![]() ![]() A greater number of these fights would have been appreciated given the rather generic normal enemies, and how great the boss fights were. Its final form was a series of spiraling, ethereal eels that swarmed about it, requiring a unique dodging pattern. Even the first boss took ten tries to defeat, requiring that one masters its four attack patterns, each of which required a different balance of offense and defense. Even given the different weapons available, the differences between builds are not as drastic as, say, Dead Cells, but this game is slower and leaves its best combat for the boss battles.īosses are challenging but fair. These are unlocked on a grid providing players with development options, with collectible gems, further customizing each build. Minor skills include the ability to draw enemy drops to your character automatically, extra attack damage, and more frequent critical hits. For instance, grabbing onto walls assists with reaching higher places, and with wall-kicking through difficult, spiked terrain. ![]() As major skills are unlocked, new gameplay elements are introduced to keep it interesting. Experience decreases upon death but may be regained by revisiting the place of death or killing the offending foe, similar to Dark Souls. Players gather money and experience as they fight. Soul mirror fragments provide an additional rare find, and collecting ten promises your first reward. Treasure is more monetary than exciting, but money can be used to buy potions, the occasional skill point, weapon pieces, and to unlock a more extensive fast travel system. Ascending the Tower of Light (pictured above) is a spectacular quest that adds new gameplay mechanics, including teleportation, bouncing platforms, and a giant cylindrical beam that emits a nuclear attack on the level every thirty seconds, forcing players to either side of the tower where invincible angels await their retreat. Quests involve gathering keys to investigate crypts, navigating to specific locations on the vast maps, talking to NPCs, and other RPG fare. Having never used a PS4 controller on PC before, the game still instantly recognized it for plug-and-play functionality. These sections push a keyboard and mouse combination to its limit and play best with a controller. The frustration of the environmental hazards is offset by the frequent and forgiving checkpoints, quick load times, and the openness in which the world can be explored. There’s scarcely a jump that doesn’t require absolute precision, which usually involves canceling the air dash halfway through and timing one’s landing to avoid moving spikes. The frequency of these sections will delight hardcore gamers while alienating casual ones. These sections are reminiscent of Super Meat Boy and BloodRayne Betrayal, and the most difficult ones may need to be taken dozens of times. Some of these provide optional rewards such as heart pieces to increase health, while others are mandatory to progress. The sixteen maps offer branching paths with many areas, including complicated jumping puzzles. The greatest challenge is the environment, however. As the game progresses, enemies will teleport, cast spells, use flamethrowers, fire bouncing bullets, and roll into a ball to attack. Combat is fluid as you strike with hammers, swords, scythes, and projectiles to fight wizards, goblins, and other monstrosities. Players air dash, sprint, and glide to their destinations, unleashing a flurry of blows to opponents while avoiding spikes and other hazards. While the game is not heavy on story, there’s enough NPCs to make the world feel alive. Players will search the world for seven fragments of their lost power, each unlocking a new skill, in order to ascend to the heavens once more. They battle for who will sit on the throne of Aeterna. Aeterna Noctis stands proudly among them as the latest offering, bringing a modern take to classic gameplay.Ĭhaos, the ruler of the world, pitted two ungrateful beings bent on destroying themselves against one another in an eternal war: The King of Darkness and The Queen of Light. ![]() Metroidvania releases have led the way, inspiring a new generation of retro-styled gaming. Platform games have been going strong in recent years, from the award-winning Celeste to The Messenger. Aeterna Noctis Review: A Hand-Painted Metroidvania Adventure ![]()
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