Earlier this year it was revealed Joakim Sandberg's indie title, Iconoclasts, would be ported to the Switch following the game's positively received release on PC and multiple other platforms. Now, Famitsu is reporting the long-awaited title will arrive on the eShop in Japan on 2nd August with the help of Dangen Entertainment.
The game is described as a 2D action-platformer incorporating elements of the Metroidvania genre. You take control of a renegade mechanic named Robin, who must solve environmental puzzles and take down more than twenty different bosses. Based on the trailer, the action looks fast and frantic. You'll also apparently be able to scale the difficulty up or down mid-game, and there's even a Boss Rush mode included. Hopefully, a western release isn't too far off.
Tell us in the comments if you like the look of this game based on the above trailer, or even if you've played it before elsewhere.
[source famitsu.com]
Comments 35
This looks... really cool. I especially like the idea for the main character being a buttkicking female mechanic! The gameplay looks fun, and the art direction is retro without looking obsolete. Very nice!
Weird it's not coming out in the west at the same time.
Looks pretty good this one. Hopefully it comes to the west
A sleeper hit on the old Vita, glad its coming to other platforms.
This is a fantastic game, i think there is talk of a physical now.
This is one of the best looking game in the genre. The work on colors, animations, gradient, chroma etc... is really fantastic !
I really enjoyed the game on PC.
Joakim Sanfberg likes details and you can trust me, you can clearly see that throughout the game.
8/10
So happy he eventually finished it, and I'm not surprised that he's been more eager to get it out in Japan than the west on Switch.
The Japanese love the genre, and Joakim's influence from Japanese classics, both old and modern, is very apparent.
This game was so darn good. I might double dip.
I want it!!
Another week, another pixel art metroidvania game! I’d kill for a good driving game....
Iconoclasts is great!
@nmanifold Not a metroidvania, it's linear.
@Fazermint
You're absolutely right. In fact, the game has a little touch of "metroidvania" (god, how much I hate this word !) but it's not one of them. Difficult to explain but that's true, it's not A "metroidvania".
Looks pretty neat! Added to my ever-growing "Watch List"
Never enough good 2D platformers. Even if Hollow Knight is already a thing.
Give me a physical version and I'm well sold.
Bloody hell, this looks ace! SOLD!
@Fazermint that’s good news. I love platform games but I am getting sick of these samey metroidvania style games. I’m starting to hate the word metroidvania.
This may not be a metroidvania, but it looks to have the action platforming of one which I love.
You get new abilities, you revisit areas and access parts you couldn't before. I would class it as a metroidvania. Must admit I never finished it on PS4 - lost interest...might try and jump back in!
I'd buy this on Game Boy Advance
Glad I didn’t buy it on PS4, woo!
@DM666. Same here. The gadget progression was a little too slow for me, so I lost interest about three hours in. It suited the Vita really well, so Switch is a no brainer if this is people's sort of thing.
Another great Vita game ported to the Switch!
Anyone know when it will hit the west? I want to get it but I'm still finishing up Octopath. And by finishing up, I mean that I have about 30 hours left.
Bought this on PC.... And it has been fun for a bit till my really old laptop just gave up and haven't bought another yet..... But will definitely buy this again on Switch, was really good as far as I played it.
Does the game have in-game cutscenes like in this trailer? They're snazzy. Also really like the pixel art, and the main character's design is fun.
Definitely going on the list.
@Ralizah. There’s quite a bit a dialogue for this type of game. If you like having story elements in a game like this, you’ll enjoy that aspect of the game. (I played it on the Vita)
@sfb How does the gameplay measure up on its own merits? If you divorced the narrative elements from the game, for example, would it still be worth playing?
Another game that I played to death on PS4/Vita, but would wholeheartedly recommend. Fun to play, great music and control, strong story, well developed characters and the boss fights actually make you think at times.
@Ralizah I think the game mechanics are solid, with a number of clever elements in the upgrades, level designs, and (numerous) boss fights. It plays and controls well, and the action is fluid. And as you can see, it looks great.
With all of that said, I didn’t quite gel with this game quite as much as I expected. I’m really not sure why. On paper, all the ingredients are there. It really is a detailed, dedicated work from the developer. It could be that I picked it up at a time when I’m a little saturated with this style of game. Also, there was a sequence near the very end that greatly annoyed me, which I won’t spoil here. (Others might not have the same reaction; might be only me & my subpar skills.)
Another thought. Given the degree of detail in the visuals, I might have enjoyed it more on a larger screen (even a modestly larger screen, like the Switch in undocked mode). As much as I’ve enjoyed many games on the Vita - and as stunning as its screen is - as I age, I find smaller displays less comfortable. Seems this really has accelerated within the past year, maybe two. The good news is that Switch is in a nice sweet spot for me as a portable — the screen is large enough that I don’t consciously feel eye strain or fatigue.
@sfb Wow, I appreciate the detailed impressions!
It can be a bit jarring going back to actual handhelds after getting used to the Switch in portable mode, which is funny, because the Vita was wowing when it first came out.
At least the 3DS' deep stereoscopic effects keep some of its games visually arresting to this day on its piddly 240p screen.
@Fake-E-Lee Tell me about it... I'm DROWNING in games. Earlier this year I was like "phew, it's a bit of a quiet period, I'm actually on track to empty my backlog"... That didn't last long.
Backlog is once more at 30+ games and it's only growing as the weeks pass by. I've already pre-ordered Dead Cells and Okami HD, as well as Code of Princess EX (US import coz Nicalis hates EU so it'll first arrive the same week Dead Cells/Okami releases)... And I'm supposed to juggle those games, as well as others, before the 28th of August where Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate and Blade Strangers invades my Switch?!
Oh dear... And the 31st of August we have Labyrinth of Refrain dropping as well...
This is nuts. Absolutely nuts. I'm actually tempted to buy at least 5 games monthly at this point, which is a lot for me. So far 3 purchases for August, if we see a Western release of Iconoclasts with a pre-order discount it's going on the list too... Not to mention Hyper Light Drifter...
Send. Help.
Have it on PS4 but would rather play it on the Switch.
@Fake-E-Lee Yup hah! I decided to just drop $40 on it because I had to import the US physical edition of Code of Princess EX (annoying Nicalis and their digital-only for Europe) while stock lasted haha.
But yeah, our problems are probably problems of luxury. Which is nice.
THIS IS MINE! >0<
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