Backtracking Or Moving Forwards?
First launched in 2015, the indie Metroidvania Axiom Verge has seen massive success over the course of its life. Developed by one man, Tom Happ, Axiom Verge was winning awards even before its release, taking home both IGN and GameSpot’s Best in Show awards at E3 2014. Now, we’re about to see the release of its hotly anticipated sequel, Axiom Verge 2 – here’s hoping it holds up.
In an interview for the PlayStation blog, Tom Happ has outlined the setting, tone and main character of Axiom Verge 2. The interview comes with a small revelation about the original – the story of the main character, Trace, was intended to be just one small part of a universe-spanning epic that’s planned to take place over the course of one thousand years – and 7-8 games. This means that Axiom Verge 2 will be taking a drastic turn from where the original left off, leaving that tale to the side for now in favour of focusing on a brand-new character. Axiom verge 2’s protagonist is Indra, a mysterious tech genius who finds herself lost on an alternate Earth following an expedition into Antarctica.
Indra’s journey will be quite different from Trace’s – She doesn’t have access to the same level of tech that the Axiom Verge protagonist did, instead having to rely on a simple pickaxe to get in close to her enemies and tear them apart. As a tech whiz, she’ll also be capable of hacking into enemy systems.
In the interview, Happ comments on the original game’s reception, and how he’s modified Axiom Verge 2 in response to it: “Although I try to put on my blinders with respect to other people’s opinions about my games and stay true to my original vision, one common theme came up when I watched people play. There were some people who wished the game were a lot harder, and there were those who wanted it to be easier.”
In order to handle this, Axiom Verge 2 will have a number of ways to customize difficulty settings – not just Easy, Medium and Hard. The amount of damage dealt both to and by enemies can be customized, and all bosses in the game will be optional.
Axiom Verge 2 releases this summer on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 – While a PlayStation 5 version is also in the works, it’s not yet certain if it’ll be ready for the game’s launch.