Axiom Verge 2

Don't expect Axiom Verge - this is a completely new game in it's own right, although the basic platformer/metroidvania mechanics and tropes all still apply. Pick it up on sale. Just don't pay full price. Axiom Verge 2 is fun, though in no way 'game-changing'.

such a huge step down from the first

Axiom Verge 2 is a Metroidvania that is close, but not quite there. It’s all the more disappointing since it’s definitely a step down from the original. [h3]Story[/h3] This is the one thing that’s on par with the original. Both had boring and uninteresting stories. There’s vague intrigue about an advanced/ancient civilization, but there’s too much talking & explanation for any world building to really get you wondering about the possibilities. Characters just explain the intrigue away with any sort of nuance. These characters additionally have little to no personality and are simply a means to progress the plot. “Go here and read the computer terminal” the plot. Save the universe - the end. Its very dull for how colorful the world is. [h3]Gameplay[/h3] This is what’s the most disappointing about this game. In Axiom Verge you had all these cool guns that had all these niche uses, which made you cycle weapons all the time to counter all types of enemies. This game has, for some inexplicable reason, switched to melee combat. It’s not even interesting combat, mainly due to lack of difficulty. There’s also the issue that a lot of melee combat Metroidvanias have, which is where the weapon with the biggest AoE is the best weapon. You do get some tech options in combat in this game, and they’re overpowered as hell. There’s this invincibility nuke that you get in the beginning of the game that just nukes all enemies & bosses. Those bosses, by the way, have been completely gutted when compared to the first game. First game, challenging bosses that block the story path. In this game, you have optional world bosses that you can just jump on top of and AoE nuke three times. There are two story “bosses” in this game, but you get resurrections in these fights. ?????? This INCLUDES the final boss. What the ♥♥♥♥ is the point in fighting a boss if you can’t die? What’s the point in playing a game where I can’t lose? There is a lore reason, but ♥♥♥♥ your lore reason. If your story or lore makes your game boring, then it ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sucks. The boring nature of this game is further compounded by the excessive use of checkpoints. Even when you die in this game, the checkpoints are so close together, and the enemies rarely block you. No deaths have any tension, no enemy has any pressure, no boss any presence. [h3]Exploration[/h3] The only real thing that this game has going for it is the exploration. Environments pop, enemies are visually unique, and there is really striking pixel art animation. The combination of abilities stands out from other Metroidvanias’ movesets, which makes moving around the map and collecting everything quite fun. This is especially underlined by the game’s two world mechanic, while not perfect (they thematically clash & don’t overlap when it’s the least convenient), it is cool to have to think across two worlds when trying to find the next collectible. There also isn’t exactly ‘flow’ movement, as it’s a bit stiff. Jumping around is awkward at times, and there are some cheesy movement options. You also have to cycle abilities a lot, and it’s done really poorly. I feel like they could’ve used more buttons on the controller to lower the amount of menuing, but it’s not the biggest issue. [h3]Conclusion[/h3] If you’re drawn in by the amazing pixel art in the trailer or loved the original Axiom Verge, just beware. Unless you’re exclusively driven by exploration, I’d avoid this since the gameplay and story are completely dull.

What I liked: - Uhhhhhh What I disliked: - The breach system is basically the mirrored world from Harmony of Dissonance and feels lazy and tedious. - The map in this game barely tells you anything. For a game full of dead ends, the map marking system is very basic. - Everything else feels like an unseasoned chicken.

I really wanted to like Axiom Verge 2, and for most of the game I did. The exploration kept me engaged, the world was interesting, and there was enough mystery and progression to keep me pushing forward. For a good chunk of the game, I was genuinely invested. But the ending was a huge letdown. There is all this build-up about the world, your kid, the bigger threat, survival, stopping something catastrophic, and then when the game finally reaches the finale, it just kind of… ends. No real payoff. No satisfying final confrontation. No strong emotional resolution. It felt like the game spent hours setting up something bigger and then decided not to deliver on it. The bosses were also confusing from a design standpoint. Most of them felt optional, disconnected, and not very rewarding. You basically slash away until they die, get some skill points, and move on. They do not feel like major milestones or meaningful tests of mastery. For a Metroidvania, that is a pretty big miss. The game is not bad. I finished it, and I was engaged enough to keep playing. But by the end, I was honestly more frustrated than satisfied. It has great atmosphere and some cool ideas, but the lack of a real finale and the weak boss design made the whole thing feel unfinished. Worth playing if you mainly care about exploration. Not worth it if you want a satisfying story payoff or memorable boss fights.

After finishing the first Axiom Verge, I was pretty excited to jump into the sequel. I’d had both games sitting in my library for a while. But even before starting, something about Axiom Verge 2 felt off. The screenshots already gave me doubts. It’s not just the change in art style (although that’s definitely part of it). The game looked more like Starbound now than the original Axiom Verge, and there’s also this weird “mobile-like” feel to the UI. Early on it’s not too noticeable, but as you unlock more tools, your screen starts getting cluttered with icons instead of the clean minimalism the first game had. The change of protagonist also hits harder than I expected. The first game had really strong themes around identity, and the ending pretty clearly hinted that Trace would return. Instead, we get a completely different character, and it just doesn’t carry the same weight. On top of that, I couldn’t help but remember how long this game was locked to Epic Games Store, which didn’t exactly boost my confidence going in. The overall atmosphere is very different too. The original leaned heavily into biopunk, while the sequel goes for something more dreamy and “cozy.” Again, Starbound is probably the closest comparison. It’s not that the atmosphere is bad, audio, visuals, and gameplay still work together well, but the shift feels too drastic. Personally, I don’t think moving away from the tone of the first game was a good decision. The visuals are simpler and clearer, but also less interesting. The game just feels more generic. In the original, you were crawling through strange alien corridors, occasionally reaching the surface. Here, you’re mostly in very familiar earthy environments: snowy landscapes, research stations, mines, that kind of thing. The storytelling took a hit too. In the first game, you’re thrown in with almost no context, and the mystery slowly unfolds as you play. In the sequel, everything is explained to you upfront. Who the main character is, what her motivation is, what’s going on. There’s barely any intrigue. You even get a “guide” character who constantly explains things. Yes, the first game had something similar, but that character was mysterious and barely communicated with you. Here, it feels like the game refuses to let you figure anything out on your own. I stopped caring about notes and lore pretty quickly, which is the opposite of how I played the first game, where I actively hunted for every piece of story. Exploration also feels weaker. Now you have a compass that basically tells you where to go at all times. In the first game, figuring out your path was a core part of the experience, that’s the foundation of metroidvanias. I only got truly lost once in the entire first game, but it felt natural. Here, you always know where to go, which makes everything feel more linear. It quickly turns into “just follow the marker.” The game also shifts away from sci-fi into something closer to mysticism and esotericism. Enemy design (still robots, but now with Sumerian influences), environments, and even the music lean heavily into these almost Middle Eastern motifs. It’s not necessarily bad, but it feels disconnected from what made the original interesting. Honestly, aside from some familiar sounds and UI elements, I don’t really understand why this is called Axiom Verge 2. There are some good ideas. The proto-stealth system, where enemies don’t notice you immediately, is interesting. Some drone sections are fun, fast travel between save points is a great addition, and hacking is more flexible now, you can choose how you want to affect objects. But none of that really saves the experience for me. At some point, I just lost the desire to keep playing. The first game felt like a true standout, a unique, memorable project. This, on the other hand, feels generic and unfocused. Maybe the developer wanted to do something different, and that’s fine, but then it probably shouldn’t have been called Axiom Verge 2. As a sequel, it just doesn’t deliver. I can’t really recommend it. If you’re absolutely starving for metroidvanias, you might still find something here. But honestly, you’re better off just playing the original again.

Totally different experience than there first game, and in a lot of ways worser for it. Heavy emphasis on avoiding combat. Cool weapons from the first game were replaced with weird gimmick stuff and Melee weapons. I just didn’t enjoy anything I played.