Really love this but yeah between the first game and this one, I am beginning to suspect Happ needs to turn up his studio monitors or something. The sounds are deafening and completely overpower the mix. I had to basically put sound effects at 1/2 volume and turn my TV way down to get this to match the audio of every other Switch game. Still: easy recommendations for Metroid fans. Wonderful stuff.
From the video, it seems like the background often blends with the foreground especially during the waterfall area and there's a couple points in the video where it seems like the player wasn't sure if something was interactable or not. Is that ever an issue in practice or just coincidentally happens a few times in this edit?
In practice I did sometimes get confused whether something was a platform or just part of the background. There's an accessibility option to increase the contrast between background and foreground, but I left it off because I found it detracted from the ambience of the game by darkening the bright exterior backgrounds. So that confusion was a minor annoyance sometimes. I still had fun with the game though.
It wasn't a problem for me, but there is a slider for it in the accessibility menu to make the background and foreground more distinct from each other.
I love this game. I loved the first one, and this is everything I could have hope it would be. I know it's different and maybe a little less of a sugar high compared to the first one... but this is more, different and truly inspired.
Probably a hot take, but I started it and uninstalled it after 2h. Probably gets better later on with all the praise it got, but to me it was the kind of metroidvania that doesn't value your time and would've been better if it was more linear. It's also going for that very retro feel so it doesn't play as smoothly as more contemporary metroidvania's.
@@Ayoul Yeah it's definitely got some pretty rough edges and isn't for everyone. I liked it enough to finish, but not try to platinum. But now I'm thinking of going back and giving it another go before I sink my teeth into this one.
I think the original is a masterpiece personally. This is a great game as well, but definitely not up to par with the first. Nonetheless, I actually appreciate this approach to the sequel in making it something very different, so I'm not complaining. Just doesn't hit the highs of the original. Hope you all playing for the first time end up loving them both!
Oh yeah, first order of business when booting up the game should be to turn down those sound effects in the options. I'm still making my way through the game. In fact I've only been playing it for a day, but was surprised to see my playtime was nearly six hours. I had been spending the last few of those exploring the map with some very useful movement and QOL related abilities, hoping that I would stumble on the way forward. I looked it up and it turns out I missed the way forward because I didn't use a particular new ability right in the room where I got it. Which I think is understandable since that ability's purpose isn't meant for interacting with things in the immediate vicinity, but to travel to a totally different part of the map.
@Travis Newsome From my point of view I still had areas I wanted to check out. The ability to leave the Breach sounded like a QoL power, and not something I had to use right then and there. I absolutely did use the power soon after getting it, just not at the precise moment the game wanted me to.
@Travis Newsome lol "that's on you" etc etc. Doesn't Fast Travel come from an urn? There's an example of an urn power that's never necessary to progress. Anyway, I beat the game last night and didn't get stuck again after the event that I mentioned. Thinking back on it, this game is actually very straightforward compared to most in this genre. I wasn't able to get much use out of the compass - always pointing me to the nearest breach rather than to the breach closest to where I need to be, but the map coordinates give me an idea of where I'm supposed to ultimately reach. And there's never a Metroid Prime moment where you gain a new ability and the next step is to abandon the current area and return to one specific room in the first area you saw three hours ago.
Great review for a great game. I would give it the same score. It's not quite the masterpiece the original was, but it's neat that Happ tried something new and it's filled with great ideas. Some of the upgrades you get towards the end are brilliant in recontextualizing the way you think about navigating between the Breach and the Overworld. Oh, I'll also add a quick note: I too found the sound effects grating, but fortunately, you can lower them independently of the music. :) Feels like that should be mentioned. I had to turn them way low because the charging sound effect is so awful. Hope that gets patched so I can turn them up just a tiny bit...but not much, because the music is too damn good.
I respect Thomas’ decision to make something fresh, but in this case I would have been incredibly happy with more of the same. Since Axiom Verge came out 6 years ago, and it wasn’t a terribly long game that left me craving more, I wish 2 would have followed more in the footsteps of the first. I just can’t seem to get into 2. And this is coming from someone who is a massive fan of exploration
Sadly, comparing this game to the original on a rating scale I'd only give it a 5/10. The original was something absolutely unexplainable through words to just how remarkable it was. How great the music was, the creepiness of the world, monsters, story, etc. It was one of the most perfect retro inspired games ever crafted. I will say it would have been hard to get Axiom 2 to that level of greatness. I went from liking the game a lot, to just being 'meh' once I beat it.
I prefer Metroidvanias with guns, disappointed this game went with melee focused gameplay. Axiom Verge 1 was the closest thing to Metroid games, that replicated what made Metroid so great. Plus a soundtrack that was catchy both in & outside the game. Prefer the art style from 1 as well. I'm sure this game is great on its own merits. It had big shoes to fill, after the success of the first game. Still plan to play this one though, as a fan of the genre.
Just finished playing this, and thankfully the pros definitely outweighed the cons for me, I had a lot of fun. Hopefully we won't have to wait until 2027 for Axiom Verge 3.
Started playing Axiom Verge 2 and I think it's not as good as the Axiom Verge just cause of it being opened world and using melee weapons. Though it's challenging and I like how if you die that you end up at the last save point which is nice. I definitely need to beat Axiom Verge after I finish Axiom Verge 2.
There is a volume slider. Didn't mean to imply there wasn't one, but I think it's important to review / represent the game on default settings. -Bloodworth
I had checked this out myself and quotes seem to suggest that it isn't quite. "Happ says that Axiom Verge 2 is a companion piece to the first one, not quite a sequel or prequel, but a separate thing in the same world that should still make sense if played before Axiom Verge. " - PC Gamer -Bloodworth
Yeah, this one has a much more simplistic and more heavily pixelated artstyle than the first. The first was doing all sorts of things that elevated it beyond 16 bit sprite art imitation, but I guess Happ wanted this one to be a bit more truly retro? Not really sure. Funny enough though, I had forgotten how much cleaner the first game looked until I re-booted it up after beating the sequel.
@@Largentina. AV1's art had way more contrast and saturation. It also did much more with a smaller color palette. The environments were downright inspirational; from the puslating hearts in the background as you climb out of Zi to the gigantic radiolaria in the open air of Kur.
I really liked the first game but man, this one feels really rough to play, even if it's one of my favourite genres. The combat is just extremely boring with this pickaxe and boomerang. And yeah yeah, maybe it gets better later down the line, but I rather play games which hook me from the start. Also... low-health-beeping... this dev understands what's absolutely needed in such a game...
Also the disgusting static noise that blares in your ears if you try to walk around with an attack charged up. This game has some nice music, some nice art, and some nice ideas but I agree with you: overall the game is VERY disappointing compared to the first
If I were able to make a video game myself, I would do a similar thing, a 16-bit style pixel art main world and an 1-bit style secondary world, but I'd do something different with the music. 16-bit style music for the 16-bit style world, and real instruments for the 1-bit style world. I will purchase Axiom Verge if it's released in physical for PS4, otherwise, I'll pass.
The game has the same flaw as the first game, namely that the mini map is too small in the corner. Its even more painful when you just came from playing Bloodstained.
The sound design in both games is painful to listen to, which is the primary reason I haven't gotten into them. Maybe I can just mute the game and listen to something else while I play.
Funny, I had the opposite reaction. I felt like the first game's environments were often somewhat derivative, while this one, with its Mesopotamian influences meshed with bits of technology felt more distinct. There's a ruined city area with crumbling stone towers that I really like, but we don't show much in the review since it's a bit later in the game. -Bloodworth
@@EasyAllies Well, since I haven't actually played the game I can't fully judge it, but what I've seen just looks like pixel plains, pixel mountains etc, generic pixel landscapes. While the first one looks alien, derivative as it may be.
The combat didn't feel great as the first maybe I prefer guns instead. The exploration was not exciting and felt like a chore near the end. I got lost for a couple hours. This game is in 7 or 8 range.
It's not quite as good, but it's still a wonderful game with lots of brilliant ideas in its exploration. You should absolutely play it if you enjoyed the first. This review does a good job of not revealing some of the cooler areas and abilities you get later on. If you meant graphically, yeah, Happ also went for a more pixelated artstyle here compared to the original.
In an interview for the first game, Happ stated that was done intentionally to convey a sense of uneasy for the player. To portray the world as something completely alien, dangerous. A place that doesn't want you in it.
Worthless combat upgrades, an abandonment of one of the core pillars of the game - combat. With no bookmarking the experience with boss fights. Makes for a weird progression and far from an 8/10. Pair that with lackluster world design and grating sound effects and you get disappointment.
First and second game though similar are completely different and shouldn't be directly compared in my opinion. I prefer guns and bossfights in metroidvanias, but this one offered something different in its exploration. Both games have ups and downs, this one had better quality of life adjustments but I did prefer the first game slightly
Really love this but yeah between the first game and this one, I am beginning to suspect Happ needs to turn up his studio monitors or something. The sounds are deafening and completely overpower the mix. I had to basically put sound effects at 1/2 volume and turn my TV way down to get this to match the audio of every other Switch game. Still: easy recommendations for Metroid fans. Wonderful stuff.
agreed, I chopped the SFX volume and constantly have to keep my TV's overall volume quite low.
Same and same.
One of my favorite things about the first game was the music it was awesome
From the video, it seems like the background often blends with the foreground especially during the waterfall area and there's a couple points in the video where it seems like the player wasn't sure if something was interactable or not. Is that ever an issue in practice or just coincidentally happens a few times in this edit?
In practice I did sometimes get confused whether something was a platform or just part of the background. There's an accessibility option to increase the contrast between background and foreground, but I left it off because I found it detracted from the ambience of the game by darkening the bright exterior backgrounds. So that confusion was a minor annoyance sometimes. I still had fun with the game though.
It's very incredibly minor and happened a few times at the start of the game and not much after that.
It's an issue. As with all other things in this game, it's been poorly thought out.
It wasn't a problem for me, but there is a slider for it in the accessibility menu to make the background and foreground more distinct from each other.
@@joaogrrr - all things poorly thought out? Is your comment well thought out?
Love a Bloodworth review! Always a treat.
Considering his personal life issues. Happ is an awesome designer when it comes to this genre. Bravo
What’s his personal life gotta do with the quality of his design capabilities
I love this game. I loved the first one, and this is everything I could have hope it would be. I know it's different and maybe a little less of a sugar high compared to the first one... but this is more, different and truly inspired.
@Travis Newsome - I think it’s very fair. Very very fair. So fair.
I’ve had the first one for years and haven’t touched it…. Need to do that now. This looks good.
Same. I got it on the switch when it was $5 or something. Gotta give it a try.
Probably a hot take, but I started it and uninstalled it after 2h. Probably gets better later on with all the praise it got, but to me it was the kind of metroidvania that doesn't value your time and would've been better if it was more linear. It's also going for that very retro feel so it doesn't play as smoothly as more contemporary metroidvania's.
@@Ayoul Yeah it's definitely got some pretty rough edges and isn't for everyone. I liked it enough to finish, but not try to platinum. But now I'm thinking of going back and giving it another go before I sink my teeth into this one.
I think the original is a masterpiece personally. This is a great game as well, but definitely not up to par with the first. Nonetheless, I actually appreciate this approach to the sequel in making it something very different, so I'm not complaining. Just doesn't hit the highs of the original.
Hope you all playing for the first time end up loving them both!
Oh, I was waiting for this one. Great job Blood.
This is like the perfect example of what a review should be. Great stuff. And what an awesome game too.
I've been playing it and having a blast thus far
Oh yeah, first order of business when booting up the game should be to turn down those sound effects in the options.
I'm still making my way through the game. In fact I've only been playing it for a day, but was surprised to see my playtime was nearly six hours. I had been spending the last few of those exploring the map with some very useful movement and QOL related abilities, hoping that I would stumble on the way forward. I looked it up and it turns out I missed the way forward because I didn't use a particular new ability right in the room where I got it. Which I think is understandable since that ability's purpose isn't meant for interacting with things in the immediate vicinity, but to travel to a totally different part of the map.
@Travis Newsome From my point of view I still had areas I wanted to check out. The ability to leave the Breach sounded like a QoL power, and not something I had to use right then and there. I absolutely did use the power soon after getting it, just not at the precise moment the game wanted me to.
@Travis Newsome lol "that's on you" etc etc. Doesn't Fast Travel come from an urn? There's an example of an urn power that's never necessary to progress. Anyway, I beat the game last night and didn't get stuck again after the event that I mentioned. Thinking back on it, this game is actually very straightforward compared to most in this genre. I wasn't able to get much use out of the compass - always pointing me to the nearest breach rather than to the breach closest to where I need to be, but the map coordinates give me an idea of where I'm supposed to ultimately reach. And there's never a Metroid Prime moment where you gain a new ability and the next step is to abandon the current area and return to one specific room in the first area you saw three hours ago.
@Travis Newsome Buddy who's dying on a hill? I thought we were talking about a video game here. Maybe take a break from the computer eh?
Great review!
Great review for a great game. I would give it the same score. It's not quite the masterpiece the original was, but it's neat that Happ tried something new and it's filled with great ideas. Some of the upgrades you get towards the end are brilliant in recontextualizing the way you think about navigating between the Breach and the Overworld.
Oh, I'll also add a quick note: I too found the sound effects grating, but fortunately, you can lower them independently of the music. :) Feels like that should be mentioned. I had to turn them way low because the charging sound effect is so awful. Hope that gets patched so I can turn them up just a tiny bit...but not much, because the music is too damn good.
Great review! I was looking forward to that game.
Lol, that little pause at the "Jones Station" sign at 1:59 must be intentional
You are witnessing my reaction, lol. -Bloodworth
I honestly believe this game would’ve been better received if it didn’t have Axiom Verge in the title.
I respect Thomas’ decision to make something fresh, but in this case I would have been incredibly happy with more of the same. Since Axiom Verge came out 6 years ago, and it wasn’t a terribly long game that left me craving more, I wish 2 would have followed more in the footsteps of the first. I just can’t seem to get into 2. And this is coming from someone who is a massive fan of exploration
I’ve only gotten an hour or two in on this game but I’m loving it! Thanks for the review Blood!
Sadly, comparing this game to the original on a rating scale I'd only give it a 5/10. The original was something absolutely unexplainable through words to just how remarkable it was. How great the music was, the creepiness of the world, monsters, story, etc. It was one of the most perfect retro inspired games ever crafted. I will say it would have been hard to get Axiom 2 to that level of greatness. I went from liking the game a lot, to just being 'meh' once I beat it.
I prefer Metroidvanias with guns, disappointed this game went with melee focused gameplay. Axiom Verge 1 was the closest thing to Metroid games, that replicated what made Metroid so great. Plus a soundtrack that was catchy both in & outside the game. Prefer the art style from 1 as well. I'm sure this game is great on its own merits. It had big shoes to fill, after the success of the first game. Still plan to play this one though, as a fan of the genre.
Just finished playing this, and thankfully the pros definitely outweighed the cons for me, I had a lot of fun. Hopefully we won't have to wait until 2027 for Axiom Verge 3.
Started playing Axiom Verge 2 and I think it's not as good as the Axiom Verge just cause of it being opened world and using melee weapons. Though it's challenging and I like how if you die that you end up at the last save point which is nice. I definitely need to beat Axiom Verge after I finish Axiom Verge 2.
Wow is there really no volume slider for the sfx?
There is a volume slider. Didn't mean to imply there wasn't one, but I think it's important to review / represent the game on default settings. -Bloodworth
This feels like the original and the original feels like the sequel. It's a regression in every sense of the word.
does anyone know if this supports 120hz on PC/PS5? or is it locked at a lower fps? debating getting it on switch..
I played on Switch and have had frame drops to around 30fps. It's mostly solid 60, but, like all Switch games now, it has spots where it chugs. L&R
@@___IG it's crazy to me a game like this could even drop beneath 60fps, even if it's on Switch, I hope Happ is working on a patch...
@@___IG hmmm good to know, will probablly get it on PC then
Isnt it a prequel ?
I had checked this out myself and quotes seem to suggest that it isn't quite.
"Happ says that Axiom Verge 2 is a companion piece to the first one, not quite a sequel or prequel, but a separate thing in the same world that should still make sense if played before Axiom Verge. " - PC Gamer
-Bloodworth
Maybe I’m biased as a pixel artist, but why does the art style seem like a substantial downgrade from the first game.
I prefer the second game over the first game, but the first game looks substantially better to me and I'm not sure why.
Yeah, this one has a much more simplistic and more heavily pixelated artstyle than the first. The first was doing all sorts of things that elevated it beyond 16 bit sprite art imitation, but I guess Happ wanted this one to be a bit more truly retro? Not really sure.
Funny enough though, I had forgotten how much cleaner the first game looked until I re-booted it up after beating the sequel.
@@Largentina. AV1's art had way more contrast and saturation. It also did much more with a smaller color palette. The environments were downright inspirational; from the puslating hearts in the background as you climb out of Zi to the gigantic radiolaria in the open air of Kur.
This one isn’t half as good as the first 🤷🏾♂️
The game crushes the first in every way. Simply Amazing.
No... It's great but it sure is shit doesn't crush the first game. Most people don't even think it's as good as the first game.
I was going to buy this on my switch and then I saw Quake with motion controls. But I'll be buying this sometime
I really liked the first game but man, this one feels really rough to play, even if it's one of my favourite genres.
The combat is just extremely boring with this pickaxe and boomerang.
And yeah yeah, maybe it gets better later down the line, but I rather play games which hook me from the start.
Also... low-health-beeping... this dev understands what's absolutely needed in such a game...
Also the disgusting static noise that blares in your ears if you try to walk around with an attack charged up. This game has some nice music, some nice art, and some nice ideas but I agree with you: overall the game is VERY disappointing compared to the first
If I were able to make a video game myself, I would do a similar thing, a 16-bit style pixel art main world and an 1-bit style secondary world, but I'd do something different with the music. 16-bit style music for the 16-bit style world, and real instruments for the 1-bit style world. I will purchase Axiom Verge if it's released in physical for PS4, otherwise, I'll pass.
The game has the same flaw as the first game, namely that the mini map is too small in the corner. Its even more painful when you just came from playing Bloodstained.
Wow, that mini-map is absolutely useless.
The sound design in both games is painful to listen to, which is the primary reason I haven't gotten into them. Maybe I can just mute the game and listen to something else while I play.
There is a SFX slider, so lowering the volume without eliminating it altogether may help. -Bloodworth
anyone else thumbs up Easy Allies reviews before watching them?
I've watched a few reviews and the main take away seems to be "not as good as the first" Disappointing.
The new locations and such look very... Generic when compared to the Gieger-esque stuff in the first game.
Funny, I had the opposite reaction. I felt like the first game's environments were often somewhat derivative, while this one, with its Mesopotamian influences meshed with bits of technology felt more distinct. There's a ruined city area with crumbling stone towers that I really like, but we don't show much in the review since it's a bit later in the game. -Bloodworth
@@EasyAllies Well, since I haven't actually played the game I can't fully judge it, but what I've seen just looks like pixel plains, pixel mountains etc, generic pixel landscapes. While the first one looks alien, derivative as it may be.
Do I need 2 have played the firstb1?
Nope, you can play them in either order. The stories have connections, but each basically stands alone. -Bloodworth
@@louisebrown103 Nah, but I would recommend it, just because it's so good. It's more of a shooter than this one apparently.
The combat didn't feel great as the first maybe I prefer guns instead. The exploration was not exciting and felt like a chore near the end. I got lost for a couple hours. This game is in 7 or 8 range.
Why does this look like a downgrade compared to the first game?
It's not quite as good, but it's still a wonderful game with lots of brilliant ideas in its exploration. You should absolutely play it if you enjoyed the first. This review does a good job of not revealing some of the cooler areas and abilities you get later on.
If you meant graphically, yeah, Happ also went for a more pixelated artstyle here compared to the original.
I thought the loud SFX were cool sounding
I know it's a small thing but I wish the larger enemies had better animation and graphics, they look like flat cardboard cutouts floating towards you.
The sound effects are horrid.
In an interview for the first game, Happ stated that was done intentionally to convey a sense of uneasy for the player. To portray the world as something completely alien, dangerous. A place that doesn't want you in it.
Worthless combat upgrades, an abandonment of one of the core pillars of the game - combat. With no bookmarking the experience with boss fights. Makes for a weird progression and far from an 8/10. Pair that with lackluster world design and grating sound effects and you get disappointment.
Would like to see you do better
@@omensoffate Why don't you address his arguments instead?
@@Vexillifer easy. That’s how the game is made. You either like it or don’t. Rest is subjective
@@omensoffate Yes, and his subjective opinion is he doesn't like it, which is his prerogative. Doesn't mean he has to go "do better".
First and second game though similar are completely different and shouldn't be directly compared in my opinion. I prefer guns and bossfights in metroidvanias, but this one offered something different in its exploration. Both games have ups and downs, this one had better quality of life adjustments but I did prefer the first game slightly
Nah this one ain’t it😒
Was looking forward to this game but than the developer decided place it in the epic store first.
L&R
Too bad it won't release on PC for another year.
It's on PC. I have it on my Epic account at home. -Bloodworth
@@EasyAllies In other words, not on PC for another year.
Unless you care about hoisting the colours of course.
@@matteste so on pc, got it.
@@matteste I'm not sure you realize how cringe you sound.
@@matteste Can you spout off the list of reasons EGS is so horrible? Haven't heard that canned response in twenty minutes or so.