How do you turn a homage into something that can stand on its own two feet? Axiom Verge doesn’t quite manage to answer that question, but fails with panache. Almost as soon as I started to play it, I fell in love with it. From the synth-heavy soundtrack, to the 8-Bit era graphics, it’s a nostalgic callback to the Metroid sub-genre. It even subverts expectations with innovative weapons and abilities (a drone to squeeze through narrow spaces, rather than a Morph Ball, for example). I adored how the map opens out as you upgrade your inventory. That’s how to do the Metroid sub-genre right.
However, just like the original Metroid, areas and environments fail to stand out. When it came to backtracking, I found myself unable to recall where a particular ability was needed thanks to these similarities. Axiom Verge also shudders and stumbles towards the end, leading to an ending where you wonder if it was worth all the effort…
Still, an enviable effort to exploit those nostalgia glands!
Hammy Reviews 