Due to a mixture of age and gaming ignorance, I missed early entries in both the Metroid and Castlevania series, only catching up with each when they entered the 3D-era. Despite this, I have come to appreciate the so-called Metroidvania genre in more recent times, spurred on by releases such as...

Positives Interesting, varied environments; Simple yet solid gameplay

Negatives Feelings of Déjà vu

When Axiom Verge released for PlayStation 4 and PC last year, it was another indie success story where a game with clear retro influences was able to

Verging on greatness You are logged out. Login | Sign up Setting Trace aside, Sudra and its inhabitants are fascinating. Every part of the planet incorporates biomechanical technology in some way, and the environments pulse eerily with power.

Video game companies are constantly morphing and changing their franchises. They add new game play element, go from 2D to 3D, and more. Sometimes we gamers want to play something familiar. Sometimes we yearn for more games from a certain era.

Axiom Verge is one of those games that comes around once in a blue moon and reminds me why I love video games. It's easy to admire for the sole reason that the development team behind it is made up of one person.

In a generation bursting with neo-retro action games, Axiom Verge stands out as one of the best. This could have been a simple one-note love letter to the cartridge games of yesteryear, but instead it exceeds expectations and even manages to bring a few new ideas to the mix.

Metroid fans have been waiting in agony for a new 2D entry in the series since 2004's Zero Mission on Game Boy Advance. In the meantime, several fans have gone into development and created their own Metroid-style games.

Axiom Verge is a side-scrolling action/adventure that applies a fresh take on classic 8-bit games by using glitches as an important game mechanic.

Its inability to make me feel rewarded is really the core difference between Axiom Verge and the Metroid games it emulates so aggressively. On a moment-to-moment basis, exploring the alien hellscape of Axiom Verge can be awesome.

If you can put up with the meandering parts of Axiom Verge , it will quickly become your favorite game. A great combination of gameplay, story, and art and music direction make this one of the top games so far this year.