'Metroid' Clone 'Axiom Verge' Arrives On Steam And Humble Store On May 14

Retro game "Axiom Verge" has done exceptionally well as a PlayStation 4 exclusive title; well enough to warrant a port to the PC as well as the PlayStation Vita. Nostalgic gamers lapped up the game for its faithful recreation of the 8-bit NES art style and gameplay, whereas an overwhelming majority of critics gave the game thumbs up in their reviews.

The game will launch on PC through Steam as well as the Humble Store on May 14, according to Gamespot. There's no word on the PS Vita port yet, but the developer has confirmed that it is already underway. The PC port of "Axiom Verge" will be priced at $19. The Steam version will be enhanced with Steam Cloud save feature and will also tie in support for Trading Cards.

However, what makes it all remarkable is that the entire endeavour was realised by just one person. Independent developer Tom Happ singlehandedly did the coding, art and design for the game. Eurogamer points out that this includes more than 40 weapons, 100 upgrades and 900 rooms filled to the brim with secret pathways and more than 80 different types of enemies. The talented developer is also responsible for creating the inspired soundtrack that harks back to the NES days.

Because the "Axiom Verge" is a side-scrolling metroidvania title, it will include a fair amount of backtracking and alternate pathways to boost the total playtime. The game pays homage to a wide range of NES classics such as "Contra," "Bionic Commando" and "Metroid." A major chunk of the influences, however, are borrowed from "Metroid," which seems to have heavily influenced the game's weapon, player abilities, enemy and level design. This has earned the game the distinction of being a modern "Metroid" clone that stays quite faithful to the original's vision.

The success of "Axiom Verge" underscores the fact that there's a huge market for nostalgia in video games. As Kotaku points out, the average gamer today is 30 years old and most of these gamers have grown up playing NES classics from the 1980s. A large number of these gamers have grown tired of formulaic AAA franchises that are dumbed down for the masses and pose no challenge or show much gameplay innovation.

The indie game development scene has risen to fill this gap and is rife with examples of retro themed games that capture the challenging difficulty of the NES classics and focus more on gameplay than set-pieces and eye candy. For gamers that seek the thrill, challenge and familiarity of NES classics, "Axiom Verge" has been universally acclaimed as a great modern-day retro offering that satisfies those needs.

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Axiom Verge is Coming to Steam!! (credit: Thomas Happ)