Axiom Verge. Obscure sci-fi games you may not have heard of
- Obscure Sci-Fi Games You May Not Have Heard Of (And That's a Shame)
- Aspire: Ina's Tale
- Valley
- Primordia
- Transistor
- Axiom Verge
- Sable
- FAR: Lone Sails
- Cloudpunk
- Finding Paradise
Axiom Verge
- Genre: metroidvania
- Release year: 2015
- The best thing about it: biomechanical atmosphere and gameplay
Tom Happ is an institution. He does programming, graphics, music, writes scenarios and is a producer. In the case of Axiom, Verge, he used all of these skills. And I must admit that it turned out really great. His production is a modern Contra. Just with more extensive mechanics.
One of Axiom Verge's greatest powers is consistency. Even if some corridors seem repetitive and the soundtrack has weaker moments, it's difficult to get the impression that something doesn't add up here. Even in indie gamedev, it is very rare for one person to be responsible for all the elements of the game. However, when this happens, the effects can surprise even the most demanding players.
Axiom Verge is, in a way, a love letter to the genre classics. There are lots of references to Metroid, the aforementioned Contra, Blaster Master or the Oddworld series. But also science-fiction films (primarily Alien and Cronenberg's movies) and Giger's works. However, if you are not enjoying pop-culture easter eggs, you should still have fun in the world of Axiom Verge. The game is incredibly sweet, and subsequent levels are completed with growing interest. The pixel-art graphic design, on the other hand, can simply mesmerize given a chance. And it's no wonder that such a good game has recently got a follow-up. It's a pity that this production is still so obscure.
Stasis is an adventure game that managed to tell a really interesting story using economical means. The biggest advantage of the game, however, is probably not the script, but the suffocating, incredibly suggestive atmosphere of an abandoned research facility. If you don't believe isometric projection games can scare you, then you should try a Stasis Date Night.
