As soon as a new indie game comes out, there are those voices that shout about how they are keeping the AAA titles from being made. That the latest Call Of Duty, or Assassin's Creed is somehow hampered by these small budget, one man developed games.

Axiom Verge marks a curious footnote in the ever-rotating cycle of video game development. In an age where huge 300-strong companies often squander vast amounts of investment on unnecessary frills and thrills, we've seen the consistent rise of the lowly independent team void of any contractual or...

Does the Metroidvania formula hold up See if it's up to snuff in our review.

Axiom Verge is, at its core, a retro-style indie game. That term gets thrown around a lot, used to cover a wide variety of games that involve 8-bit music, pixelated graphics and challenging 2D combat and platforming.

Brilliant ingenuity in world and map design; Surprisingly detailed lore and compelling story; Diverse arsenal of tools and weapons; Plenty of Metroid-esque exploration and hidden alcoves

Searching for new areas can get cumbersome without warps; Sometimes difficult to differentiate platforms in complex areas

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.

This game is absolutely fantastic. A homage to 80's games like Metroid and it was made just by one person which is incredibly remarkable. If you like retro games with a challenge and good story this is the game for you, besides you would be supporting a lone developer and not a mainstream one.

If you're worried about Axiom Verge's Teen rating, don't be. Just look at these graphics. Although the game impressed me, I gotta say: do you think this blood will be realistic No, and it's not. As for violence, I really think this is light violence. The ESRB is just getting a lot stricter.

Loving the indie scene as of late. More of these titles are getting released physically an I'm thankful. This is a great game that captures retro titles. Feels very responsive and the exploration is gold. Love the extra art and documentary, really inspirational.

I'm not sure that I'll actually go back and collect 100% of the items and seek out alternate endings, but that first playthrough is absolutely killer. I found myself scouring edges of the map in search of secrets and really had a fantastic time doing it.