Tom Happ is no stranger to game development, having worked on commercial projects including the MOBA End of Games, the Tiger Woods PGA Tour golf series, and sports arcade game NFL Street. Among a growing library of modern retro-styled games arises Axiom Verge, a stand out thanks to thoughtful and inspired composition from its sole developer. Like Cave Story and Shovel Knight, Axiom Verge unmistakabely manages to match a discerning level of quality and care.
Clearly Happ's inspiration drawn from Metroid hasn't fizzled, but grown throughout the years. Starting with a very direct homage to Metroid for the GameBoy Advance, the homebrew demo Orn does not stray very far from the source material. A side story involving a smuggler making a delivery to planet Zebeth, it takes us through familiar territory, but displays Happ's desire to put his own unique spin on the classic. Axiom Verge is a much more original project, and is clearly a pet project that is very close to the heart.
While there are some opaque similarities to Metroid in its presentation, they belie the subverting nature of the underlying design. How you tackle many situations that will appear familiar at first will throw you off if you rely too much on the intuition you have gained through learning Metroid's characteristics. The solutions could be staring at you right in the face, and if you're too caught up in the conventions of Nintendo's classic, you may even overlook them. Puzzling them out is very rewarding and empowering, realizing what you can now accomplish using these skills elsewhere, and the solutions can be quite cool.
There are many unique tools at your disposal to gain traction in various puzzling circumstances, but when all other methods are exhausted, you can pull out the Glitch Ray. This ingenious tool will alter platforms, blocks, enemies, and more in unpredictable ways that can help you overcome seemingly impossible situations. Turn a pest spawning enemy into a health fountain, turn airborne spores into floating footholds, or clip through normally impenetrable walls.
Many enjoyable staples from Metroid are still here, hidden rooms and power ups to find, and a sprawling interconnected map to explore, but there is a thick layer of individuality that sets Axiom Verge apart as a fresh experience. Far from a by the numbers remake, you'll be able to rediscover the feeling of playing Super Metroid for the first time.
Available on Windows May 14th, with Linux, Vita, and Mac versions planned, a whole new audience will get to explore the high tech alien world and uncover its secrets. Its price may make you hesitant, but I highly recommend jumping in if you are at all interested.
