Iconoclasts

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,357 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Iconoclasts Game Cover
While most Metroidvanias find themselves struggling with their pace, Iconoclasts never lets up. It’s one of the best of its kind and definitely needs to be played.
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"Iconoclasts" is a single-player Science Fiction Platformer game with a delightful story, exceptional game mechanics, masterful visuals, and outstanding music. Play as Robin, a mechanic who just wants to help people, as you navigate through numerous densely detailed locations filled with action and puzzles. Experience a heart-wrenching epic with over 20 gear-grinding boss battles and a unique difficulty tweak system, all in a sensational atmosphere.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station Vita
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,357 reviews
story827 positive mentions
grinding81 negative mentions
  • Incredible pixel art and animations that create a vibrant and engaging world.
  • Unique and challenging boss fights that require players to think strategically.
  • A deep and thought-provoking story that tackles themes of faith, purpose, and the consequences of helping others.
  • The dialogue can be overly verbose and convoluted, making it hard to follow the story.
  • Some puzzles and boss mechanics are poorly communicated, leading to confusion and frustration.
  • The game is more linear than expected for a metroidvania, with limited exploration and backtracking.
  • story2,358 mentions

    The story of "Iconoclasts" is a complex and engaging narrative that explores themes of faith, oppression, and personal growth, set against a vibrant and colorful backdrop. Players follow the protagonist, Robin, a mechanic navigating a dystopian world dominated by a theocratic regime, as she encounters a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and arcs. While the story is praised for its depth and emotional impact, some players find it convoluted and occasionally difficult to follow, with a mix of humor and darker elements that can create tonal dissonance. Overall, the narrative is a significant draw for the game, appealing to those who appreciate rich storytelling alongside gameplay.

    • “The story focuses on the three of them fighting against their cultures simply to lead a happy existence, and against the oppressive control of the One Concern.”
    • “It's an incredibly interesting world, the story's well done, and the characters are where the story really shines.”
    • “The story is unique, the puzzles are fun and make you think, and there are so many twists and turns with the plot that it just makes you constantly wonder what's going to happen next.”
    • “The story is incomprehensible gibberish that makes you feel like you've been dropped into the middle of a conversation and you have no idea what it's about.”
    • “The story is all over the place, and the plot basically exists as a result of psychologists apparently not existing in a world where everyone lets their emotions run rampant.”
    • “The story is a convoluted mess and none of it really made sense and the end felt dragged out, with too many plot twists that didn't seem to really twist much.”
  • gameplay1,307 mentions

    The gameplay of "Iconoclasts" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its unique mechanics and engaging boss fights, while others criticize its linearity and occasional clunkiness. Players appreciate the puzzle-solving elements and the way the game introduces new mechanics, but some feel that the overall gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth compared to other metroidvanias. Despite these criticisms, the game's vibrant art style, captivating story, and character development often overshadow its gameplay shortcomings, making it a worthwhile experience for many players.

    • “The gameplay is fun, with a good mix of puzzles and bosses.”
    • “The gameplay is solid, allowing for very fun puzzle-solving and exploration using Robin's tools, while also constantly switching things up to make sure you're never repeating things for too long.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, it's where I think the game really dropped the ball.”
    • “The gameplay is incredibly mundane, with the abilities you gain not feeling empowering and not being used that creatively.”
    • “The gameplay leaves a lot to be desired.”
  • music607 mentions

    The music in "Iconoclasts" has received widespread acclaim for its catchy and diverse soundtrack, which effectively complements the game's vibrant pixel art and emotional storytelling. Many players noted that the music enhances the atmosphere, particularly during boss fights, with some tracks being memorable and evocative. However, a few reviews mentioned that while the music is generally good, it can sometimes feel repetitive or less impactful compared to other elements of the game. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's overall charm and engagement.

    • “The music is phenomenal, the pixel art style is wonderful to look at, and everything, and I mean everything, is incredibly animated.”
    • “The music is stellar, blending with the expert visual design of each area to give the world such a unique and mysterious vibe.”
    • “The music is amazing and helps set the mood perfectly.”
    • “Other than the music in the first town, I honestly don't remember any of the other songs, and I just finished playing it like 5 minutes ago.”
    • “A lot of the music is forgettable.”
    • “The music is good but not great.”
  • graphics480 mentions

    The graphics of "Iconoclasts" are widely praised for their stunning pixel art and vibrant color palette, showcasing a high level of detail and animation that enhances the game's overall aesthetic. Many reviewers highlight the impressive achievement of a single developer creating such beautiful visuals, which effectively contrast with the game's darker themes. Overall, the art style is described as charming and engaging, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The graphics are absolutely lovely and it has a well-made story with a lot of different characters.”
    • “The visuals make Iconoclasts even more valuable with some really nice pixel art animations and backgrounds.”
    • “The graphics are amazing, no question one of the most beautiful pixel art to date, reminds me a lot of Owlboy and CrossCode which are both excellent examples of that.”
    • “The bright colorful graphics and chipper music completely betray what this game really is.”
    • “There's a weird disconnect between the cutesy-tootsy graphics, the light-hearted quips, and the very, very brutal plot.”
    • “The graphics are pixelated (but not too much) and the game world and its characters are all very pretty.”
  • humor121 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it genuinely funny and engaging, while others feel it falls flat or is overshadowed by darker themes. Many appreciate the quirky character interactions and witty dialogue, which provide levity amidst a serious narrative, though some criticize the writing as inconsistent or overly ambitious. Overall, the game balances humor with emotional depth, creating a unique tone that resonates with many players.

    • “This game goes from investigating the funny sound to overthrowing the government by killing God real quick, and I'm all here for it.”
    • “The narrative balances its more dramatic segments with humor and overall doesn’t take itself too seriously, making for a fun and engaging story.”
    • “The game has an immersive, interesting world, a ton of great characters, many excellent boss fights, and some actually funny moments.”
  • emotional101 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its depth and complexity, with many players noting that it elicits strong feelings through its unique story and character development. While some found the narrative convoluted or overly drawn out, others highlighted its ability to deliver impactful moments that resonate long after gameplay, often leading to tears and deep reflection. Overall, the game is recognized as an emotional rollercoaster, combining heartwarming and heartbreaking elements that enhance the player's experience.

    • “The final hours of Iconoclasts were an emotional whirlwind... heart-wrenching, gripping, and intense.”
    • “What ensues is a surprisingly emotional tale of grief, recovery, wanting to do the best by people, overcoming the expectations of others and, of course, the dangers of theocratic rule - a lesson that I suspect we will need to take to heart in the coming years.”
    • “This game is an emotional rollercoaster and an absolute mindfu¢k and I love every second of it.”
    • “One big annoyance is the amount of cutscenes for a game with a boring story.”
    • “Boring story, too much story, too many 2D cutscenes; every time you start thinking the game is fun, you get hit by long story segments.”
  • grinding83 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, with many describing the puzzles and combat as repetitive and lacking depth. While the game features beautiful graphics and charming characters, the gameplay often devolves into monotonous tasks and backtracking, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Many reviewers noted that the lack of meaningful upgrades and the overwhelming number of tedious encounters detracted from the overall experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “No grinding for materials by killing enemies, as all of them are found via exploration.”
    • “While there are plenty of puzzles and breaks from what ultimately felt like a pretty unengaging combat system, the puzzles felt either obvious or tedious, sometimes both, and generally your reward for interacting with these puzzles are crafting ingredients to make upgrades that hardly affect the way you interact with the game.”
    • “The puzzles just get increasingly tedious; the fights more so - I'm fighting this group of robots at the minute, 2 at a time, that almost act like minibosses considering the ludicrous amount of health that they have, and it's just totally joyless.”
    • “The game is not worth playing just for the puzzle-platforming because the vast majority of it is pretty straightforward and even gets quite tedious towards the end.”
  • character development60 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the depth and emotional resonance of certain characters, while others criticize the lack of development for key figures, particularly in pivotal moments. The character designs are generally well-received for their uniqueness and visual appeal, but there are calls for more consistent and meaningful storytelling to enhance character motivations. Overall, while the art and animation are standout features, the execution of character arcs varies significantly, leaving some players wanting more depth and coherence.

    • “The ongoing story and character development have me loving it more and more.”
    • “There's a great deal of character development and interesting twists in the writing.”
    • “Character development and storytelling are great.”
    • “Poor character development for Elro and Royal, unbeatable and annoying enemies, and a less than stellar climax has me walking away from Iconoclasts really disappointed after seeing what it could have been.”
    • “Lastly, they took all the opportunity for character development for Royal and just killed him in a weird moment towards the end for no reason.”
    • “There was little to no character development for any of the characters.”
  • atmosphere30 mentions

    The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its beautiful graphics, compelling soundtrack, and immersive environments that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the unique charm and emotional depth of the atmosphere, drawing comparisons to classic titles like Earthbound, while also noting the effective use of music to complement various settings. However, some critiques mention inconsistencies in the atmosphere and gameplay, suggesting that while the visuals and sound design are strong, the overall engagement can vary.

    • “A charming sidescrolling action adventure with beautiful spritework and a unique atmosphere, setting, and narrative.”
    • “The artwork is breathtaking and the soundtrack works with that to create a compelling atmosphere that almost perfectly suits every situation the main character finds herself in.”
    • “Every inch of this game oozes life and atmosphere.”
    • “But the atmosphere and story of this game are all over the place.”
    • “No atmosphere, banal dialogue, generic art design, forgettable music.”
    • “He has spent such tremendous effort polishing cutscenes and building atmosphere that the music just falls lightyears short.”
  • replayability24 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with some players noting limited replay value due to its story-driven nature and linear gameplay, while others appreciate the inclusion of new game modes, difficulty levels, and hidden secrets that enhance replayability for completionists. The presence of choice and twists in the narrative can provide different experiences upon replay, but many agree that once the puzzles and story are fully explored, the incentive to replay diminishes.

    • “Also, after beating the game once you get some new game modes (boss rush and challenge mode come to mind and are dope, even if hard as hell), so great replayability value too.”
    • “The story is so twisted that it gives you a different point of view about the characters and events when you play New Game+, which adds to the replay value.”
    • “There's beautiful sprite work and animations, smooth controls, challenging bosses, replayability... and it's all made by one guy over the course of just under a decade.”
    • “It's fun but pretty short, and not much replayability other than boss rushes or speedruns.”
    • “Because the game is so story-driven, I think it has limited replayability.”
    • “Replayability is limited, in my opinion.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is highly praised, with players reporting smooth performance and minimal bugs across various platforms, including the Steam Deck. While some users noted that performance could be maximized with specific tweaks, the general consensus is that the game runs well on any machine, showcasing effective fine-tuning and solid framerate outside of cutscenes.

    • “I played through the entire game on Steam Deck without any performance issues.”
    • “Graphics and art are beautifully drawn, yet performance is sound on any machine; it's clear that this game was heavily fine-tuned.”
    • “Performance was perfect.”
    • “It does the job, but it doesn't do it at peak performance.”
    • “Music was serviceable, performance was smooth and I encountered only a couple of minor glitches.”
    • “Outside of cutscenes, framerate and performance were solid.”
  • stability9 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report a smooth performance with only minor glitches, others describe it as somewhat buggy and inconsistent. Despite these issues, many appreciate the game's mechanics and story, indicating that the stability concerns do not overshadow the overall enjoyment.

    • “The game is great, with no glitches or bugs, making it a lot of fun and allowing for character development.”
    • “Tl;dr frustrating, inconsistent, and buggy.”
    • “First off: the game is somewhat buggy/unstable.”
    • “It's not that the developer doesn't know how to program a game - this isn't a game that suffers from glitches, in fact a lot of the time the programming is too precise - it's that he doesn't seem to understand - or care - what fans of this genre want.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Players find the monetization model frustrating, as it often requires watching ads to regain lost advantages, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to a sense of unfairness.

    • “It's frustrating to lose my speed buff to an unforeseen enemy, and then be unable to recover it without grinding through ads.”
    • “The monetization system feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
    • “I find it disappointing that essential features are locked behind paywalls, forcing players to choose between spending money or missing out.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

85% average critic score

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Play time

12hMedian play time
14hAverage play time
10-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 23 analyzed playthroughs

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