Axiom Verge 2

About

"Axiom Verge 2" is a metroidvania-style game with a strong emphasis on exploration and discovery. As Indra, you'll delve into a mysterious wormhole and uncover the secrets of a rogue corporation's technological experiments. With a range of weapons and abilities at your disposal, you'll face off against hostile creatures and solve environmental puzzles in this sequel to the critically acclaimed original.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 505 reviews

story63 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game features a beautiful art style and an engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Exploration is a major focus, with a vast interconnected world that encourages players to discover secrets and hidden areas.
The new mechanics, such as the dual world system and hacking abilities, add depth and creativity to the gameplay.

Combat feels clunky and less satisfying compared to the first game, with a focus on melee attacks that can be frustrating against ranged enemies.
The story is less coherent and engaging than the first, leaving many players wanting more depth and connection to the original narrative.
Boss fights are mostly optional and lack challenge, making them feel less impactful and memorable.

story
237 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
68%
6%
The story of Axiom Verge 2 is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its intriguing worldbuilding and lore, while others find it convoluted and difficult to follow. Although it expands on the narrative established in the first game, some feel it lacks coherence and depth, often relying on text logs that can be overwhelming. Overall, while the story has its merits and offers a unique experience, it may leave some players wanting more clarity and resolution.
- “Amazing story, solid metroidvania gameplay.”
- “The story kept me pretty engaged, and even eager to find new bits of lore that are stashed around the map for those up to the challenge.”
- “The lore and story are very well written out, and there were lots of references to the previous game.”
- “The plot is made of incomprehensible text logs.”
- “The story is hard to follow and dull.”
- “Rather than continuing the story of Dr. Trace in his search of answers concerning the alien world of Sudra, Axiom Verge 2 barely has anything to do with the storyline of the first game, except for a few references here and there to characters and concepts.”
gameplay
195 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
76%
2%
The gameplay of Axiom Verge 2 has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant shift from the first game. While some appreciate the new mechanics, such as the dual-world exploration and hacking elements, others feel that the focus on melee combat and less emphasis on ranged weapons detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as a solid metroidvania with creative traversal mechanics, but it may disappoint those expecting a direct continuation of the original's gameplay style.
- “Amazing story, solid metroidvania gameplay.”
- “The sequel fixes literally everything that I disliked about the original, while deepening gameplay and leaning more heavily into the 'breach' mechanic by having you explore two parallel worlds in tandem.”
- “The gameplay is much more frustrating as the map is much harder to understand and navigate.”
- “The gameplay is just better in the first game.”
- “The gameplay was mediocre at best.”
- “I really wanted to like it but this 'sequel' is not even close to Axiom Verge 1 in terms of gameplay.”
music
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
49%
3%
The music in Axiom Verge 2 has received mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and emotional impact, often noting it as a highlight of the game. While some players appreciate the varied styles and catchy tracks, others feel it lacks the memorability and atmospheric depth of the original game's soundtrack, with certain pieces described as grating or ill-fitting. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a strong component that enhances the game's exploration and storytelling, despite some subjective preferences for the first game's more haunting tones.
- “The music is great and even better than the first game.”
- “The music is exceptional.”
- “The soundtrack is phenomenal!”
- “On a personal level, the 8-bit music for the alternate world began grating on me pretty quickly, and short of going into settings and cranking the music down, there wasn't much to be done about it.”
- “It doesn't help that music genres are all over the place in terms of volume and style, and rather tone-deaf to the heavy subject matter of the story when you enter many areas of the breach.”
- “Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the second half of the soundtrack, especially the breach tracks.”
graphics
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
68%
4%
The graphics in Axiom Verge 2 have seen improvements in sprite quality and a shift to a brighter, more colorful art style compared to its predecessor, which featured darker, more alien visuals. While many players appreciate the lush environments and detailed animations, some feel that the overall aesthetic is less intriguing and that the scale of certain elements, like bosses, has diminished. The game successfully blends retro pixel art with modern design, though opinions vary on whether these changes enhance or detract from the experience.
- “The visuals are bright and the environments are richly detailed, moving away from the traditional Metroid mood.”
- “Graphically, AV2 has more elaborate sprite art and beautiful animation for the especially large creatures and bosses that roam the world.”
- “The graphics are very pretty, and the world feels quite diverse.”
- “The graphics are fine, but you can see that from the trailer; no new information here.”
- “The art style is better rendered, but overall less intriguing and beautiful than the monumental rusalki and the strange, alien world of Sudra in AV1.”
- “Finicky unrewarding combat, dull level layouts, and even the graphic tiles and soundtrack felt lackluster.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
62%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its distinctiveness and quality, with varied environments and excellent music that enhance exploration. However, some players express disappointment that it lacks the darker, more melancholic tone of its predecessor, instead opting for a more positive vibe. Overall, while the atmosphere is a strong point, opinions vary on whether it matches the depth and intrigue of the first game.
- “First off, it stunned me how well-made the atmosphere was done.”
- “The world map feels wonderfully varied, with each area boasting its own distinct mood, music, and atmosphere.”
- “The exploration and atmosphere were really top notch; it absolutely nailed that key aspect of the genre in allowing yourself to seemingly get lost in an interesting world without ever actually getting properly lost and not knowing what to do or where to go next.”
- “However, it disappointed me that many songs have a rather positive atmosphere.”
- “I was hoping for the same creepy, weird atmosphere of Axiom Verge 1, but instead I get a jolly good adventure in the Buddhist mountains with Super Mario on the side.”
- “The characters are less interesting (especially the main character), and the atmosphere is nothing compared to the alien feel of the first one.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players enjoy the gameplay and find the human-drone transitions fun, there are reports of minor bugs and glitches, including performance issues and occasional crashes. Some users downplay the severity of these bugs, suggesting they don't significantly detract from the experience, but others note that the game can be prone to instability.
- “The game's a bit buggy.”
- “I experienced several minor bugs and glitches: from 100% CPU load while the game is minimized to momentarily getting stuck in walls to items that said I could 'take' them, but I couldn't (without any 'nope' sound or anything).”
- “Oh by the way, some people are saying this game is buggy and crashes frequently.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with many segments feeling mundane or overly quick. The expansive worlds are complicated and lack efficient fast travel options, making exploration a chore rather than an enjoyable experience. Combat often feels more like a nuisance, leading some players to prefer avoiding enemies altogether rather than engaging in battles.
- “Overall, I found many segments tedious, and the ones that didn't feel tedious were either mundane or over too fast.”
- “I don't think there is anything that would have broken the game by allowing fast travel between points in the different worlds, so it became a little tedious to have to find an access point to swap between worlds before fast traveling.”
- “The worlds are expansive, but also unnecessarily complicated, which makes exploring them tedious and irritating. The game lacks some balancing and polish, and certain enemies are nothing more than a nuisance.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the quirky architecture and amusing enemy encounters entertaining, while others feel that certain elements, like the final boss battle theme, detract from the overall experience. Overall, the humor is appreciated by some but criticized by others for not always landing effectively.
- “Make sure you put it to text to speech, for that added humor!”
- “It's kind of hilarious that the last enemies you fight [spoiler] are the first enemy... and they are just as annoying [/spoiler].”
- “There's grass and trees and mountains but the architecture looks kind of funny.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The game's replayability is rated 6/10, indicating a moderate level of enjoyment upon revisiting. While it is more accessible than its predecessor, some difficulty spikes may deter players who prefer a smoother experience. Overall, it is considered a more recommendable option for those who enjoy the metroidvania genre.
- “Overall, the game was a lot more playable in general and wasn't as hard to recommend as the original. The difficulty spikes in the game didn't make this one a 'don't recommend unless they like hard metroidvanias.'”
- “Replayability – 6/10”
- “Overall, the game was a lot more playable in general and wasn't as hard of a recommend as the original. However, the difficulty spikes in the game didn't make this one a 'don't recommend unless they like hard metroidvanias.'”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Many users express that emotional responses are influencing their judgments of the game, suggesting that personal feelings may be impacting their overall assessment.