Axiom Verge

Just trying this out here in 2025. Perfect steam deck game. Works like a champ. I did remap the button controls for myself, so that is something this game offers which is great. I primarily wanted to play Axiom Verge 2, but since there was a package deal and this one was really cheap, I decided why not start from the beginning. This is a fun little Metroidvania. Not super complicated, and as of yet not super challenging. I have 2 bosses down, both were fairly simple to figure out. There are some tougher enemies that jump around quite a bit, so you do have to be on your toes. The map is decent enough, if perhaps a bit small on the screen but you can see the doors and such if you look closely. Map markers are pretty limited... you can only drop them on the spot you are standing, and you can also only drop two types. A numeral 1 or a numeral 2. So you kinda have to figure out your own scheme for that. And make no mistake, this is a Metroidvania in the sense that you will backtrack quite a bit, and you have to find the specific pathway that takes you to the next spot you need to go. There are no quest markers or anything, so it's up to you to explore and map the region out. I haven't had any problems so far with that, but sometimes the backtracking does cost you time, so be aware. But if you play Metroidvania's regularly, this should be a familiar concept. My only gripe is that this is one of those games where they have tuned some of the platforming to be right at the limit of your jump, which means you have to really focus on your jump timing sometimes. Not all the time, but it does come up. And if you miss the jump, usually you fall down where an enemy is so you can take damage that way. But I mean to be fair, that's a small gripe. Overall, this is one of the simpler examples (so far) of the genre, but that isn't to say there's anything negative. Everything about it is super retro, including the 8-bit synth music that changes depending on the biome you are in. I don't have a full grip on the story yet, but it is definitely intriguing. I've unlocked 3 weapons (or really 3 styles of attack from one weapon.. details), and each of them is quite different, though they do analogue to familiar concepts. You have the fast firing, low damage one (rifle?), the slow firing, high damage one that can also be triggered to explode (rocket launcher), and the short range burst one (shotgun). There's probably lots more. There also appear to be a bunch of different unlocks and things for the character that you get. Definitely seems very cool, and from what I can tell from the videos on the steam page, it should ramp up the difficulty a bit in general so maybe it's just taking it easy on me as I'm starting out? Dunno, have to keep playing. Anyway don't shy away from this one just because it's older, it's actually pretty fun. And from what I understand, it is also backstory to Axiom Verge 2 which is a more functionally appealing game.