Recent reviews by ByteØ

If Romania looks as hyper coloured and frantic as this game wants you to believe, I may need something to protect my retinas whenever I decide to visit. I just hope I don’t accidentally stumble into a portal to another world… although that could be a fun adventure on its own.

The presentation is vibrant and charming, with heavy use of colour that fits the whimsical tone but occasionally feels like visual overload. It definitely gives the game personality - A sense of wonder.

Near-mage often resembles a walking simulator with a linear story more than a point-and-click adventure game. It’s frustrating because the game is well presented, but fails to engage in any way that doesn’t align with its own script; making puzzle solving rather frustrating because you figured out the solution about three steps in, but the game doesn’t actually allow you until it flat out gives you the answer.

Puzzles are also fairly basic. Go to X place, talk to character Y. I’d hoped that the “rubbing items on everything until something happens” spiel replaced by “cast magic and see what explodes” would’ve made for a nice creative gateway into more environmental puzzles. The majority of spell prompts boil down to “cast magic on character”.

As an added note, I played through the game not using any spells, and found all it changed was how much of a hassle it was solving the puzzles in the “traditional” sense. That’s probably by design, the game wants you to cast that lovely magic spell to solve everything, but it did grate after a while.

The ability to cast spells and create your own build is interesting in theory, but hampered by the inability to use them whenever you want. Trying to use the spell wheel without being prompted by the game simply doesn’t let you cast anything.

It’s probably to keep you, the player, from getting too trigger happy, but some slack on when and where to cast spells would’ve been nicer than predetermined conditions. If only to experiment at least.

The story is fine, but not especially strong. You play as a teenager visiting her aunt in Romania, discover you can use magic, and end up at a magic academy in another dimension. There's a subplot about one of the teachers maybe wanting to enslave non-magical people, but it’s vague and not really developed. Later there’s a reveal that the protagonist was adopted and isn’t from a magical bloodline, which raises some questions that the game never really answers.

It’s not that the story is bad—it’s coherent and self-contained—but it brings up plot points that feel like they should matter more than they do. Nothing is followed through in a meaningful way, which makes you wonder why those twists were included at all, especially since the main quest only touches on them indirectly. Considering I played through the story twice without getting bored is perhaps a testament that it is made with love and care. I just wish it wasn’t so… strict and linear.

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a delightful little puzzle - I hesitate to use the word - platformer dungeon-m-up set in the Alps.

It’s a sight-seeing tour with the occasional Austrian goblin to whack-a-mole and conveniently marked ledges to climb while solving puzzles.

The stunning cell-shaded graphics and colourful design not only make it a pleasant environment to run around in, but surprised me with sweeping vistas and some gorgeous backgrounds begging to be snapped on a polaroid.

And of course I obliged by gleefully messing around with the robust photo mode features.

The world is likewise brimming with characters and stuff to do.

The gameplay loop is divided into two sections. You start the day by selecting an area to explore where you can find and beat dungeons, relax in designated spots or simply pick the flowers and bugger off back to town.

There’s no real sense of urgency, which adds to the relaxing nature of the game. Sure, the days always count up, but at no point is the game going to smack you for having spent 20 days making snow angels or riding the ski lift up and down for fun.

This is also the case with the dungeons. You’re free to complete these at your own pace and can - to some degree - decide in which order to complete them. The game is a stickler for forcing you to complete the first dungeon of an area before you’re able to do the rest (to serve as a sort of tutorial on the magic you get, presumably), and there’s a minimum of dungeons to complete before you can enter the boss arenas. But otherwise the game is unlikely to put its foot down and force you to walk the intended route.

Combat isn’t anything to write home about, but I quite enjoyed most of it. Enemies die in satisfying splashes of goo and the boss fights were all interesting in their own way. It’s sometimes a bit tiresome with forced enemy arenas that seem to go on forever, but overall functional and fun.

The second part is where you do your shopping, hang out with people to build up relationships or just spend time by yourself.

Hanging out with certain characters unlocks unique charms, abilities and gear by levelling your relationship with them. While doing solo activities like rowing a boat or relaxing at the spa is good for raising your stats.

Loot is strewn all across the maps and dungeons, with only a handful of chests put in more obscure places. Most of which contained the dungeon’s commemorative coin. Which only served as a little collectible to unlock outfits.

Despite my gripes with the lack of value vs. difficulty to find… It is good to see a game not hide its cosmetics behind DLCs, packs or microtransactions.

Controls can be a bit awkward to grasp. I personally started missing the jump button when Luisa was stopped dead in her tracks by small pebbles on the road.

Lacking any sort of aerial control also meant that platforming was generally an idle experience. Ledges you can grab onto are clearly indicated and jumping from point A to B may as well be a fixed animation with how little I had to pay attention. You can jump off into a gaping pitfall, but you’d likely be aiming for it anyway.

It’s not so much exploring the levels, more like steering Luisa along a rail that sometimes lets you pick an alternate direction.

Although the game isn’t as much of a sandbox as it could’ve been, I genuinely enjoyed Dungeons of Hinterberg.

Veilguard is the Dragon Age franchise stripped of all soul and meaning. It’s a pale husk masquerading with a paper bag on its head and a crude smiley face scribbled onto it with colourful crayon.

Whatever nuance and intelligence the series had is replaced with Marvel-esque quips and toothy grins from characters staring directly into the in-game camera. All that’s missing is the generic musical sting.

And yet… Veilguard keeps drawing me back in; with a third playthrough in progress and perhaps a fourth to come. Something I haven’t done since Origins. And I couldn’t quite put my finger on the why.

The story isn’t worth a single grain of salt with static writing and a lack of branching outcomes. Or any lack of your choices having a major impact, really.

The combat is functional, but can’t withstand the full runtime without growing stale and mind numbing when more flashy effects start appearing, and all you notice is Rook darting towards the next targeted blob that is supposedly an enemy.

Exploration is interesting on the first couple of maps, but the amount of story-locked roadblocks and linear level design made that a chore towards the end.

And so, I narrowed it down to the handful of characters I must’ve connected with. The Nevarran death mage with a skeleton butler, the Grey Warden and his cuddly griffon sidekick, the Dwarven scout with sudden magical powers. And of course the veterans of the series; Varric and Solas.

I’d be lying if I said Veilguard has good writing. In fact it’s pretty poor, predictable and erratic. It’s clear a lot of things were left on the cutting room floor, and it shows in the end quality.

Cutscenes lack engagement and feel as though Rook is only there to make the rest talk it all through. With them adding a brief summary of the tasks at hand once the conversation is done. Dialogue options and major choices feel like an illusion when the end result is always the same. The lack of conflict and everyone feeling like they’ve joined the Burger King Kids Club is just… Eugh.

The world is likewise dumbed and stripped down. Where Elves were usually looked at with disgust and a sneer, they’re now on equal ground with the humans who oppressed them for so long. Qunari who were normally fairly spread out are now openly roaming every place in Thedas like its normal. Mages walking about aren’t so much of a sticking point anymore either, apparently. It’s almost like Thedas’ mother asked to stop all the bickering, and Thedas sighed and replied “Oh, alright mum!”

Yet there are nuggets of character moments, attempts at world-building, glimpses of what could’ve been a much richer story and game. Solas being a magnificent Devil on your shoulder, seeing and learning about Kal-Sharok, Assan being a huggable little griffon, the siege of Weisshaupt, Emmerich and Mannfred summoning a smile on my face with their giddy curiosity.

Veilguard is flawed up the arse. It barely knows what to do with its own characters and established lore, combat is functional but samey and all the areas are a railroad sightseeing tour. So while I am giving the game a blue thumb*, it is with a glaring fat asterisk beside it.

Gestalt; Steam & Cinder is a fun, but middling metroidvania. The aesthetics are beautiful, with some impressive pixel art and animation. But while the corgis are cute and the steampunk environment gorgeous, they do little to distract from glaring shortcomings for what could’ve been a better game and ending.

Combat can grow stale after several level ups. Simple enemy behaviour and a lack of strategic options mean all you can do is beat down their health by smacking your sword around or giving them a nice bullet-lunch. It does purify the combat down to its basic skills, where tactfully choosing your moment to dodge or attack is a better alternative than smacking that A-button or using your entire magic arsenal. But at the same time, every boss you encounter behaves exactly the same.

Whittle down their stamina bar until they’re stunned for a brief period, smack their chops and dodge attacks where needed. Rinse and repeat until dead. Which makes them forgettable, frankly.

Likewise the metroidvania elements are simplistic and linear. Areas can feel claustrophobic with few open areas (although that would make sense within an industrial-environment), and exploration doesn’t really reward the player with anything worth the effort unless you’re a 100%-ing freak.

Some noteworthy writing in character dialogue and interaction, but sorely lacking some editing and finalizing in the overarching plot. Gestalt rushes for a conclusion without really thinking about the connecting bits, which results in a weak ending that is neither a satisfying endpoint nor does it work as an enticing sequel hook.

On a whole, Gestalt is a decent game for a one-time playthrough. Not exactly a contender for the Metroidvania top 5, but inoffensive and a solid Steam sale purchase.

I don't think anyone would be surprised to learn that Infernax is a good game. A damn good game even. The blood, the gore, the deep love for the old-school Castlevania games. It's all there, but wearing a modern, pixelated, blood-soaked jacket.

Infernax caught my eye after watching a few “no damage boss fights” videos of it, and I immediately fell in love with the design and the gameplay. I adore the Metroidvania's, but this... this is what Castlevania 2 for the NES should've been when it was first released. And I have a niggling in the back of my mind that the developers thought the same. So, Infernax was, presumably, born. A love-letter to Castlevania as it was back in the old days.

Being an old-school wannabe, Infernax is filled to the brim with similar mechanics but modernized. The game offers two difficulty settings. Casual and classic. Casual includes everything the game has to offer but allows a bit more leeway with health, damage, save-points and environmental hazards. And on death you're spawned at the start of the screen you died on. Whereas classic mode foregoes the silk gloves and tests your 80's gaming skills to the max. That means no in-between save points in dungeons, instant death pits and when you die it's back to your last save point. This allows players of all skill level to enjoy the game however they want.

Next, the pixel art. By God is it glorious. It's gory, bloody, visceral and truly a work of genuine art. Event regular enemies die in the most satisfying ways and bosses explode in a fireworks display of viscera and blood that covers your player sprite in spades. The soundtrack is likewise amazing. There weren't any tracks besides maybe the “evil path” overworld soundtrack that stood out but it did a good job of adding to the grim atmosphere.

Infernax's gameplay is a mixture of action and puzzle-platforming, and balances the two quite nicely so neither overstay their welcome. Some of the later platforming sections got a bit old, but mainly because I hate moving platforms. The boss fights were all rather unique and managed to challenge me up until the end.

To add to the combat, the game offers spells and different abilities you can use to kill enemies. Each dungeon houses one special ability, most of them metroidvania-like abilities like a super jump or a dash. Other abilities and spells are found throughout the world by completing quests and finding the appropriate trigger points to buy these spells/abilities.

Speaking of quests, now's a good time to mention that this game has a pseudo-moral system. By completing certain quests your character will gain good or bad karma which plays into the way the story unfolds. And not just in the way of a mediocre good or bad ending. There's even endings for beating the game as mostly good, mostly bad, a redemption ending and many others. This adds to the re-playability I've not seen in any other game,

Last, but not least, the game has recently added a co-op mode. You can now choose to play on your own as just yourself, play with a buddy or play alone and be able to swap between characters. The second character is a somewhat different play-style with his throwing axes and includes his own special abilities that you can upgrade to your liking.

In short, Infernax is a bloody good game and shows what Castlevania 2 could've been and more. While it has its problems (story being a little lacklustre, the game is fun and doesn't overstay its welcome. And has a ton of re-playability with all the endings and secrets to find as well.

Inspired by the ‘new’ Metroidvania greats like Blasphemous and Hollow Knight, the bleak world of Haiku, the Robot is very much a love letter to these titanic indie titles; with sprawling maps, background storytelling and tight gameplay.

You play as Haiku, a little robot fella that is promptly awoken from its slumber by a disembodied voice. The world you wake in is Arcadia. A shell of its former self corrupted by an affliction simply referred to as ‘the virus’ that has infected the robots and machinery roaming the lands. It’s a hostile world hellbent on swallowing anyone who dares enter it with a sane mind.

It’s not all bad, though. Haiku is not the only robot to willingly explore Arcadia and uncover its mysteries. Several other robots roam the lands; merchants selling useful trinkets, a self-proclaimed detective, an adventurous little robot and a… toaster with an almost child-like wonder. Much like the titles that Haiku, the Robot seeks to ape, these NPCs all have their own journey to take. It’s unlikely you’ll find them in the same place twice, creating a dynamic environment and breathing some life in what is essentially a world populated by berserk machinery.

The visual design of Haiku is very much a combination of 8-bit aesthetic, with contrasting colours giving each area a distinct feel (although there was a lot of orang-y red). The soundtrack was more of a background noise and didn’t really stand out to me besides a few tracks for cutscenes and one track for the forgotten ruins.

Haiku’s gameplay is a Metroidvania by the books, sprinkling a huge map with trinkets, lore and key items to enhance your platforming ability. Some of these are locked behind tricky but fair boss fights, while others are hidden in the world and require some puzzle-platforming to acquire.

To compensate for the lack of combat upgrades, the game adds modifiers called ‘chips’ that are bought from merchants, obtained from sidequests or simply found by exploring. These chips have varying effects and are categorised as three types; or colours:

• Red: combat-related chips that can give a crit-chance on hit, increase attack range or speed, add respawning electric balls that circle the character.
  
  
• Green: Traversal chips. Passive ability that increases money dropped from enemies, immunity to a permanent cooldown when in heated areas.
  
  
• Blue: Passive chips. Vary from gaining an extra health point, reduced cooldown or less money dropped on death.

All these chips can be swapped at will near a save point, although there is a limit to how many chips you can equip. The base limit is one of each chip colour, but there are chip slots scattered around the world, allowing a maximum of three slots for blue and red chips and two for green chips.

With that said, though. Most of these chips felt fairly useless in the grand scheme of things. I hardly experimented, and as soon as I found a combination I liked the game ended up providing nothing in the way of challenge beyond the odd “Oh, I didn’t see that coming” attack from a boss.

But, really, if that’s my only gripe with Haiku, the Robot? I’d argue it’s more than deserving of a recommendation.

Code:Vein is one of many games in the last couple of years that have taken a stab at experimenting with the souls-like formula that many “git gud” gamers have come to enjoy like a rake in the face. But does it deserve to stand among the great titans?

Code:Vein is a souls-like with a hefty Anime paint-job down to the obsessive character creation where every single detail can be fine-tuned where a ton of people have made it their life’s mission to recreate as many fictional – and perhaps real life – characters as the engine will allow. Of course they’re not perfect recreations, but some of them come pretty darn close. So, yeah, if you’re into creating a character down to their nostril hairs you can definitely do that. You might be there for a couple of hours, though.

The story is likewise littered with Anime-tropes and overcomplicated ideas (never mind the abundance of female characters compared to male characters). It’s… bloated to say the least and halfway into the first couple cutscenes I just tuned out and followed the main bits as best I could. You are a revenant, a vampire-like creature that can resurrect itself so long as the heart isn’t destroyed. Much like vampires you need to sustain yourself with blood or otherwise be doomed to frenzy and join the lost; revenants that have discarded their sanity and turned into terrifying creatures that make up the majority of enemies and bosses you end up beating to a pulp. The revenants were created to fight a monster known as the Queen, the first revenant that had incredible powers and wreaked havoc on the living. At some point this Queen was defeated and her body parts scattered and left with several individuals known as successors – People with high compatibility to inherit part of the Queen to then lock themselves away and keep the Queen from resurrecting.

As you start the game you find yourself awake in a desolate city, tired and craving blood. You end up getting roped into a small group of revenants looking for blood beads. Red teardrops that help stave off frenzy. When on the hunt for these blood beads the man you were hunting with ends up frenzying and serves as the first boss of the game. From here you’re introduced to the concept of vestiges. Pieces of a person’s memory that you, the player, are able to interact with and integrate into your own body and allow you to use that person’s ability; or blood code.

It’s from here you join a group of people that want to find out what’s been happening to the world and what the reason is behind the blood beads and the blood springs that have cropped up over the world. Of course beating difficult bosses and gaining strength and abilities on the way.

Code:Vein definitely leans more on the use of special skills rather than skilfully fighting your way through encounters. As I mentioned before, finding vestiges gives you the ability to learn more skills and unlock more classes. These skills range from passive power-ups, buffs/de-buffs and special attacks. Using these active skills takes ichor, the game’s mana pool that can be replenished using items, or attacking/killing enemies. You’re not exactly limited to one class and its skills. If you use a skill for long enough (or spend some money instead) you can master a skill, allowing you to use it with whatever class you see fit. Of course this also depends on what weapon you’re using.

Speaking of weapons, the game has several weapon classes that all have their own unique moveset and skills they can be used with. There are two-handed swords, polearms, axes, one-handed swords and… uniquely, bayonets. Rifles that can be used in melee but have an ability to fire “bullets” by using up one ichor for each shot you fire. Other than that the game has a one piece armour known as blood veils. Blood veils are, essentially armour with nothing much in the way of special properties except for parrying which can be a different animation depending on the type.

Given that the game is a souls-like, it’s also got its fair share of difficult boss fights and long stretches of small-time enemies that may or may not end up mobbing you to death if you’re not careful. But don’t fret, because Code:Vein doesn’t just have NPCs for chatting, you can even take one with you as a fighting partner. This really is what sets Code:Vein apart from all the other souls-likes, a permanent companion that doesn’t rely on a summoning sign and disappears after their job are done. I mean, they can still die, but I’ve had that happen very rarely. And they can be pretty useful in a pinch. They can resurrect you, have some handy buffs/de-buffs and are capable of fighting anything that moves and not stand around like a lemon.

With that said, though, there are a couple of things I believe make Code:Vein a better action-adventure game rather than a souls-like. For one its Anime influences even dragged it into the realm of JRPGs with bosses gaining ridiculous amounts of HP and generally giving me a harder time having to repeat the same pattern for the nth time as opposed to challenging my combat skills. It never felt as though I was studying a boss or enemy to figure out its behaviour, and instead tank the hits until I could beat it into submission by sheer will. The hordes of enemies and their erratic attack patterns made deaths more of a nuisance, like it wasn’t exactly my impatience that did me in and more that I wasn’t given a chance to roll out of the way of a combo attack (sod those martial arts lost in particular).

The leveling system is also bare bones at best. You don’t really dump points into stats, instead use your points to level up which gives you a general increase across the board. So no toothpick ninjas or drunken boxers, just run-of-the-mill fighters that use special attacks to whittle down a boss’s health.

Overall I enjoyed Code:Vein, I just wouldn’t really recommend it to a veteran Souls player if they’re not prepared to face some of the more obtuse Anime elements and the lacklustre levelling system. Still, the character creation is absolutely amazing and the combat is functional enough where it doesn’t feel like a slog.

Cargo! - The Quest for Gravity is a wacky puzzle / crafting open world game with unique ideas that fail to entertain players in the long run, and ultimately overstays its welcome.

Earth has been reduced to nothing but a small collection of islands inhabited by creatures referred to as Buddies, strange baby-like people created by the Gods to entertain themselves. You play as Fakwes, a mechanic and pilot in training who crashes onto these lands and it’s up to her to restore gravity.

You do this by kicking buddies, letting them dance or building vehicles to carry buddies and let them tag along for the ride. Doing this gives you FUN which is the game’s currency to buy vehicle parts in the shop and, more importantly, drop objects from space and into the Earth’s atmosphere and… somehow annoy the Gods.

I’d be lying if Cargo didn’t at least entertain me on some level. There’s a weird charm to the game’s lack of coherence and add to that some genuinely stupid jokes I couldn’t help but smile when I’d casually stroll through the world; kicking adult-headed babies who are obsessed with flying and other zany things. Even though it’s “dumb fun” there really isn’t a lot of substance to Cargo.

Cargo advertises itself as a game packed with unique and innovative physics-based gameplay with multiple solutions to its puzzles all thrown in a limitless world begging to be explored in various ways. In reality, though? Cargo is only ever played on one singular map containing three small islands and a variety of floating objects and platforms that have even less exploration to offer. The innovative physics are floaty at best, uncontrollable at worst and by the end will have you groaning when your nth plane/car flips onto its back from a single forward tap.

The ability to craft your own vehicle is fun in theory and the game isn’t a stickler for letting you build a massive fortress on wheels, but the physics won’t thank you for it. The game is kind enough to sprinkle a handful of pre-made designs, but that only hurt the crafting mechanic by removing any creativity.

Cargo’s “puzzles” always seem to boil down to helping buddies not kill themselves, fixing some nondescript machine to somehow further the plot. The game isn’t exactly forthcoming with its intentions and there isn’t an easy mission screen that helps you track what it is you’re supposed to be doing. At one point I’d exhausted every droppable object from the Stratosphere and the game kept telling me I needed to drop something heavy from it, but never explained exactly what object I had to throw. Turned out I had to drop a train (which I had already done, but nevermind.) in order to gather paint for a machine to further the story.

The game is full of these vague hints that don’t really explain anything and I found myself consulting a walkthrough more than once just to get through it all.

“Are you having FUN?” the game kept yelling, but when the novelty had worn off all I wanted was to finish it and never look back.

Cortex Command is one of those niche games that have been floating around the internet and several greasy memory sticks for nearly its entire lifespan. I remember playing it a lot back in the day and was amazed at the detail and intricacies that the game offered. Entirely destructible environments, an interesting spin on the strategy genre and a dedicated modding community. Sure the game wasn't all the big and was basically a testing ground for something larger, but it was nevertheless fun.

So it was a no-brainer when the game popped onto Steam boasting a refined experience and more maps to faff about and drop crates filled with crabs onto enemies. Before I point out the obvious, let me highlight Cortex Command's “strengths”.

Cortex Command's gameplay revolves around brains duking it out against each other by hurling clones, zombies, droids and other remote controllable soldiers at the enemy brain while also defending your own mass from being blown to smithereens. You can swap freely between your own troops to control them as you please or let them run on a choosable AI mode to have them attack, defend or mine for gold to order more troops.

This mechanic added to the completely destructible environments and enemies that explode into bits make for a cathartic experience. Blowing up a drop ship with a rocket launcher in such a way it squishes an approaching group of enemies is never not fun.

The game is also completely moddable and there are a ton of Steam Workshop additions to enhance the game with more factions, weapons and units to play around with.

With that said, though, it's surprising to see that this game has changed very little from its initial state. The escape button still plops you back to the main menu without warning, bugs and glitches in AI behaviour and physics are still aplenty and it seems the game has been abandoned by it developer. It's a tech demo masquerading as a full game and I can't honestly recommend buying it, full price or otherwise.

With many of its inspirations dangling on its blood-ridden sleeves, Vigil: The longest night is perhaps one of the more interesting metroidvania's out there that sought to translate the tone and feel of Lovecraft's work and blend it with the metroidvania genre.

You play as Leila, a Vigilant that is tasked to investigate the strange long night that has fallen on her hometown Maye. Your journey takes you around the countryside and has you fighting bears, wolves, mad townsfolk and strange otherworldly creatures that have infested forest, coast and mountain. As you talk to the villagers and wandering strangers you'll uncover that things aren't what they seem and that darker secrets may lay hidden underneath all the sickness and misery.

Vigil's visual design really helps underline the grim story, with dark colours offset with red and blue hues that help differentiate one area from another. Because to be honest, the entire map tends to blend into itself. Sure the flooded area is distinctly different from the lake, but if you look at it as a whole? I couldn't help but need the map in order to navigate from point A to B. Which in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sprawling maps with multiple pathways to choose from and stumbling on hidden paths helps breathe life into the world, but with Vigil it always felt like I got turned around; walking in circles until I glanced over the map for the actual way to go.

The soundtrack had one or two interesting ambience tracks but didn't really stand out for me apart from one particular boss track that just felt... out of place.

The game's metroidvania elements are a combination of key techniques, such as double jump, dash, air dash and a slide that unlocks new areas and gives the player more mobility, equipment and spells. Spells are fixed items in the world you obtain through completing quests or finding them in hidden areas. Some spells deal damage others increase or decrease stats, stun enemies, create phantom images of your character or teleport you to the last save point. I found myself using the flaming magpies a lot in the early game, but ended up forgetting I even had spells in the first place and only remembering when I needed to open a door or teleport back, and instead rely on my trusty sword to do the heavy combat.

The weapons come in four types; swords, daggers, axes (heavy weapons) and bows. On the latter I can't really comment because I didn't even want to attempt a ranged build, but I have used the three melee types. Axes, or in some cases heavy weapons, are your high damage / slow attack kind of weapon. They pack a punch, but use up a bunch of stamina. Daggers are an efficient quick-kill weapon with fast attacks and long combos with the added bonus of back stab damage. Their base damage isn't terrible either. Personally, though, I always stuck to the swords. They're a mid-range weapon with average damage and attack speed. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages, and the game doesn't favour one type over another.

As you level up you're given points to spend on skill trees that add new attacks and combos to a weapon and increase their base damage. There is a skill tree for each of the weapon types, plus a fifth skill tree that enhances your basic stats and abilities.

Beyond your base weapons and spells you're able to pick up throwing weapons such as knives, poison needles, Molotov cocktails, grenades and shrapnel. I used them occasionally but, much like the spells, ended up forgetting these in the later half of the game as well.

Where Vigil falls short, however, is some of its combat and platforming mechanics. The platforming is awful with floaty jumps, leaps of faith (assuming you haven't defogged that bit of the map yet) and controls that feel both stiff and janky. I can't remember how many times a single tap on the D-pad sent my character hurling into the night; prompting me to tap the other way only to dash off the ledge and plummet to my death. Given the 2D space there's a lack of spacial awareness and with the slow walking speed you're conditioned to dash everywhere you go, add to that parts where you have to navigate skyscraper-sized pine trees by jumping on thin ledges... Well, off you go down into the depths to enjoy a nice splatter adventure. Finding the ring the negated fall damage helped a little bit, but in the end I couldn't come to grips with the control scheme.

Likewise the combat suffered from the same issues. Combos cancelled because I tapped the dash button, inputs not registering that lead to the character attacking once and standing like a lemon while the boss was in full swing for another attack. My controller has been acting up lately, so perhaps its a hardware issue and not so much a game issue but I never felt in control of the character. Instead fighting against everything she did or didn't do.

Overall I enjoyed Vigil: The longest night. It's a neat addition to the metroidvania library, and for me one of the few games that handle the Lovecraftian horror themes with the love and care it deserves. Some of its aspects and its short size (My first playthrough was 6-ish hours) doesn't make it worth full price. Definitely a solid purchase on sale if you've got cash to spare.