June 19, 2018
PQube

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.

75%Game Brain Score

music, gameplay

grinding, stability

75% User Score Based on 313 reviews

Critic Score 70%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $2.11

Buy NowGet on Steam€3.74

Buy NowGet on itch.io Store$14.99

About

"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

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 313 reviews

music39 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Aggelos is a charming throwback to classic 16-bit games, reminiscent of titles like Wonder Boy and Zelda II, with engaging gameplay and beautiful pixel art.
The game features a well-designed world with rewarding exploration, allowing players to discover secrets and upgrades that enhance their abilities.
Combat is satisfying, with a variety of moves and magic abilities that keep encounters fresh and interesting, along with a decent difficulty curve.

The game suffers from frustrating difficulty spikes, particularly in the later stages, where bosses and enemies can feel overly punishing without adequate checkpoints.
Controller support is poor, with many players experiencing issues using D-Pads and requiring third-party software to remap controls, which detracts from the overall experience.
The map system is largely ineffective, making navigation confusing and leading to unnecessary backtracking, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay.

music
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its nostalgic chiptune style that evokes classic NES and Sega Master System vibes, enhancing the retro aesthetic. However, some players found the soundtrack repetitive and lacking options for volume control, leading to frustration during extended play sessions. Overall, while the music is generally appreciated for its charm and fit within the game's design, it may become tiresome for some players over time.
- “The soundtrack especially is so on point it almost made me forget I was playing a PC game at some moments.”
- “The music is catchy, and the gameplay is great.”
- “Wonderful spritework, beautiful controls, fantastic music, it really has it all.”
- “It's corny, the music is repetitive and a bit annoying, but underlying the jankiness of it all was a fun diversion.”
- “The music is just okay though, it's all chiptunes, some of them are nice to listen to, others are too low effort and grating.”
- “There is no option at all to turn the music down, the sound off, or anything like that.”
gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
48%
9%
The gameplay of the game is a nostalgic blend of classic metroidvania elements, featuring responsive controls, engaging mechanics, and a variety of power-ups that enhance exploration and combat. While some players find certain mechanics, like the pogo jump, finicky and frustrating, many appreciate the overall challenge and satisfaction of boss fights and puzzle-solving. However, issues such as poorly designed enemy interactions and a lack of keyboard mapping have been noted, leading to mixed feelings about the game's difficulty and accessibility.
- “The gameplay is smooth, with lots of surprises and well-designed areas.”
- “Gameplay is solid and once you get the feel of the controls, it's a breeze.”
- “The game is a huge throwback to the NES/SNES gaming days, complete with an original 8-bit soundtrack, retro-style graphics and SFX, and excellent platforming mechanics.”
- “Given movement isn't too complex, I don't think it hinders the gameplay a lot, but it is still a big issue that the developer doesn't seem to have fixed.”
- “Now, as I said, the power-ups were good, but some of them were pretty useless. Probably the most useless was the woodpecker scroll. To get it, you have to complete his temple, but the problem is the temple is just such a pain. You have to kill a bunch of enemies as you jump on their heads like in Shovel Knight. Unfortunately, the jumping mechanic isn't that good, so it can be very frustrating. After completing that annoying segment, getting his scroll just doesn't feel worth it, as it's again pretty useless. Unless you're going for 100% completion, I say don't bother with it.”
- “The gameplay itself is not great either.”
story
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
66%
9%
The story of the game is generally described as simple and classic, following the traditional hero's journey to save a kingdom from evil. While some players appreciate its nostalgic, retro feel and charming presentation, others find it lacking in depth and complexity, with minimal narrative engagement. Overall, the straightforward plot serves as a backdrop for enjoyable gameplay and exploration, resonating well with fans of classic platformers.
- “The story is good, nice and simple, basically a stop the bad guy and save the kingdom, but it has some interesting characters and I really enjoyed the ending; it was actually quite surprising.”
- “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.”
- “It emulates the style of retro games in an authentic way and presents a simple but charming and sincere story and world.”
- “The story is barely there as well.”
- “The plot is bare-bones but I think this does well to keep that retro feel, and the lack of a substantive story doesn't hinder the quality of the game in my opinion.”
- “The story isn't mind-blowing at all, but it has some cute moments, and the game looks good as a homage to classic platformers.”
graphics
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
6%
The graphics of Aggelos are widely praised for their vibrant, retro-style pixel art that effectively captures the nostalgic essence of 8-bit and 16-bit games, reminiscent of classic titles from the NES and SNES eras. While some reviewers note that the visuals may not be groundbreaking, they appreciate the colorful designs, charming character animations, and overall aesthetic that enhance the gameplay experience. The combination of appealing graphics and a fitting chip tune soundtrack contributes to a delightful retro atmosphere, making it a visually engaging metroidvania adventure.
- “The graphics are really colorful, retro-style pixel art reminiscent of the 16-bit era.”
- “The pixel graphics art style is very nice and colorful; it definitely does a good job in capturing the look and feel of a classic game with its colors, art designs, character and enemy designs, and just overall feel.”
- “The graphics are bright, colorful, and cute; the music is good, albeit a bit repetitive; and the difficulty ramps well throughout.”
- “The graphics are simple, definitely a step above the Master System roots and more aligned with the Genesis titles, but I think that was the right decision here.”
- “It will not wow you, but the visuals are cute and the gameplay is decently challenging and engaging, and it's just a good time.”
- “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, etc. 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
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the option to level up and farm for better gear, others find the necessity of backtracking and farming tedious, especially when facing tanky enemies and challenging platforming sections. The fast-travel system helps alleviate some of the grind, but the overall experience can still feel inflated by the need to gather XP and resources. Despite these frustrations, many agree that the game's manageable difficulty and engaging world design make the grinding tolerable for a casual playthrough.
- “The map is practically useless; the fast-travel system is decent but still requires you to travel distances before getting to the boss room, making it really tedious for certain bosses. I wish there was an upgrade to allow players to carry more health items to improve the experience for more casual players.”
- “Even when equipped with the best possible equipment (most of which requires farming), there are plenty of tanky enemies, some with ridiculous damage outputs.”
- “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 Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting significant issues such as poor controller support and freezing on the options screen, while others praise it as high quality and bug-free, reminiscent of classic adventure games.
- “High quality and bug-free, Aggelos follows in the footsteps of classic era Wonder Boy adventure games.”
- “Poor controller support and buggy.”
- “No controller support; the game freezes on the options screen, preventing me from even checking for controller support.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game offers significant replayability, allowing players to discover missed items and face challenging bosses reminiscent of classic 80s NES titles. However, some users criticize the overall gameplay and controls, claiming these issues detract from the replay value and enjoyment.
- “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. The story is also lacking.”
- “Replayability is non-existent due to the lackluster gameplay and poorly designed controls. The bosses are forgettable, and the story fails to captivate.”
- “With bad game design and uninteresting gameplay, there's no incentive to replay. The controls are clunky, the bosses are lame, and the story is really disappointing.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, with some reporting intense feelings that led to tears. The experience evokes nostalgia, reminiscent of playing classic titles like "Dragon's Trap," highlighting its powerful impact on players' emotions.
- “I couldn't get it off, I cried.”
- “Made me feel like I was playing the Dragon's Trap all over again.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly discussed in the reviews, but the focus on a short yet engaging experience suggests that players may feel the value is appropriate for the content provided, without the frustration of overly difficult puzzles or excessive monetization tactics.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is characterized as charming and reminiscent of classic styles, appealing to those who appreciate a nostalgic comedic touch.
- “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.”