For my #7 pick of 2021, we have a great modern retro metroidvania that may not have the flash of something like Hollow Knight, but delivers with a well-executed game.
#7 Astalon: Tears of the Earth
There were two overall solid modern retro games I played in 2021, Smelter and Astalon. While I enjoyed them both, I’m giving the nod to Astalon as a game that I felt all the systems were better intertwined. Our gameplay here is a mix of a metroidvania with the character-swapping of classics like The Lost Vikings.
Each character comes equipped with different stats, movement abilities, and unique powers that can be found in the world. The game essentially plays out in two distinct ways based on where you’re at in the title. For the first quarter, you are only able to switch characters at bonfires/checkpoints. This creates a feeling of the level progression of a soulslike, with your reward for progress is opening up shortcuts for your other characters to use to move forward. Once you unlock the ability to instantly swap, the game comes to life with a lot of different ways of moving through the levels.
As with any good metroidvania, the game certainly handles differently through the different phases of playing. The world is full of hidden rooms, upgrades, and secrets to find if you want the good ending. There are also persistent upgrades that can make the game easier and aid you with finding 100% of all the items. The game controls well, and the variety of the different characters certainly helps.
What stops it from going higher is that I felt the developers really hurt the flow of the game by not introducing the character swapping upgrade earlier and making it more pronounced. It is set up in an area that you may not realize, and then spend a long time wandering around wondering why it is so annoying to make progress. I also wish that there were more interesting encounters, as it’s quite easy to break the boss fights with enough upgrades.
Still, it gets more things right than it does wrong, and should be a must play for anyone interested in metroidvania design.
