Axiom Verge 2 (2021)

[MindFreak]

Surprised that this didn't have its own thread.

There is a developer presentation with some new gameplay:

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by MindFreak

[drahkon]

I've started the first one about a million times but never finished it. It's on my to-do list, though
Hope that the sequel will arrive on PS consoles eventually. It looks like a logical evolution of Axiom Verge.

[Ronnie]

How 'Metroidvania' is the original Axiom Verge, are we talking Super Metroid where you are constantly getting lost and not knowing what to do, or the Ori games where it's pretty linear and you pretty much know where to go at all times.

[MindFreak]

@Ronnie I haven't played Super Metroid (yeah....) but AV is definitely not as helping and guiding as Ori. The areas are very similar to each other making it easy to get lost. I don't remember being stuck for long, though, as each area always had something that you could do after getting a new ability.

I would recommend trying it. It's neither long nor expensive and it's a good game. I don't think it's the best Metroidvania in history but a pretty decent one.

[Goron_3]

@Ronnie It's closer to Super Metroid. It's an absolutely superb game imo.

[Sméagol]

Day 1 for me.

[darksnowman]

Out now for £14.57 (RRP £16.19).
https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Axiom-Verge-2-1695253.html

On 26/03/2021 at 6:57 PM, Sméagol said:

Day 1 for me.

So how you liking it??

[Sméagol]

2 hours ago, darksnowman said:

So how you liking it??

I don't know. I just got back from the cinema and haven't seen the Direct yet. And I feel like going to bed, so may catch up tomorrow.

That said.. Usually I'd wait for a physical. For this one I'd make an exception.. if it weren't for the state of my controllers. I was about to finally contact support, but this is a bit of an inopportune timing.

[Dufniall]

Perfect timing for this one. Just finished Immortals Fenyx Rising, and I was considering what to play next, and then the Indie Direct was shown, and then Axiom Verge 2 dropped. So yeah, picked it up, only a 450Mb download, and played about an hour. Plays super smooth, vague stuff happening, soundtrack sounds great. This is going to be good!

@Sméagol: Limited Run pre-orders for the physical start October 1st. Don't know how long they usual take between pre-orders and actual shipping but October is already quite soon.

Edited August 12, 2021 by Vileplume2000

[Sméagol]

1 hour ago, Vileplume2000 said:

@Sméagol: Limited Run pre-orders for the physical start October 1st. Don't know how long they usual take between pre-orders and actual shipping but October is already quite soon.

That's is most likely going to be 2022, but I'll have the game long before that in this case. Would like an European release though. I have the regular European release of the first game, although apparenty there was some conflict between the game's creator and the publisher.

[darksnowman]

20 hours ago, Sméagol said:

Usually I'd wait for a physical. 

You didn't mention this caveat back in March though.  

20 hours ago, Sméagol said:

For this one I'd make an exception.

Good, stick to the day 1 plan!

20 hours ago, Sméagol said:

.. if it weren't for the state of my controllers. I was about to finally contact support, but this is a bit of an inopportune timing.

 All right put it on the backburner, then. 

[Sméagol]

17 minutes ago, darksnowman said:

You didn't mention this caveat back in March though.  

Good, stick to the day 1 plan!

 All right put it on the backburner, then. 

Well yeah, that  can happen when you rely on shadowdrop.. They caught me off guard. I simply won't be able to play the game properly right now. I've been playing less in general these days. Regardless, this game is on my must-buy list.

[Dufniall]

After a good 10 hours credits have rolled on Axiom Verge 2. I'm going to throw it into spoiler tags just to be safe. Won't spoiler too much,but will mention some of the upgrades and if you want to go in completely blind better not read the next part. Conclusion: Good game, not as good as the first one, but with plenty of interesting moments, plays well and sounds well, and a bold move to take quite a different approach compared to the first game.
 

Spoiler

 

Compared to Axiom Verge 1, there are quite some different choices made. First of all, out with the guns and in with melee weaponry. Combat is much more focused on melee, but overall the game focuses less on combat (you can bypass most enemies if you want), and it's more about (vertical) exploration. Unfortunately this also means the departure of the room-filling bosses from the first game, which is a shame.

The biggest twist is a hacking mechanism you pick up quite soon, which lets you hack enemies, gates and the likes. You can choose to slow enemies, make them your allies, blow them up, giving combat a more tactical approach. With all your other Metroidvania powerups, you can feel that the dev wanted to avoid reusing abilities from the first game, so your moveset in the end is quite different from the one in Axiom Verge.

The story is a bit vague and all over the place. The main storyline is kind of clear, but the lore you find underway is vague, unclear and makes it unnecessary complicated.

The game looks and sounds great. The main world has the same pixely vibe as Axiom Verge 1, but the Breach (a parallel world you can enter as a drone) has a very bright, even more pixely look. Soundtrack is fitting too, it's not only chiptunes but there are some chanted parts as well which gave me goosebumps the first time.

Would give it a solid 8/10. Love the different approach, although I do prefer guns over melee. Also I miss the big bosses. The world is more interesting though, and the parallel world you can go through works great too.