerk.

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Piloting a remote controlled drone.

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Riding a giant alien head.

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There is a point when things get a bit trippy.

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???

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She looks nice.

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??? A hallucination?

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This weapon is like a giant spiky tether ball.

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You can see that my life bar has increased over time - it's because you can find upgrades.

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Towards the start of the game you get a drill and can find secrets or otherwise destroy certain blocks with it. This is a bit extreme, though!

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The drill.

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This is a pretty secret room with two awesome upgrades.

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Whoa . . .

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Ba Ba BOOM BOOM!

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Apparently this boss is optional but I couldn't help myself.

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Well done, good sir.

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A homing weapon.

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That's right. 100% of the items!

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This weapon is awesome and it's a shame I didn't find it sooner!

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That info in the top left indicates that I'm attempting a speed run. It keeps track of when you defeated each boss so you have a comparison point for your other attempts.

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