AGGELOS Demo

Saving princess is no longer a popular quest among video game heroes, but it remains a common activity for platformer characters. On the other hand, the genre is losing popularity at a steady pace for two decades now, so the situation is pretty dire for any damsels in distress. Thankfully, the indie market is booming, and retro platformers are coming back in style lately.

AGGELOS is an action-RPG very similar to games like Castlevania, Ys and Metroid when it comes to gameplay, although there are fundamental differences as well. In essence, the game looks and feels like a classic 2D platformer, but role-playing elements are deeply rooted into the game’s mechanics as well. Hence, gaining experience is mighty important, and so are the various bonuses you find along the way.

Although the demo is presented as more of a standalone product, and thus not very representative for the final game in regards to story and level design, you can have a lot of fun with it even now. Its greatest feat is the fact that you can explore the levels at will, and you’ll often have to trace back in order to access previously blocked ways, using your new skills and abilities.

During the journey, you’ll come across a variety of treasure chests, each one of which can contain bonus experience or even an improved stat. Additional attack power increases the damage you inflict on foes, but it is also possible to augment your maximum hit points. You can also pick up herbs to restore your health when it drops too low, which obviously comes in handy during the more difficult sections.

Speaking of which, the platforming bit is not very tough, at least not in the demo. You’ll barely have to jump over a gap or two, and maybe pay attention to the environment in order to spot any hidden doors or platforms. However, the combat is quite tricky, especially since every foe has a unique attack pattern and a different amount of hit points you have to chop through.

Even if AGGELOS is merely a prototype that might not resemble the final product, the game is still quite well done and engaging. Hence, if you enjoy killing things and exploring 2D dungeons, this can keep you busy for a while.