There was a pretty big gap between classic 2D Metroid games for a while there. Metroid Fusion (Metroid 4) was released in 2002. And then... that was it. So apparently indie developer Thomas Happ got tired of waiting and went ahead and made his own homage. Axiom Verge was released in 2015 to much applause. Ironically, a year later we'd see the release of AM2R – a fan remake of Metroid II – and a year after that, Samus Returns which was Nintendo's own (inferior) remake of Metroid II. But the real important thing to note her is that as far as 2D Metroid games go, we had Fusion in 2002, and didn't get a proper Metroid 5 until Metroid Dread was finally released in 2021 – a nineteen years later. Perhaps even more ironically, 2021 was also saw the release of Axiom Verge 2. But I digress.
The point is that there was a real reason why Axiom Verge was such an indie hit. There was an actual market for this game. I mean, it's not like there was any lack of Metroidvania style indie games out there. In fact, they were a dime a dozen. But Axiom Verge actually looked and felt like a real Metroid game. It looked like an NES game, if the NES had much more impressive hardware under the hood. On top of that, Happ really seemed to understand what made a Metroid game worth playing. It wasn't just someone who wanted to make a game that looked like Metroid, it was someone who wanted to make a game that felt like Metroid. Who is this Thomas Happ guy, anyway? I looked him up because I got curious. I mean, the dude that made AM2R received a cease and desist letter from Nintendo, but was smartly picked up by Microsoft and went ahead and worked on the Ori games. So I couldn't help but wonder what was up with Happ and why was he still chugging away as an indie dev? Well, I think I may have gotten my answer. It turns out that Happ has already worked in the AAA space, with his name attached to projects like Crash Nitro Kart, Outlaw Golf 2, Outlaw Tennis, NFL Street 3, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08. Interesting. Anyway, that was a real digression. But I wanted to say that Metroid is an interesting series to me. Over the years since I was a kid, Metroid has been a series I've always kind of wanted to like. It's one that I like a lot on paper. And I've played a lot of them. I mean, they've always drawn heavily from Alien and all. So I'm drawn to them. But I think I like the idea of Metroid more than I like Metroid. Here's my own brief rundown of the non-3D games... Metroid – The original was one I remember seeing adults play as a kid. It felt too confusing and difficult to me. I was more of a Castlevania kid growing up. I did eventually play the Zero Mission remake and thought it was way better than the original thanks to some quality of life improvements. Metroid II – I loved this game as a kid. It was a Gameboy staple for me. Feels pretty antiquated now, but I did play AM2R when it was released, and was pretty impressed. And I played Samus Returns and thought it was awful thanks to the inclusion of the parrying. Super Metroid – I missed out on this one back when it was originally released. I tried to play it numerous times in the past decade, but I've never been able to really love it. I don't know why. I can't put my finger on it, but it just doesn't grab me. I know I'm in the minority. Metroid Fusion – I liked this one a lot, but I haven't played it in years. Metroid Dread – I don’t know. I bought it when it was released, and never played it. I have to admit, I have a Switch but haven't played it in well over a year now. ...that was another big diversion. And I know Axiom Verge isn't Metroid, but I feel like it's impossible to talk about it without talking about Metroid. While Axiom Verge is its own unique thing, I genuinely feel like your love of Metroid is going to drastically alter your opinion of this game. Especially 8bit Metroid. But before I dig into the game itself, I want to draw special attention to the sound design here. My God, the sound design is great. And I'm not talking about the music – I'm talking about the ambience. It's incredible. It's unnerving. It's super impressive. Anyway... Axiom Verge. I have to say that Axiom Verge is a pretty incredible game. It feels like a classic Metroid game in the best way possible. It has the vibe and the look down perfectly, but there's some quality of life improvements like an auto-map and the fact that you don't lose upgrades when you die. These little things have helped to push me further into Axiom Verge without the frustrations I've had playing some of the (earlier) Metroids. The balance seems super fair as well. Obviously you will be challenged and punished if you try to visit an area that you're not quite ready for. But honestly, if you've unlocked whatever item you need to access an area, then you're probably ready. And boss battles are tough, sure, but they never feel unfair or like you're bashing your head against a wall. On top of all that, Axiom Verge messes with your expectations in a unique way. Somewhat early on you'll receive an item that lets you mess with glitches in-game. There's garbled sprites, and, I don't really want to ruin it for you, but it's super interesting. The only complaint I'd really have is that well, this is an homage. And as such, there's something missing from the original games. Like, your main character – Trace – he's just not as interesting a protagonist as Samus. It's missing the incredible Metroid lore. And yeah, it looks like Metroid – it's got a kind of Geiger influence for sure, but that doesn't exactly make it stand out on its own either. But what can you do? And honestly, it does feel legit. But also super-charged. There's tons of new skills and weapons to unlock, and the rate at which you find them is exhilarating. I have to say that Axiom Verge is truly impressive. The past few times I've fired up an old Metroid game, I've done so with a walkthough close by. Here, I'm finding the thrill of just picking a direction and exploring. This is an exceptionally good indie game, and while many games jump on the Metroidvania bandwagon, Axiom Verge just does it all right.
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I can't even believe Persona 5 was released all the way back in 2016. That means that as I write this, it's been a game I've wanted to play for seven years now. That's insane. But I'm a pretty weird dude. I mean, here in the US the Persona games have been a pretty big deal as far as JRPG fans go. And I've been super interested in the larger Megami Tensei series since I first discovered it around 2009 or so. And yet somehow, I've only played Persona 2 and that was back in 2011, I think.
Like I said, I'm a weird dude. Way back when, I went down the Shin Megami Tensei rabbit hole and played a bunch of random games. I played Revelations: The Demon Slayer and Demikids for starters. I played Shin Megami Tensei III and IV. I played the fighting game Persona 4 Arena. And I even thought that Soul Hackers 2 was one of the most overlooked games of 2022. And yet the only Persona game I played was the second one on PSP and that was over a decade ago. I'm not sure how I held out so long on playing Persona 5, a game within a series that I'm interested in, and which has been re-released multiple times and often lauded as possibly the best JRPG of the decade. But here we are. Upon first firing the game up, it became immediately clear that Persona 5 is staggeringly impressive. If you're a fan of Megami Tensei, and Persona in particular, then you know what you're getting into. But Atlus has spent decades perfecting this kind of game. And they really know what they're doing. The visuals, the music, the cut scenes, the dialogue, the combat - it's all a cut above the rest. So what even is Persona 5? Well, the Persona games are part of the larger Megami Tensei universe of course. The original Megami Tensei was actually adapted from a Japanese book about demons possessing computers. It's awesome and ridiculous and also quite ahead of its time. I've always been a fan of science fiction and technology. But I love that these games take science fiction (computers, internet, etc) and merge them with theology from various cultures. Imagine something like Neuromancer or The Matrix but with angels and demons. It kind of reminds me of when I was in college and friends pitched the movie Event Horizon to me as "Alien crossed with Hellraiser." Anyway, Persona started as a spin-off from the main series that took place in a more modern day Japan and featured younger students as the main cast. So between all the techno dungeons and demon fusing you've also got school work and dating in the mix. It's such a bizarre mix, but I mean, I'll happily delve into The Matrix X Hellraiser X One Tree Hill. Whatever. Persona 5 tells the story of a young man who interferes with a woman being assaulted one night, and is charged with assault himself by the man he stopped. He's then whisked off to a private school under foster care while on a one year probation. It's an interesting set up. But obviously things go off the rails quickly when an app shows up on his phone which works as a sort of GPS to the demon world. Soon our young protagonist is Joker and all the friends he makes are helping him explore an alternate version of the school and its surroundings while finding their own Personas to fight alongside him. Over the years, the Persona games have become far more popular than the games they spun off from. Persona 5 no longer even mentions "Shin Megami Tensei" in its title. And I guess that makes sense. The modern day setting certainly makes them feel unique in the JRPG space. Personally, I think all of these games are great. But if I'm being honest, I do think I might like the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games more. They're generally a little less story intensive, and because of that I feel like they rely more on their battles and demon-fusing to carry the games. Which is not to say that I dislike Persona 5 or its story or battle system. I actually like or love everything about this game. The storytelling is solid and the visuals are awesome and creepy. The alternate reality dungeons remind me quite a bit of the dream world of Catherine. And because this is still a Megami Tensei game, that means that the battle system is without rival. My only real problem with Persona 5 isn't really a problem. This is a huge game. I mean really huge. And at this point in my life, I just don't really have a hundred hours to pour into a single game anymore. Back before I had a little one in this house, I had no qualms about picking a game and sticking with it until I saw my way to the end, however long that took. But nowadays, I often have trouble sticking with one story based game or more than a week or two. It's a personal issue, and obviously very specific to my exact moment in life. Last year I played through Soul Hackers 2, which was a pretty perfect length for me. It was the kind of game I could get sucked into and tackle in about two weeks. Persona 5 is incredible, and yet it just keeps nagging at me that no matter how much time I've put into it recently, I've just barely scratched the surface. There's so much more game ahead, and I have trouble keeping focused. My daughter is four right now, and after a long day of work, then dinner and her whole bed-time routine, my wife and are beat pretty early. I still want to spend a lot of time gaming, but far too often my brain is mush and I have trouble focusing for long stretches. It's unfortunate that I can't fully commit to a game like Persona 5 right now. But I got a good taste of it and I'm glad I did. I can recognize its genius, and honestly even the small percentage of it that I did play makes me feel like this is a modern masterpiece of the JRPG. Maybe one day I'll get back to it. But of course, there's always so many games begging me to play them. As a guy who started playing games in the 80s, I can easily say that the 2020s are an amazing time to be a gamer. There's so much access to so many incredible games and new ones just keep coming out every week. |
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