Axiom Verge 2 (2021)

*Despite, what the release says I actually played this game on the Switch.

Axiom Verge 2 is decent game. Compared to Axiom Verge 1, Axiom Verge 2's highs are little lower but its lows are a little higher. It feels like a more polished but slightly less inspired sequel.

Notable improvements are the controls, which are much better and lack the jank from the first game. I'd say the visuals are little better, or at least less harsh. Its a much more colourful and varied looking game. Due to the improved controls it's superior as a platformer. The game has a lot more varied mechanics than the first one, though I found I didn't use most of them. Though I still got lost occasionally I found I had to rely on a guide very rarely to progress compared to the first one. As a metroidvania it is probably superior. The soundtrack is also great.

The game is much easier than the first one which might to be everyone's tastes. Well the story is good, I found it a little less compelling. The new protagonist is interesting but I felt like we don't see enough of her to capitalize on that. The drone from the first game is used much more heavily, which I am unsure if I liked or not.

I'd say say the game's worst flaw is it's combat. The game focuses on melee combat compared to the first game's ranged. The melee combat is quite simple and gets a little boring. Compared to the first game weapon there is very little weapon variety. There are no real boss fights, those that exist can either be skipped or you literally can't lose. Most bosses that do exist can be beaten easily by just spamming the attack button. Some common enemies can be annoying but I found just platforming around them rather than fighting them was more enjoyable by the later half of the game. The game features an enemy hacking mechanic which is really cool but because of how easy the game is I found I rarely used it. It simply wasn't the most convenient way to solve problems most of the time.

The game took me nine and half hours to beat at a moderate rate of completion. In general I had a good time. If you enjoyed the story and atmosphere of Axiom Verge 1, it's worth returning to for a go at the sequel.

I played this without playing the first one, because I don't have the first one. It's decent enough for a metroidvania, not that I've played a whole lot of them. The story... was mixed. There are a lot of things going in the lore and I didn't follow all of it, but by doing the main quest and reading any lore items I did find laying around I at least got the gist of what was going on and what I was doing.

More importantly, this is the first game I played on my Playstation Portal. I managed to get through about 4 movies and some anime while I played this, which is wonderful because I love multitasking that way. I won't do it for games that require a lot of reading or a ton of focus, but it's perfect for platformers, turn-based RPGS, etc.

So, I said something kind of strange in my Indivisible review. Comparing its complex array of platforming abilities to the more simplistic approach of games like Celeste and Big Tower Tiny Square, I said, "Indivisible, meanwhile, has decided to pair its platforming with Metroidvania-style skill acquisition."

But here's the thing about metroidvanias: they're all platformers! My absolute all time favorite metroidvania, Metroid Fusion, has tons of platforming! You can't survive most of the boss fights without it!

I think it says something about how bad the platforming in Indivisible is that it completely obfuscated how core platforming mechanics are to the metroidvania genre. Axiom Verge 2, on the other hand, is a great example of how they're done well.

Firstly, you almost never have to do 5 different moves in quick succession. At most you might have to do 3, and that's only in a few spots, and even then they're very easy to execute because they're distinct buttons with only one function and no directional modifier.

Secondly, there aren't that many of them. There are maybe 4 core platforming abilities, and a few others that aren't platforming specific but might occasionally be used in that context. It's a very easy list to keep track of, is the point, especially since, for spoiler reasons, you only have access to some of them some of the time.

Thirdly, you get clear feedback on your actions, and the level design generally dispels any ambiguity about whether you can reach a place with your current abilities. You will almost never spend huge swaths of time throwing yourself at a wall because you think maybe you're able to grab that ledge if you just time it right.

All of these are things that good metroidvanias do to mitigate the frustration with platforming. I won't say I was never frustrated (heck, I get frustrated at Metroid Fusion sometimes, particularly with the spin jump), but it was not a defining feature of my experience.

And if you are feeling frustrated, there's almost always something else to do to work out your frustration. Exploration is a key part of the game, and especially in the 2nd half you'll often find yourself just scanning the map for blank spots that you might now be able to fill in. And it's worth doing that any time you feel stuck, because frequently you'll stumble upon, seemingly by chance, a new ability that's exactly what you need to progress. It makes progression feel really natural and player-driven, though the lack of guidance from the game can be frustrating during a couple trickier parts. That being said, the 2 or 3 times I had to look something up always resulted in me slapping my forehead in exasperation at my own stupidity, because inevitably the solution was right there in front of me if I'd just spent a little more time working at it. And unlike Indivisible there are actually a number of fast travel points spread across the map, so you don't need to do the same long, frustrating sections over and over and over and over and over and over and over only to discover that wasn't even the way you needed to go.

I can see how the giant map and lack of guidance could be alienating, especially when combined with a slightly steeper difficulty curve in the early game, and I actually bounced off the game a couple hours in for that exact reason. Fortunately when I came back to it to give it one more try before deleting it, I got into a rhythm and ended up beating the game in two days. So if you're feeling overwhelmed in the early game, just stick with it. Find the empty spaces, even if they're in the exact opposite direction of your quest marker, and leave no stone unturned (or unstruck).

p.s. I don't really have much to say about the rest of the game. The story is mostly a bunch of gobbledygook but makes for good atmosphere. The music is decent, but you can probably tell what it'll sound like just by looking at the game. And "boss fights" mostly consist of just hitting the boss over and over until they die; honestly they're easier than like half the regular enemies. So really it's the satisfying exploration and progression that are the core of the game.

A Metroidvania with some fantastic promise. I like the setup, I like the weapons/items... but I just despise the aesthetic. It just feels like a cheap, cop-out these days. I know the 8-bit graphics play into the game's presentation with the glitchy elements but I am just so done with it. In particular the map's low res design makes it very hard to understand what I am looking at.

I really think the bare minimum should be Super Metroid style graphics.

I gave up on Axion Verge 2 after getting stuck early on and distracted by Xenoblade Chronicles 3. But I'm back and after a bunch of exploring, I found the power up i needed to proceed.

The first game had confusing parts where i got lost too but it was satisfying to beat. I'm hoping this sequel is the same and doesn't become so frustrating it's not worth playing.

Excited now I'm getting somewhere again.

So I just picked up Axiom Verge 2 on sale on the eShop. Is it part of Nintendo's multiplayer sale? If so, what a weird choice!

Anyway, enjoyed the original alot and I've heard good things about the sequel. I'm currently playing Ghost of Tsushima, followed by Xenoblade Chronicles 3, so Axiom Verge 2 will be a good game to play on the side.

This game has it all. The vibes are good, story intriguing, yet not overbearing. Absolutely fantastic characters and setting. In particular it does that thing where it hints at previous generations and conflict without going into great detail about it. That sort of thing does wonders for fleshing out a setting. Speaking of which, you can really feel the setting in the music. So kickass.

I was most impressed by the gameplay and how dang fun it was just jumping around. And holy holy heck, huge shoutout to Damu. What an incredibly fun little buddy! And so cute! Going on little adventures... Gah!

Haha, anyways, if you have even a passing interest in platformers, this is totally worth a go. It's up there with the best!

Мда. Оно вроде и неплохое, но какое-то корявое ужасно.

Постоянно ловишь себя на мысли, что вот тут, тут и тут за пять копеек можно было бы сделать сильно лучше. Нарисовать менее уродливые шрифты. Записать побольше сэмплов, чтобы кирка героини не била по снегу, камню, дереву и парусиновой палатке с одинаковым железным звуком. Как-то подправить интро, потому что текущая вводная вызывает только недоумение - одна из самых богатых женщин мира внезапно в одиночестве и без оружия/экипировки/связи отправляется в Антарктику и лезет там в какие-то пещеры?? Это нормально вообще?

По-хорошему, надо бы поправить боевку, потому что в текущем виде она ужасна, т.е. по сути ее нет, проще пробежать мимо роящихся роботов, чем пытаться их ударить своей горестной киркой. Надо поправить систему скиллов, которая состоит из миллиона бессмысленных улучшений вида "+1% дамага кирки, которая все равно ни для чего не нужна". Но это надо дофига переделывать в игре, и я вполне готов понять, что на это не хватило времени, денег, сил. Инди :) Бывает :)

А вот все эти мелочи, которые исправляются за один день, но никто не захотел их исправить - они реально огорчают. После идеальной первой части смотрится очень странно, как будто с разработчиком что-то нехорошее случилось.

Something I love about this game: there really are no intrusive loading screens in the game. Arguably when you rematerialize after death there is a bit of a loading time, and there is some time spent in an animation when traveling via elevator, but that is infrequent and very minimal. Having grown accustomed to instant or quick load times on the PS5 and Series S, I find load times on the Switch quite painful. It's great when you then play a game like Axiom Verge and find yourself with no loading downtime due to the design of the game. It makes it hard for me not to love a game like that all the more.

On a side note, what a hypothetical Switch Pro needs more than a processor boost is faster storage. It could do wonders for even some of Nintendo's own games.

Away from home for a few days for the holiday and without a wifi connection that’s sufficient enough to stream games from my Xbox/xCloud to continue playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon, so I think I’m going to finally dig into Axiom Verge on my Switch.

While y’all are plying Metroid Dread I’ll be “slumming” it with the other Metroidvania that came out this year.

I love this game so much. I cannot get enough of the atmosphere that comes from both of these games. One thing I really enjoy about Axiom Verge 2 is how Thomas Happ managed to keep the feel of the game exactly the same, while completely overhauling the weapon system and making it less about fancy guns, and more about interesting items that allow you to traverse the map differently. Exploration has always been a focus of the genre as well as this series in particular and the abilities you find are immediately useful.

When you stumble upon weapon after weapon in Axiom Verge, what you need to figure out is, "what do I need this gun for? What are it's strengths and weaknesses?" You also spend time switching between weapons all the time, and you stare at a weapon wheel for more time that I would like. In Axiom Verge 2, once you find an item and it gives you the description, I get all kinds of excited because you know exactly how much easier traversing the world will be. When I first got the slingshot for "Bug mode", I was ecstatic. The hover ability was an absolutely game changer. Finding upgrades is the pinnacle of the endorphin rush that is the Metroidvania genre and Axiom Verge 2 makes you feel handsomely rewarded each and every time.

I just got the item that lets you leave The Breach from any point whatsoever (and not just through the exit portals), which is a HUGE perk, because now you can freely move in between the Breach and the Overworld. Think Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past when you get the Magic Mirror. In fact, it's exactly the same concept - you can "drop" yourself in strategic locations in the Light World by positioning yourself in the Dark World and using the Mirror. Very cool indeed.

Overall I'd say Axiom Verge 2 shakes up the formula terrifically. It's worth saying that the huge overhaul to the weapons system I mentioned earlier, I personally believe was a nice change. While I loved the run-and-gun of the first, as there is a much higher focus on melee combat now, it essentially turns Axiom Verge 2 into a stealth game where running around enemies is the best option 99% of the time. While you have a Boomerang weapon for ranged attacks, I personally find it rather useless, and enemies fire projectiles quite often, meaning you are perpetually at a disadvantage, and evasion is the better strategy. Due to this rather sizable change, there is also a lack of boss battles - don't get me wrong, they exist, but they aren't really a focus like in the first game. Again, the exploration is so damn good, that this doesn't even matter to me.

Whether I play Axiom Verge 2 for 15 minutes or over an hour, I have a blast ripping around the map, exploring every nook and cranny, and finding upgrades, notes, and new items is just as riveting 7 hours into the game as it was at the beginning.

In a genre that is criminally overdone at this point, Axiom Verge 2 somehow manages to keep the ominous tone of the first game, albeit far less gritty, and with a whole new personality that makes it a blast to play through. A highlight of the first game was the soundtrack, and the quality of the second is excellent. While the first title saw the player exploring underground labyrinths and an extremely dark tone and soundtrack, the followup is much lighter, as you are outside the majority of the time. The music reflects this beautifully and the soundtrack is more mysterious and less ominous.

Listen for yourself:

https://open.spotify.com/album/53ObkDGcJh5q3z6q9ddxXt?si=77d625653f03448f

https://open.spotify.com/album/2R8t36OwDeDnCCGhUEcC9N?si=GetInn2IRkWgPjla20xPKQ

If you have yet to play the first, I highly recommend playing it first, not because of an interconnected story (there is none), but because having the first as a base allows the improvements and changes of the followup really shine through. Without that comparison, Axiom Verge 2 may not come through as strong, although if you can only play one, either game is a great decision.

I will start off by saying that if you play Axiom Verge 2 with the hope that it will be more of the same, you will probably be sorely disappointed. This sequel focuses almost exclusively on exploration, combat is purposefully almost optional and there are practically no boss fights. I found that choice very refreshing and I’m glad Happ had the courage to make the game he wanted, because it’s easily one of the best Metroidvanias of the past few years, in large part because it’s so focused on world design and systems. It’s a joy to get new upgrades and they are never exactly what you think they will be. The map coordinates and the two worlds that superimpose themselves are brilliant ideas, that I have never seen in a Metroidvania before. The closest thing to it is the dark/light world from a Link to the Past, and figuring out where to go next or how to grab an item is similarly rewarding.

Absolute treasure of a game if you can approach it on its own terms.

PROS

• Lack of hand-holding and open-ended level design make exploration feel meaningful
• Navigation becomes a big, satisfying puzzle after you unlock a few upgrades
• Dense map is filled with short cuts that minimize back-tracking

CONS

• Slow pacing and simplistic mechanics hurt the first several hours
• Lackluster combat and boss fights
• Irritating music and sound effects
• Uninteresting plot