Comments 5

Re: Review: Aeterna Noctis - An Ambitious Metroidvania That Doesn't Quite Hit The Mark

sfjtdr

Hi. I signed up to leave a comment here, and am not affiliated with the developer (though, you won't believe me).
I played this game on steam deck, and absolutely loved it. I was addicted to it like I was Hollow Knight and SOTN. I'm a metroidvania nerd, and found this to be a masterclass in the genre.
This review is scant... at best. Kind of insulting to the readers and the developer. I don't care if you didn't like the game, but you didn't review as such. It's a few paragraphs, most of which compare it to Hollow Knight (which you only played an hour of!?). You don't even cover some of the most basic parts of the game.
For instance:
1). What mode did you play, Scott? Aeterna (Exploratory- Metroidvania - Easier) or Noctis (Hardcore platforming- Much harder - celeste like). Huge difference in the two. It is like two different games.
2). A skill tree that covers three branching paths (something hollow knight doesn't have), and can be reset anytime when at a throne.
3). Some of the amazingly unique gameplay mechanics - teleport arrows. Even basic game play descriptions. He moves (and looks) like Marth from smash brothers, floaty and responsive.
4). The combat!!!! Different weapons. Sickle, Spear, Katana, Shuirken. The epic boss fights, and the satisfaction upon beating them.
5). The bonkers level design especially towards the end (one area in particular is pretty unforgettable, and worth mentioning in a spoiler-free way).
6). Quests / side quests / mini quests / hunts - collectibles that actually mean something in game.
7). Dialog and references in the game.
8). length of the game 40 or so hours, depending.

Again, basic stuff.
Play the game more than an hour. For god sakes, play Hollow knight for more than an hour if you're going to compare other games to it.
I urge any fan of the genre to give it a go. It's really good.