![]() While her default ice pick can be swapped out for a handful of more powerful weapons over the course of the game (provided you seek them out), most of her upgrades revolve around her ability to traverse her new surroundings. Some enemies can be hacked to make them easier to fight, while others can be made into allies who will fight on your behalf (albeit briefly, as they often get nuked pretty fast by their fellow drones). Whereas its predecessor threw more guns at you than you knew what to do with, Axiom Verge 2 shows a much keener sense of focus in the way it doles out its (still plentiful) supply of upgrades, giving you the time and space to really invest in your equipment instead of instantly discarding it for a newer, shinier trinket. Eventually, though (for reasons I won't spoil here), this little drone becomes the most important bit of kit in Indra's hastily put together toolbag, giving you new satisfying freedoms in the way you move through the world, and how you engage with it. Much like in Axiom Verge 1, new protagonist Indra acquires the ability to launch a small, remote metallic pal pretty early on in the game, allowing you to crawl through small passageways and reach new areas that are inaccessible to you as a human. The grappling hook is arguably the secret star of Axiom Verge 2 - or more precisely, it's the robot drone it's attached to. What it lacks in finger-tapping firepower, it more than makes up for with clever puzzles, a more meaningful skillset, and a very, very neat grappling hook. It turned heads with its dizzying array of guns and tough bosses, but it was its planet full of glitches that sealed the deal, as it felt like you weren't just playing a great Metroidvania, but you were also getting to peek behind the curtain to see what made it tick.Īxiom Verge 2, a semi-sequel that's set in the same universe as Axiom Verge 1 but can be played standalone without any knowledge of what went down beforehand, is a more sedate affair than its predecessor, but Happ's fascination with portals, overlapping worlds and seeing beyond the veil has only grown stronger in the intervening six years. The solo dev's first entry in the series was a breakout retro hit back in 2015, harking back to the 16-bit Metroid and Castlevania games of yore with its detailed pixel art and retro sensibilities. Stumbling across different dimensions will always be a rich vein for video game plotlines, but rarely are they as stylish and fiendishly conceived as Thomas Happ's Axiom Verge games. ![]() The randomizer is available now (in beta) for the Steam and Epic Games Store versions of Axiom Verge, and will come to consoles as a free update once the team gets “all of the kinks worked out.”Īxiom Verge 2 is releasing sometime in the first half of 2021, so while you wait, you can check out this randomizer to re-familiarize yourself with Axiom Verge's strange, haunting sci-fi world.It saves its best tricks until last, but Axiom Verge 2 is another enthralling Metroidvania from solo dev Thomas Happ, and its clever dimension puzzles are a retro-infused feast for the senses. If that sounds interesting, you should read the full post to get a more complete idea of how the mode works, and what the additional options are. That’s what the randomizer mode is smart enough to figure out, ensuring that you can still move forward while also adding a layer of unpredictability to your playthrough. Because of the way the game is structured, you need access to weapons with specific properties (like shooting through walls, or destroying certain barriers) at certain points, or else your progress would be blocked. In other words, it doesn’t just give you weapons in a haphazard random order. The Randomizer is smart enough to know that in certain areas you need weapons with certain characteristics to progress.” According to Happ’s post, “Essentially, the Randomizer Mode randomizes (thus the name) the items you get as you progress through the game, but in a very sophisticated way. ![]() So what does the randomizer actually do? It switches up the order in which you receive various items and upgrades, allowing experienced players to challenge themselves. In a blog post, Happ explains that he has been working on Axiom Verge 2 since the launch of the original, and this new randomizer is the result of the passion and dedication of fans in Axiom Verge speedrunning community it was made primarily by volunteers while Happ focused on the upcoming game. Now, with Axiom Verge 2 on the horizon, Happ has made the surprising announcement that a new randomizer mode is coming to the first game. The 2D, Metroid-inspired indie game from developer Thomas Happ came out back in 2015 and earned acclaim for its clever gameplay and retro aesthetic. Almost six years after its original release, new content is on the way for the original Axiom Verge. ![]()
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