Axiom Verge

🎮 Steam ⏳ 13 hours ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Atmospheric Sci-Fi Awakening #

This title is an outstanding indie metroidvania that manages to feel both nostalgic and refreshingly original. Developed almost entirely by a single person, it’s a remarkable achievement in atmosphere, design, and storytelling. The MC is called Trace, a scientist who wakes up in a strange, hostile alien world after a lab accident. From the opening moments, Axiom Verge establishes a haunting tone through its glitchy visuals, cryptic dialogue, and droning synth OST. One of it’s standouts to me is it’s OST, not just because I’m biased towards Synth music in general, but because it’s OST is at the same level of giants such as Metroid. The environments, industrial ruins, pulsing organic tunnels, and machine-infested caverns.

Surreal Exploration Mastery #

The game’s world design is clearly inspired by Super Metroid, but it is more surreal and experimental, blending biotech horror with a subtle undercurrent of existential dread. The gameplay revolves around exploration and gradual empowerment. Every new weapon or gadget, like the Address Disruptor, which “glitches” enemies and terrain to reveal secrets, adds layers of discovery. Combat feels deliberate, and though enemy variety can be repetitive, the sheer number of weapons (over 20) keeps things interesting. The boss battles are large, tense encounters that demand precision and pattern recognition.

Glitch-Driven Narrative Depth #

One of it’s strongest traits is how it uses its retro aesthetic to enhance its identity rather than merely imitate old games. The visual “glitches” are not just stylistic, they’re part of the world and narrative, blurring the line between game and code. The story, told through scattered terminals and brief dialogue, encourages interpretation, leaving you to piece together its larger mysteries. And this is one of my favorite aspects of this title, since I’m inclined to like this kind of approach to story-telling, so if you are like me, this is one of the best experiences you can have when it comes to expanded lore beyond in-game events.

Challenging Yet Essential #

If there’s one drawback, it’s that navigation can sometimes feel cumbersome, especially without a fast-travel system, similar to the experience you’ll face if you play the early, and less mature, Metroid implementations. Still, the sense of exploration and discovery is rarely lost. In summary, this game is an atmospheric, imaginative, and deeply crafted tribute to the 16-bit era. It’s a testament to what one creator can achieve, an essential experience for fans of exploration-driven action games. This is definitely one of the best games that I’ve played, not just for it’s genre, but in general, especially because the story is the perfect fit for me, with alternative universes, identity and even time travel, but I won’t spoil anything not to ruin any experiences. It is an absolute must-play if you like Metroidvanias to any extent.