Infernax

94%
Game Brain Score Based on 947 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Infernax Game Cover
A twisted action-adventure that pours the blood on thick.
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"Infernax is a platformer game with single-player and local co-op modes, offering a dangerous open world, challenging dungeon crawls, and customizable leveling. Your choices in this gory, humorous adventure affect the story's outcome, while plenty of secrets, monsters, and boss battles guarantee high replay value."

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 947 reviews
story52 positive mentions
grinding23 negative mentions
  • Infernax is a fantastic homage to classic 8-bit games, particularly Castlevania II and Zelda II, with modern gameplay mechanics and a compelling story.
  • The game features a morality system that allows players to make choices that significantly impact the narrative and lead to multiple endings, enhancing replayability.
  • The pixel art and soundtrack are top-notch, creating an engaging atmosphere that captures the essence of retro gaming.
  • The platforming sections can be frustratingly difficult, with many instant-death pits and poorly designed jumps that can lead to cheap deaths.
  • Some players may find the combat too easy, as bosses are often not challenging once you learn their patterns, which can diminish the sense of accomplishment.
  • The lack of checkpoints in dungeons can lead to tedious backtracking, especially after dying, which may frustrate players who prefer a more forgiving experience.
  • story179 mentions

    The game's story is a blend of classic retro influences, particularly from *Castlevania II: Simon's Quest* and *Zelda II*, featuring a simple yet engaging narrative that allows for significant player choice and branching paths. Players appreciate the moral decision-making system, which impacts gameplay and encourages replayability through multiple endings and varied quest outcomes. While some find the story somewhat cliché or lacking depth, many highlight its charm, humor, and the way choices meaningfully affect the world and character interactions.

    • “The story and moral points give the game a lot of replay value.”
    • “Rarely do games with moral choices make you feel the weight, consequence, and effect of said choices on story and gameplay, but this game delivers on that with flying colors.”
    • “The choices have lasting gameplay and story consequences that can evolve into more choices later on too.”
    • “The music looped until I wanted to mute it, and the story felt like it was pulled straight from the cliché handbook.”
    • “By the time you realize you accidentally made a good or evil choice where you wanted to do the other, you're locked out of ultimate good/evil playthrough because it's been 5 hours since you initiated the quest and you have a single save slot for a playthrough.”
    • “The game starts out much like Simon's Quest (Castlevania 2) then devolves into a 'everything kills you in one hit and there are no checkpoints'.”
  • music157 mentions

    The music in Infernax has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its nostalgic chiptune soundtrack that effectively complements the game's retro aesthetic. The soundtrack is described as catchy, memorable, and even deserving of standalone recognition, with some players expressing a desire to purchase it separately. Overall, the music enhances the gameplay experience, contributing to the game's engaging atmosphere and emotional weight.

    • “The music is a really effective chiptune soundtrack that really brings on the nostalgia.”
    • “The soundtrack is killer, the platforming is tight, the combat is satisfying and gory... masterpiece.”
    • “The music is a banger; it's so damn good, the gameplay is smooth and satisfying but also just a tad bit difficult to give you a bit of pain just like in the old Castlevania games!”
    • “The graphics suck, your weapon sucks, the music sucks and it's annoying to play.”
    • “Another indie game that clearly focused too much of its development on graphics and music, and not enough on game design.”
    • “The game does a pretty good job with the pixel art elements and the retro soundtrack is well done with a few tracks that like to get stuck in my head.”
  • gameplay139 mentions

    The gameplay of this title is a nostalgic blend of classic 2D action-platforming reminiscent of games like Castlevania and Zelda II, featuring multiple endings and a morality system that significantly impacts gameplay and story. While many players appreciate the retro mechanics and engaging combat, some criticize the reliance on frustrating insta-death mechanics and tedious backtracking, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a solid mix of charm, challenge, and replayability, appealing to fans of old-school gaming while also introducing modern elements.

    • “Rarely do games with moral choices make you feel the weight, consequence, and effect of said choices on story and gameplay, but this game delivers on that with flying colors.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are simple, but well-balanced and responsive.”
    • “The core gameplay is fun and has a healthy amount of challenge.”
    • “It's like they resurrected every frustrating mechanic from the 80s just to see if they could still break people in 2024.”
    • “The world just wasn't interesting to explore, especially not in any balance to the excessive amount of boring sidequests, relentless backtracking, and trial-and-error gameplay that the game throws at you.”
    • “This game is not for anyone that lacks the patience to deal with 30-year-old dead tropes, like fixed jump height, insta-death pits, water and lava (in almost every area), and very, very, very repetitive gameplay.”
  • graphics94 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant pixel art and nostalgic 8-bit aesthetic, reminiscent of classic titles from the NES and SNES eras. Reviewers appreciate the modern enhancements that elevate the visuals while maintaining a retro charm, particularly highlighting the detailed animations and gore effects that add to the overall experience. While some players note minor inconsistencies in art style, the general consensus is that the graphics effectively complement the gameplay and thematic elements of the game.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous.”
    • “The visuals are stunning.”
    • “The pixel art (especially the 'high-res' cutscene artwork) is masterful.”
    • “The graphics suck, your weapon sucks, the music sucks and it's annoying to play.”
    • “So seeing Infernax, my first thoughts were that it was going to mimic SOTN, with 8-bit graphics...in a bad way.”
    • “It sometimes feels a little inconsistent, where most of the art looks like an NES game, but a few bits like spell icons have visibly too many colors (to the point it looks more like a SNES game) and the gore covering your character doesn't really match the rest of the character's art style.”
  • replayability91 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its multiple endings, branching storylines, and moral choices that significantly impact gameplay. Players appreciate the variety of characters, secrets, and paths available, which encourage multiple playthroughs despite the relatively short completion time of around 6-10 hours. Overall, the combination of engaging mechanics and diverse outcomes makes it a compelling experience worth revisiting.

    • “Overall, great game with lots of replayability and secrets strewn throughout, and definitely worth your time.”
    • “The story and moral points give the game a lot of replay value.”
    • “A branching story like this encourages replayability and will stack up quite a bit of play time, this in turn makes up for the game's otherwise short length (about 8-10 hours per playthrough).”
    • “While some may consider the length lackluster, I feel like the replayability of the different endings more than makes up for it as it strikes a great balance of not being completely tedious to replay, and probably short enough to beat in one sitting for the more dedicated.”
    • “However, what is probably my favorite part of the game is the replay value, which tends to be my favorite thing in most games.”
    • “It also attempts to have replay value with multiple endings, and having a good/evil side playthrough; however, it wasn't enough to entice me to play again, notably since it's missing NG+ options to carry over some of the grinder elements.”
  • humor32 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of clever writing, dark comedy, and numerous easter eggs that reference classic gaming tropes, providing a unique and engaging experience. Players appreciate the unexpected and absurd moments, as well as the over-the-top gore that adds to the comedic effect. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its narrative and gameplay, making it both entertaining and replayable.

    • “The script is clever and funny.”
    • “It's full of humor, especially in the form of easter eggs and inside jokes for the target audience.”
    • “Amazing game with a great dark humor theme around it.”
  • grinding23 mentions

    Reviews highlight that grinding in the game can be a mixed experience, often described as tedious and frustrating, particularly due to backtracking and repetitive boss encounters. While some players appreciate the challenge and replayability offered by different endings, many feel that the grinding detracts from the overall enjoyment, with some suggesting that cheat codes can alleviate the monotony. Overall, the game features solid mechanics and enjoyable elements, but the grinding aspect is frequently criticized for being overly burdensome.

    • “In a game where you have limited lives before you have to reload your save, it's less challenging and more tedious to preserve your lives when moving slightly to the right too much sends you to a death pit.”
    • “It was tedious with things like having to backtrack through castles to the very start where the save points are each time you get an item or else you inevitably die and lose all progress.”
    • “There is a good game in here, but it's buried under all the grinding.”
  • atmosphere7 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its grimdark tone, enhanced by effective audio design and compelling storytelling. While the music may not be particularly memorable, it contributes to the overall mood, creating a captivating and mysterious environment that complements the gameplay. Despite some minor issues, the atmospheric elements significantly elevate the gaming experience.

    • “The atmosphere and story are well done.”
    • “I enjoyed its dark atmosphere, audio design, and boss fights.”
    • “The music, the atmosphere, the gameplay, the sprite work.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players find the game emotionally resonant, particularly appreciating its nostalgic elements and the sense of accomplishment from overcoming challenges. While some moments are enjoyable and evoke fond memories, others feel disjointed, leading to a mixed emotional experience overall. The developers are praised for creating a wholesome atmosphere that appeals to fans of retro gaming.

    • “Solving things feels like an accomplishment without pushing me to my absolute limits, and the knowledge I gained on my first playthrough made me feel adequately prepared to start finding things for the other endings.”
    • “The devs deserve all the support and love because this game is a wholesome experience for all us 80's kids.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability with a polished and smooth gameplay experience, free from significant glitches or bugs. Players may encounter minor navigation challenges, but these can often be resolved through basic troubleshooting and paying attention to NPC hints.

    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
    • “I encountered several bugs that caused the game to freeze, forcing me to restart.”
    • “The stability issues are frustrating; I often find myself having to reload my save due to unexpected errors.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game runs smoothly at 60fps without any reported issues, indicating strong optimization.

    • “The game runs at a smooth 60fps with no issues.”
    • “I appreciate how well-optimized the game is; it runs flawlessly on my system.”
    • “The optimization is impressive, allowing for seamless gameplay even in demanding scenarios.”
  • character development1 mentions

    The character development is noted for its vibrant and unique design, blending colorful aesthetics with elements of morbidity and body horror, creating a visually striking and intriguing experience.

    • “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character's unique backstory.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making choices feel impactful and meaningful.”
    • “The depth of each character's personality and growth throughout the story is truly impressive.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

85% average critic score

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Play time

8hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
5-19hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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