Alwa's Legacy

About

"Alwa's Legacy" is a modern retro adventure game that offers a non-linear experience with dangerous dungeons, mystic items, and ancient secrets. Players can customize their playing style with a clever upgrade system, and exploration is rewarded with numerous puzzles and hidden secrets. The game boasts crisp pixel-art, modern effects, and a chiptune soundtrack. Quick reflexes are necessary to navigate through challenging rooms, making it a rewarding experience for any player.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 333 reviews

music71 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

Alwa's Legacy features beautiful graphics and a charming art style that enhances the overall experience.
The game offers a satisfying progression system with various abilities to unlock and upgrade, allowing for creative problem-solving and exploration.
The level design is well-crafted, providing a mix of challenging puzzles and enjoyable platforming that keeps players engaged.

Some players experienced issues with controller compatibility and input responsiveness, which can hinder gameplay.
The story and character development are considered weak, with many players feeling it lacks depth and engagement.
Certain areas of the game can feel tedious due to backtracking and a lack of clear direction, leading to moments of frustration.

music
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
27%
3%
The music in the game is primarily 8-bit chiptune, which some players find charming and nostalgic, while others feel it clashes with the more modern visuals. Overall, the soundtrack receives mixed reviews, with many praising its catchiness and quality, particularly noting its ability to enhance the gameplay experience, though some express disappointment that it doesn't quite match the high standards set by the previous installment. Despite the varied opinions, the music is generally considered enjoyable and fitting for the retro aesthetic of the game.
- “The real highlight of the game for me was the music, though.”
- “The music is enjoyable, although the 8-bit-esque feel it has clashes a bit with the more hi-fi visuals.”
- “The soundtrack fits perfectly to the atmosphere of the game.”
- “The music was honestly underwhelming; it didn't coincide with the graphical leap from 8-bit to 16-bit. I wouldn't have minded if some of the original tracks made a return to this game, as they were all great.”
- “The soundtrack is still stuck in 8-bit land and doesn't have as many catchy tunes as the awakening one.”
- “Feels more like a YouTube VGM playlist than actual music made specifically to fit the game.”
graphics
87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
46%
3%
The graphics in the game have received widespread praise for their vibrant and colorful 16-bit art style, which marks a significant improvement over the previous 8-bit visuals. Players appreciate the charming pixel art, smooth animations, and the overall aesthetic that enhances the gameplay experience. While some critiques mention a lack of complexity in the visuals, the majority find the graphics to be beautiful and well-executed, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “The graphics are beautiful and colorful.”
- “Gorgeous graphics and music, tons of secrets to find, and a big world to explore.”
- “The graphics (particularly the parallax backgrounds) are absolutely luscious and the music is amazing.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
- “Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lackluster 2D visuals.”
gameplay
87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
60%
5%
The gameplay in "Alwa's Legacy" is generally praised for its satisfying progression, unique mechanics, and engaging puzzle-solving elements, making it a solid metroidvania experience. However, some players noted that combat feels generic and certain mechanics lack clear explanations, leading to occasional frustration. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable exploration and a charming aesthetic, it could benefit from improved tutorials and a more intuitive introduction to its mechanics.
- “The gameplay focuses more on puzzle solving and platforming than combat.”
- “The best part for me was really that the metroidvania-style adventuring was at its core really fun and the new abilities opened up really fun gameplay.”
- “Gorgeous graphics, a very nice soundtrack, tight and addictive platformer gameplay.”
- “Combat was pretty generic, and some mechanics and upgrades definitely could've used a better explanation or a tutorial area to demonstrate exactly what they're doing.”
- “The gameplay often devolved into running around the map for places I have not been to.”
- “The biggest issue in terms of the gameplay is that it feels that even though you gain new abilities that open up new paths and new gameplay, it feels as if there is only one correct order to complete the game.”
story
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
73%
6%
The story in "Alwa's Legacy" is generally viewed as mediocre and forgettable, often described as a simplistic excuse for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. While some players appreciate the improved storytelling compared to its predecessor, many criticize the lack of depth, character development, and meaningful connections to the first game, resulting in a plot that feels generic and underwhelming. Overall, the story does not significantly enhance the gaming experience, with many players indicating that they are more focused on gameplay mechanics than the narrative itself.
- “The story is above average, as it's the sequel to Alwa's Awakening.”
- “The art is lively and well-animated, the music is great, and while the story and characters are not especially deep, they are solid.”
- “The storytelling is excellent.”
- “The story is forgettable and boss battles aren't all that engaging.”
- “The story remains open-ended again, alluding to, but not solving, some background mysteries from both Alwa parts.”
- “The story (what little there is) is bland and the characters are paper thin or bad stereotypes.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Overall, the reviews indicate that grinding is minimal in this game, as skill leveling relies on finite collectible orbs rather than repetitive combat. While exploration is emphasized and generally enjoyable, some players find aspects of backtracking and movement tedious. The game successfully avoids traditional grinding mechanics, focusing instead on puzzle-solving and exploration, though some players feel the combat could be more engaging.
- “If you want to max out every skill, you will most likely need a guide. There is no grinding; leveling up your skills is done through the collection of orbs, which are finite. Many are completely hidden, and there's only the exact amount you need to max everything out.”
- “The emphasis is on exploration, and the combat really adds a bit of excitement and challenge to it without getting in the way; no tedious and superfluous RPG mechanics here!”
- “The game is nice but very tedious and tiring back-tracking here and there.”
- “What holds the game back are the worse fights (killing a monster with the standard attack is tedious, albeit not hard) and what feels like a far more vague guidance - e.g. why would I want to repair a house?”
- “The movement is especially atrocious, as you are constantly using the bubble to get extra height for just-out-of-reach platforms, which is incredibly tedious.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, featuring a captivating chiptune soundtrack that complements its wholesome and engaging environment. Reviewers consistently rate the atmosphere around 9/10, highlighting the witty dialogue and significant improvements over the original.
- “It has great atmosphere, and witty dialogue.”
- “The chiptune soundtrack is atmospheric and rife with catchy melodies.”
- “The soundtrack fits perfectly to the atmosphere of the game.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, contributing to an entertaining experience alongside its gameplay and artwork. While some dialogue may feel superficial, the charming characters and witty conversations enhance the overall atmosphere, making it a delightful choice for fans of retro-styled metroidvanias.
- “However, gameplay, artwork, and humor are enough to keep you entertained for a solid 9 hours if you want to 100% it.”
- “Luckily, the game's art, soundtrack, and humorous characters make for a mostly relaxing environment.”
- “Another quality, funny, and charming metroidvania from Elden Pixels!”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers moderate replayability, appealing to players who enjoy exploration and unlocking additional modes, such as a pacifist option. While its puzzle-based design may limit replay value for some, many users find enjoyment in revisiting areas to uncover secrets and collectibles. Overall, it balances a fun experience with opportunities for replay.
- “The game also has replayability value for those who like that, but it's worth it if you just want to play to explore and enjoy it once.”
- “Has an unlockable pacifist mode for extra replay value.”
- “Not the longest game in the genre, and the puzzle-based nature of the game limits replayability in my opinion, but the game still manages to be a ton of fun.”
- “Replayability is just as strong; there are so many areas to revisit to collect all the secrets in the game.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its chill and enjoyable nature, which may limit the intensity of emotional highs and lows typically associated with memorable experiences. However, players appreciate its wholesome atmosphere and entertaining challenges, making it a delightful and engaging experience overall.
- “This game is wholesome, atmospheric, and a huge upgrade on the original.”
- “The game is really wholesome and a pleasure to play; there are some fun challenges and a lot of entertaining references in the game!”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with smooth performance noted after the transition from 8-bit to 16-bit graphics. However, initial issues with joypad support were reported, though these have been addressed in a recent patch.
- “It went from 8-bit to 16-bit, and the game runs great.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive; I haven't experienced any crashes.”
- “The performance is smooth, and I can play for hours without any issues.”
- “The main downside is that the support for joypads was kind of buggy, which has been addressed in the first patch.”
- “The game frequently crashes during gameplay, making it frustrating to progress.”
- “I experienced several instances of lag and stuttering, which really detracted from the overall experience.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While some users express dissatisfaction with certain character designs, overall, the character development is viewed positively, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience.