On the verge of greatness
The original Axiom Verge dropped at a time when Metroid-style games were in a full on comeback. Even to this day though it remains one of the best examples of the genre in the world of indie games. Years later we finally get the sequel to the original game. Axiom Verge 2 is unapologetic. It is still a finely-crafted Metroid-inspired romp with hacking mechanics thrown in and some of the best use of items and exploration that the genre has to offer. It also adds a few nice accessibility features to the mix making it a good reason to fall in love with the genre all over again.
The story follows protagonist Indra Chaudhari. She is a billionaire that is on a mission to an abandoned Antarctic research station in search of her missing daughter. Much like the first game the story is told through text boxes and files found while exploring. The lore here is dense and players of the first game can dig deeper to find out the clues to tie this world to the original game. It is a lot to take in and while the core adventure only runs about 8-10 hours, there is enough here to keep players intrigued into the world of Axiom Verge. Thankfully even the cliff notes are not boring. I found myself taking the time to read, which is not as common these days. Most of it is fluff, but akin to Remedy’s Control, I wanted to know as much as I could.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: PlayStation (reviewed), Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
From a game play perspective players coming in should know what to expect. This is a Metroid-inspired title with gadgets and powers cropping up almost consistently unlocking new ways to explore the world. Some of these are unique such as the drone, while others are simply traversal techniques such as ledge-grabbing. There is always something new though. The developers have made getting new abilities a constant with the sequel. There was always something new to learn and use to explore. This helps with pacing.
What doesn’t help though is with so many systems in play it can be easy to forget some. I quickly forgot I had a compass to point me towards things. The map is grainy and the pixels can be hard to differentiate on high-resolution screens. There is also the issue of knowing where to go and what to do. The game never nudges the player in certain spots. I ran around in the early game for over an hour before deciding to return back to the beginning of the area, where the next path lay ahead of me. The game never nudged me in that direction and instead put a flashing beacon on my map that was surrounded by nothing. It can lead to frustration, but also when I opened a new path it was just the proper amount of endorphin drop I needed to continue.
The weapons in the game vary from the original as they are mostly melee-based now. I did have my boomerang I could toss at enemies, but the collection mostly involves up-close tactics. Weapons and skills can also be upgraded over time as well as health and power. Like any good Metroid-style game these power-ups are scattered throughout the world. Exploration is king here and the devs have done an amazing job of making every crevice worth exploring.
The level design is wonderful and the visuals give off that nostalgic flare. I do wish the game was a little more high-fidelity just so navigation wouldn’t be so confusing at times. I do appreciate the change of scenery from the first game though. Instead of dark corridors, we get outdoor environments and plenty of snow. The music is stellar. Some of these tracks resonated with me outside the game, which is becoming more and more of a challenge. Still the moody music fits the world and atmosphere perfectly.
Axiom Verge 2 is a stellar follow-up to one of the original indie Metroid-inspired titles. It is worth checking out even if players haven’t dove into the first game. Also you should totally play both games. They are some of the best in the indie genre. I can’t wait until the game drops on Xbox as well so all platforms have a chance to experience such an amazing experience.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
