Axis Descending Demo

Sometimes it’s not enough to write a good story in order for your video game to be enjoyable, but it depends heavily on the genre in question. Hence, RPGs can be forgiven for gameplay issues more often than not if the characters are memorable and the story is compelling, but shooters with poor gunplay or platformers with awful controls are not as easy to forgive.

Axis Descending is a 2D action-platformer with fast-paced gameplay mechanics and a very colorful world for you to explore. The mechanics are borrowed from classics like Metroid and Castlevania, which means that the combat is a key element throughout the game, as is exploration. Granted, this is merely a demo at this point, and according to the developer the project is not going to be finished.

The first thing you notice when you start playing is the level design, because everything is very colorful and somewhat dreamy, while still retaining that retro vibe. There’s a short tutorial to teach you the basic controls and special moves, after which you are free to start chopping foes and overcoming classic platforming challenges. However, the combat is not as simple as you may expect.

Hence, some foes have to be weakened with strong attacks before you can finish them off, while others are actually invincible if you do not find a way to lower their defenses. As for the platforming, the fast-paced mechanics force you to think quickly, and you can use a variety of tricks to stay alive, including dashes and double jumps. Just like in a classic platformer, you go back and forth through the levels sometimes, since some doors require special keys that can only be found later on in the game.

As mentioned before, the graphics are something special, mainly because of the vibrant colors used throughout the adventure. It’s a nice change from the usual style found in most retro platformers, and it’s also worth noting that the animations are very smooth as well. To top things off, the soundtrack is not bad either, and it actually blends really well with the overall visual component.

Although it would seem like Axis Descending is never going to be finished, even this short demo is worthy of a lot of praise. Hence, we can only hope that the developer is going to use his skills to create other great projects in the future.