AGGELOS

Overall, this is a great little retro adventure that doesn’t outstay its welcome. It plays like a top tier title from back in the day, presents you with the sort of gameplay you want and expect from this type of game and serves it all up at a pace with such consistent quality that it’s hard not to be won over, no matter how fatigued you may be by the idea of another blast of old school pixel action.

Starting at $2.09Buy now

Get on Steam

Get on itch.io Store

"Aggelos" is a single-player fantasy platformer game with masterful gameplay and amazing 16-bit style graphics and music. Explore the kingdom of Lumen, discover magical elements, and defeat bosses to save the world from invasion. The game features a vast world with side quests and non-linear exploration, offering a classical retro adventure. However, be prepared for some grinding.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 231 reviews

music24 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

Aggelos is a charming retro-style game that captures the essence of classic titles like Wonder Boy and Zelda II, providing a nostalgic experience.
The gameplay is solid, with responsive controls and a good balance of challenge, making it enjoyable for both casual and hardcore players.
The graphics and music are well-crafted, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersing players in the game's world.

The game suffers from poor controller support, with many players unable to use the D-Pad effectively, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Save points are inconveniently placed, often requiring players to backtrack through difficult areas after dying, which can be tedious.
Some players found the enemy design and difficulty spikes to be frustrating, with later levels feeling more like a chore than a rewarding challenge.

music
51 mentions
47 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its nostalgic 8-bit and chip tune style that evokes classic NES and Sega Master System vibes. While some players find the soundtrack catchy and fitting for the game's retro aesthetic, others criticize it for being repetitive or annoying, with calls for options to adjust the volume. Overall, the music is generally seen as a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to the overall experience despite some dissenting opinions.
- “The music is catchy, and the gameplay is great.”
- “A seriously enjoyable game with a killer soundtrack, pick it up if you want a decently long and challenging game!”
- “The graphics are beyond smooth, there is parallax scrolling we'd never have seen on say the Master System games that obviously inspired it, the animation is nice, and the music is great.”
- “It's corny, the music is repetitive and a bit annoying, but underlying the jankiness of it all was a fun diversion.”
- “There is no option at all to turn the music down, the sound off, or anything like that.”
- “After a couple of hours of gameplay I simply turned it off (also there should be an option in-game to turn the sounds off!) and put some other music to play.”
gameplay
43 mentions
33 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its solid mechanics and nostalgic feel, reminiscent of classic retro titles, though some players found the initial controls challenging and noted issues with enemy push-back mechanics. While the game offers smooth platforming and creative power-ups, some reviewers criticized the simplicity of combat and the design of certain mechanics, such as the double jump. Overall, it captures the essence of old-school gaming while providing a fun and engaging experience, despite some design flaws.
- “Gameplay is solid and once you get the feel of the controls it's a breeze.”
- “The gameplay is smooth, with lots of surprises and well-designed areas.”
- “It plays like a top-tier title from back in the day, presents you with the sort of gameplay you want and expect from this type of game and serves it all up at a pace with such consistent quality that it’s hard not to be won over, no matter how fatigued you may be by the idea of another blast of old school pixel action.”
- “Also, the enemy push-back mechanics are really poorly designed.”
- “The dumbest thing though are the achievements; instead of being content-based, they're things like never dying or passing the game under level 15, which really spoil the gameplay if you're trying to get them.”
- “Bad game design; gameplay is not very good, controls are not very good, no replayability, lame bosses, and the story is really bad.”
story
36 mentions
17 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is generally described as simple and reminiscent of classic 90s Nintendo titles, often lacking depth and complexity. While some players appreciate its nostalgic charm and straightforward presentation, others find it insufficiently engaging to motivate continued play. Overall, the narrative is seen as a basic hero's journey, with minimal side quests and a focus on gameplay mechanics over storytelling.
- “The story is fun too, and the mythology behind it is fun.”
- “The story of Aggelos is simple, yet very well written and presented since it doesn’t try to modernize itself with cringeworthy phrases and such stuff.”
- “The way its story is presented, its beautiful pixel art, and its decent soundtrack give the feeling of a retro game perfectly.”
- “The story is barely there as well.”
- “The story isn't mindblowing at all, but it has some cute moments, and the game looks good as a homage to classic platformers.”
- “The story just isn't enticing.”
graphics
34 mentions
41 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The graphics of Aggelos are characterized by vibrant, retro-style pixel art that evokes nostalgia for the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, drawing comparisons to classic titles like Mega Man and Zelda II. While the visuals are praised for their charm and detail, some reviewers note that they may not match the quality of modern games, yet they effectively capture the essence of old-school gaming. Overall, the game's aesthetic is well-received, with many appreciating its colorful design and smooth animations.
- “The graphics are really colorful, retro-style pixel art reminiscent of the 16-bit era.”
- “The game is still fun to play, got really nice visuals for a retro looking but still detailed world and characters.”
- “The graphics are beyond smooth, there is parallax scrolling we'd never have seen on say the Master System games that obviously inspired it.”
- “Nes visuals are not great, but gameplay is good.”
- “While it can't match the modern day visuals or gameplay of Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom or the remake of Wonder Boy and the Dragon's Trap, this game is very solid.”
- “Also... I don't think it's fair to call this 16-bit; it clearly uses NES color palettes on anything that is a common enemy or background. It's not 8-bit per se, but it is most certainly not 16-bit; at least not all-around, as some effects are high-bit, while most everything else is decidedly in the realm of NES graphics.”
grinding
9 mentions
11 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
89 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some may view the farming for XP and gold as tedious, the game's manageable world size and warp system help alleviate backtracking frustrations. The platforming challenges can also contribute to the grind, as players may need to invest significant time to overcome them, but grinding is presented as a viable option to level up and improve gear, making it a suitable choice for those seeking a metroidvania experience. Overall, the grind is seen as a necessary part of gameplay that can enhance the experience if approached with patience.
- “But the time is a bit inflated by farming XP and gold.”
- “Grinding to level up is always an option if you are stuck.”
- “In combination with some bosses, it made it very difficult to combat and forced the player into doing some grinding in order to buy better gear or look for upgrades in the world.”
stability
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some users reporting significant issues such as freezing on the options screen and poor controller support, while others praise its high quality and lack of bugs. Overall, the experience appears inconsistent, with notable stability problems affecting gameplay for some players.
- “High quality and bug-free, Aggelos follows in the footsteps of classic era Wonder Boy adventure games.”
- “No controller support; the game freezes on the options screen, preventing me from even checking for controller support.”
- “Poor controller support and buggy.”
replayability
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, allowing players to discover missed items and face challenging bosses reminiscent of classic 80s NES titles. However, some reviews criticize the overall gameplay and controls, suggesting that poor design choices detract from the replay value.
- “Great game with actual replay value to miss those items you may have missed the first time. Bosses with real difficulty, reminiscent of some of those old 80s NES bosses.”
- “The game suffers from poor design, making the gameplay unengaging and the controls frustrating. There's virtually no replayability, and the bosses are uninspired.”
- “With a lackluster story and repetitive gameplay, there's little incentive to replay the game. The overall experience feels stale and unoriginal.”
- “The game offers no replay value due to its simplistic mechanics and uninspired level design, leaving players with a sense of disappointment.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong emotional impact from the game, with some expressing deep feelings that led to tears. The experience evokes nostalgia, reminiscent of playing classic titles like "Dragon's Trap," enhancing the emotional connection.
- “I couldn't get it off; I cried.”
- “Made me feel like I was playing Dragon's Trap all over again.”
humor
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as charming and nostalgic, reminiscent of classic gaming styles, which adds to its overall appeal.
- “A charming and humorous throwback to classic gaming.”
- “The witty dialogue and quirky characters kept me laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game blends humor with clever puzzles and challenges.”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is perceived as simplistic, lacking depth, and often feels overshadowed by cryptic progression puzzles, which may detract from the overall experience.
- “An odd game that is sometimes a little too cryptic with its progression puzzles and yet a bit too simplistic with its character development and Metroidvania elements.”