The Therapist Gamer

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!