Iconoclasts

🎮 Steam ⏳ 15 hours ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Modern SNES Action #

Iconoclasts is a vibrant 2D action-platformer created almost entirely by solo developer, critics widely praised its stunning pixel art, fluid animations, and expressive characters, noting that it feels like a modern take on classic SNES aesthetics. The gameplay blends puzzle-platforming with inventive boss battles that often require both skill and problem-solving, keeping the action fresh and engaging throughout. It is not a particularly challenging game for people used to this genre, but I can see people not familiar with this having a hard time.

Emotionally Driven Narrative #

The story, which touches on themes of religion, authority, and personal identity, was seen as one of the game’s strongest aspects. Many people highlighted how emotionally grounded the characters felt and how the narrative added weight to the otherwise light-hearted visual style. That said, some players and critics felt that the dialogue could be overly long or heavy-handed, slowing the pacing at times, so keep this in mind if you are not a fan of dialog-heavy titles.

Linear Yet Rewarding Design #

Mechanically, the game offers tight platforming and enjoyable progression, though it is more linear than most Metroidvania titles. It’s exploration is one of the most satisfying ones that I’ve ever played, not at the same level of something like SOTN, but it gets close enough by it’s scope. The “Tweak” upgrade system was considered underdeveloped by some, since it provided only modest gameplay variety and broke easily in combat. Similarly, combat itself was sometimes criticized for feeling imprecise compared to the game’s excellent puzzles and exploration sequences, overall these mechanics are not bad, but due to it’s indie nature, they are indeed more limited.

Artistic Indie Standout #

Overall, Iconoclasts was celebrated as a standout indie release of 2018, while not perfect in terms of depth or exploration, it impressed with its artistry, memorable story, and clever design. It is a memorable experience through all of it’s features, mechanics and all the idea it is trying to convey, there is no aspect I can think of that is not very well implemented. If you like pixel-art alone, this one is a must-play, I also recommend this for fans of metroidvanias since it’s exploration is very good.