Alwa's Legacy

May not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely THE cup of tea for me! When you look at it, there isn't anything exceptional. It has gorgeous pixel art with a beautiful looking world, but the combat is very minimal. The exploration and puzzles are fairly simple, but fun. The bosses are very easy. And the overall game is pretty short too. If someone makes a list of the best Metroidvania games, this probably won't be even in the top 50. But despite not excelling at anything it is doing, I absolutely LOVE this game! Playing this game was such a soothing experience for me, and I wasn't bored in a single moment. Finding each new area and exploring it felt very rewarding for me. As I said before, it doesn't excel at anything it does, but something about this game really clicked with me (could be my nostalgia for SNES games) and this game has easily become one of my favourites. I started a new playthrogh immediately after completing it, which isn't something I do for many games. Although the game is short, this is definitely a game that I will revisit many times in future. Sometimes it's the simple games that creates the biggest impact. I might be one of the few people who would…

Well.. it sure is an improvement from the first title, Alwa's Awakening. There are more secrets, bigger dungeons, more fun puzzles and combat.. but.. one thing really screws this game over. And that's the upgraded bubble. I went through the game without upgrading the bubble. I first got lightning and then block upgrades. So in the endgame I couldn't do some of the puzzles to get the rest of the orbs without the fully upgraded bubble. So the game at least could give you the upgraded bubble instead of keeping it in the shop. It was not fun. Or give the upgraded bubble earlier in the tree. So I would need to start the game over just for getting rest of the 11 orbs I was missing. Also don't put opening the warp points counting as secrets.. I was so confused what I was missing during the secret hunting. But I can still recommend this game on sale. It is fun, but don't forget to upgrade the bubble and block first to solve the puzzles.. sighh.

I first got interested in Alwa because I really enjoyed Alwa’s Awakening in its 8-bit version on Evercade. I’m a veteran of the Master System era, so there is definitely a big dose of nostalgia involved here. But thankfully, Alwa’s Legacy is much more than nostalgia. The pixel art is beautiful, and I especially love how much life has been put into Zoe. She isn’t just a little sprite walking around the screen: the scripted animations and little character moments make her feel like a real, charming protagonist. You can see the personality of the game in the way she moves and reacts. I also really enjoyed the variety of the world. There are so many different biomes, from ancient catacombs to castles and everything in between, and each one has its own atmosphere and visual identity. And as a retro gaming veteran, I couldn't help smiling at some of the little references scattered throughout the game. There is an NPC called Mary who shows up with a hairstyle that immediately reminded me of There's Something About Mary. And then there is another NPC who tells you to bury the game in the desert, just like Atari famously did with the disastrous E.T. game. Those little touches made …

I had a great time with the transversal skill of this game. They allow for some creative gameplay and some nonlinear exploration if you combine them in a clever way. It felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the usual double jump or wall jump. The art was also pretty good, but the rest of the game was a bit on the mid side. Fortunately it does not overstay its welcome, and by the time I had my fill exploring the map it was about time to wrap it up. I would recommend for those who enjoy exploration and combining skills for some clever platforming.

This is a very enjoyable game.

Great metroidvania that's not only an improvement over the first but also happens to be one of the prettiest 2D games I've ever seen. Everything is so nice and charming, and the control are solid. I opened the entire map (didn't do 100% but I got my fill). Recommend.