The creative team at Acquire has always had a knack for blending traditional Japanese storytelling with experimental gameplay structures and, in recent years, a particular flair for 2D art. Its upcoming title, Monster Eater, being published by Red Dunes Games, continues that tradition. At its heart is a striking idea:…
Read More
Curse of the Sea Rats is a cute concept that needs to compete in a badly over-saturated genre. I’m now at the point where seeing “Metrodvania” in press materials will make me groan. Not only because the term itself has, like with the roguelike, lost almost all meaning from its…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. Sony Interactive Entertainment Spain (SIE Spain) and Aeternum Game Studios have announced that Aeterna Noctis, a “hand-drawn Metroidvania,” will release on PlayStation 4 and 5 on December 15. This game looks absolutely gorgeous. It’s going to be a huge game, with 16 levels, 100 regular enemies,…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Ever play a game that’s perfectly competent, well-designed and a faithful student of the genre it belongs to, but also overwhelmingly dull? Cathedral is one such game. It’s one of those indie Metroidvanias, with old-school aesthetics and a heavy dose of nostalgia. If Cathedral had have…
Read MoreReview by Harvard L.I really like Olija. It’s a smartly-designed cinematic platformer with a retro rotoscope-sprite art style, engaging gameplay and an incredible sense of atmosphere. It’s designed by Thomas Olsson, the one-man behind the aptly named Skeleton Crew Studio, and it comes after a long development cycle filled with…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. I do get the thought process that went into Minoria. “Let’s take Castlevania, and throw some Dark Souls-like difficult boss battles into the mix” is… well, it’s a proven quantity at this point. Everyone knows that European gothic, Castlevania, Dark Souls and challenging boss battles are…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Carrion is visceral. I’m actually tempted to leave my review at that, because that describes the game’s core motif and aesthetic, its principle appeal, and it’s the perfect word to describe whether the game is right for you or not. Carrion is exquisitely violent, evocatively malevolent,…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. (Note: We have previously reviewed this game on Nintendo Switch as a Japanese import. However, with the game getting a formal western release, we thought we’d re-publish the review for those that are curious. Having tested the PlayStation 4 version now, it is effectively the same…
Read MoreReview by Matt C. I really want to like Bookbound Brigade. On paper, it sounds great: a Metroidvania where you control a squad of heroes rather than a single protagonist, with different formations being as important to progression as more typical ability upgrades. Coupled with fun art style and a…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. You’ve got to hand it to the development team behind Dead or School. Despite the Indiegogo campaign to fund the game failing spectacularly back in 2016, the small team has persevered and managed to get the thing over the line. It’s not bad, either. Dead or…
Read More