It’s not just Stardew Valley release day for the Nintendo Switch. Another celebrated indie, the Metroid homage Axiom Verge, is also now out for Nintendo’s system. That makes two Metroidy games released on portable Nintendo machines in just a few weeks. Is this real life?
Axiom Verge is finally coming to Vita on April 19. If you already own the PlayStation 4 version of the Metroid-inspired action game, it’s free.
Heads-up: retrolicious metroidvania Axiom Verge is now available on Steam. It’s basically a nostalgia volcano, so beware of nostalgia lava, which corrodes new ideas. However, it’s still quite good, as our own Mike Fahey explained in his review.
The Metroidvania stylings of Tom Happ’s Axiom Verge arrive on Steam May 14. The downloadable PlayStation 4 hit adds Steam cloud saves and trading cards to its already impressive arsenal. Check out the announce trailer above, and read our review of the PS4 version here.
Nintendo gamers of a certain age knew the trick: type “Justin Bailey” into the password screen of Nintendo Entertainment System classic Metroid and the game’s hero would change outfits. Fast forward—oh my god, I’m old—twenty-nine years later.
We've never been here before, but it sure feels like we have. It's hard to watch the first five minutes of Axiom Verge and not feel just a little bit Metroid-y.
Yes, I gained a new ability! Now where the hell do I use it?
When I saw Axiom Verge on the show floor of E3, I thought to myself "Man, that sure does look a lot like Metroid." It was only when I got my hands on it and talked to the guy behind it that I realized that it was a whole lot more.
