Elders of Madness

What initially looked like a well crafted retro arcade sidescroller, Elders of Madness quickly turned into something much more after a good couple of minutes of playtime and a bit of research on how it came to life.

Elders of Madness is the wonderful work of students from Colegio San Juan Bosco who were guided by their teachers and many other considerate people. It’s a great example of what can happen and come to life when an educational system leaves creativity free to manifest itself.

Elders of Madness is more than just a retro looking game with classic gameplay. The story starts when ancient gods want to eradicate humanity, leaving you and your spaceship to fight this threat that takes place in an uncertain future. It’s a simple premise that has been used before but in Elders of Madness it’s different.

The world around is dark and full of strange and terrifying creatures that seem to have spawned from the biggest nightmares ever created by the human mind. They are all around and cause your hero to slowly lose his mind. As a result, the more you dive into a stage, the darker it gets around you if you don’t collect the needed powerups.

It’s a really good and subtle way in showcasing how each one of us can fall into madness when we succumb to fear. Fighting it is the only way out.

In terms of gameplay, Elders of Madness is spot on between tough and enjoyable. Controls are very responsive and you’ll certainly die a good couple of times before you get a handle on how things work. It’s well balanced between punishing and rewarding.

Being an arcade game, you’ll have to fight every incoming wave of monsters to get the highest score. Powerups are available and you can use them to upgrade your weapons or restore your sanity when things get too dark.

Elders of Madness is not necessarily a spectacularly good game but it’s way above a lot, if not most sidescrollers with the same approach for visual style. It’s daunting, strange, tough and it makes you think.