Axiom Verge 2

axiom verge 2 is... okay. i don't think it's bad, just ehhh. for one, the combat is VERY different than in the first axiom verge. instead of a gun with multiple ways of shooting, you get melee combat instead with a ranged weapon that feels more clunky to use. and that's also how the melee combat feels at times, especially when you come across one of the many flying enemies that shoot projectiles. so you're forced to awkwardly throw a boomerang at an angle that'll force you to walk into a projectile anyway. or you just swing your melee weapon and hope that you hit the thing. but the times when i wasn't doing combat and actually exploring were the best parts. the world looks gorgeous, and the music is also very good. especially the music for the breach. and the story is fine, not too much to say about it, though i did find it a little hard to follow sometimes with the lore, but that's just me. if i had to choose which axiom verge to play, i'd HIGHLY recommend you play the first one instead if you had to choose one. i'd only recommend axiom verge 2 if you're really itching for more axiom verge. i'm only giving this a "recommended" because i didn't hate it.

Sideways thumb. It has some really nice music, varied environments and you find a lot of upgrades early on. On top of regular metroidvania abilities, you acquire skillpoints that you can put into things like HP, weapon damage and perhaps most interestingly: Hacking. You can hack enemies to take control of them or bosses to disable much of their weaponry. Despite all these positive factors, i felt very take or leave it with the game (and am leaving it). Kinda how I felt with games like MindSeize and Vision Soft Reset. It's hard for me to pinpoint anything specific that leaves me feeling this way about it. Navigation has the potential to get a little confusing and that is definitely one factor.. Perhaps i'm just not enraptured enough with its level design.

Unwieldy, in short. My previous review was a bit harsh, so let me try again. The good: - Interesting visuals. - A lot of very cool ideas, like hacking and the breach. - Exploration and platforming is fun. - Odd weapons require a bit of getting used to, but once you get upgrades you steamroll everything, in typical metroidvania fashion. The bad: - The odd choice of weapons create unfair situations often. - No real boss fights required to progress, all of them are optional. Some scenes could be considered bossfights, but they're really just glorified cutscenes and you can't die. - The breach gets quite annoying after entering it for the 100th time, my ears are bleeding. - Biomes aren't nearly as interesting as they were in axiom verge 1. - The story is confusing, but the first half was great. - The ending is disappointing. I'd say a 7/10, purely because platforming and exploration is the entire game, and it's the most fun part. Also I might have missed some story related cues, or I just need to replay Axiom Verge 1 to understand it better.

I was unsure what to expect from the sequel before its release, but I ended up enjoying it immensely. It made for an especially fun game on the Steam Deck. The first game was essentially a 2D Metroid game with all the H.R. Giger-inspired flair cranked up to eleven, yet it still had enough cool, unorthodox ideas of its own to make it feel original. The sequel retains some of that inspiration, but adopts a much brighter art style, focuses on melee combat instead of shooting, and features more ancient ruins and Earth-like outdoor environments. The world map feels wonderfully varied, with each area boasting its own distinct mood, music, and atmosphere. There are usually multiple ways to get from point A to point B. All the areas are connected in a very organic way, and you unlock some pretty fun and creative traversal mechanics. Optional bosses are a new addition that I think could have been executed better. While their visual designs are good, they sort of just feel like regular enemies with extra health and larger hitboxes. Additionally, the lack of unique boss music fails to give them the fanfare they deserve. It is somewhat hard to pinpoint how it compares to its predecessor. While I prefer the shooting mechanics, plot, and darker tone of the first game, I believe the sequel made significant improvements in terms of exploration and how you move around the world. Positives: + Varied and organic world map, with each area having its own distinct mood + Fun, creative power-ups and traversal mechanics Negatives: - The optional bosses felt somewhat underwhelming

The first Axiom Verge is one of best Metroidvanias out there. This one took an entirely different turn, unfortunately for the worse. The story is hard to follow and dull. You mainly focus on melee combat, not a ranged gun. The enemies are extremely annoying, it's like you said how can I make this AI behavior frustrating not fun. They had to make accessibility features just to balance the combat system. The map is very all over the place. The only positive I have to say about the game is that the music is good, and similar in quality to the original. I wish devs would realize when they have a good formula they don't have to go and try to rearrange that formula in the next to just give us something different. They should keep the formula and expand on it with more features, improved UI, system mechanics.