Vernal Edge

Vernal Edge is a great Metroidvania game, with deep and satisfying combat, a whole lot of freedom to explore, and gorgeous pixel art.

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In Vernal Edge, a Metroidvania-style game, play as Vernal, a young woman seeking her father in a mysterious kingdom of floating islands ruled by the Church of Aloe. Master Vernal's combos and explore diverse pixel art environments filled with secrets and powerful upgrades. Dynamic combat and engaging narrative await in this action-packed adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 521 reviews

story50 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

Vernal Edge features fluid and satisfying movement mechanics, allowing players to explore and traverse the environment with ease.
The combat system is engaging and dynamic, offering a variety of moves and spells that encourage creativity and skillful play.
The game's pixel art and soundtrack are beautifully crafted, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience.

The enemy variety is limited, leading to repetitive encounters and a lack of challenge in combat as players progress.
The story and character development are weak, with a protagonist that some players find unlikable and a narrative that feels underdeveloped.
The map system is poorly designed, making navigation confusing and leading to frustration when trying to find collectibles or progress.

story
224 mentions
22 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The story of "Vernal Edge" is generally viewed as mediocre, with many players finding it uninteresting and lacking depth, particularly criticizing the protagonist's motivations and the execution of dialogue. While some appreciate the simple revenge narrative and character determination, others feel it fails to engage or provide a compelling plot, often serving merely as a backdrop for gameplay. Overall, the narrative is seen as serviceable but not particularly memorable, with many players expressing a desire for a richer story in future installments.
- “I enjoyed the story, the characters were fun, and I appreciated Vernal's single-minded determination.”
- “Vernal Edge hits all of the right spots for me: great pixel art and animation, great soundtrack, punchy combat, and a lovable (albeit simple) story.”
- “The combat is exciting, the exploration is rewarding, the characters are charming, the story is engaging, and the simple act of moving around is fun.”
- “In general, the story is actually not all that interesting.”
- “Pretty bad story that hinges on the main character getting revenge on her dad for 'abandoning her and her mom,' except it happened apparently before the character was born, so it makes zero sense.”
- “The overall story is quite basic and uninteresting, giving me a hard time to care about pretty much anything in the game's world.”
music
156 mentions
44 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its engaging and atmospheric qualities, particularly during combat, while others criticize it for being too quiet or lacking variety. Many appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the gameplay experience, though some tracks feel out of place or forgettable. Overall, while the music is often described as enjoyable and fitting for certain moments, it may not leave a lasting impression for all players.
- “Vernal Edge hits all of the right spots for me: great pixel art and animation, great soundtrack, punchy combat, and a lovable (albeit simple) story.”
- “The gameplay is smooth and fast, the combat is rewarding and is just the right difficulty, the pixel art is very well done, and the soundtrack is out of this world.”
- “What shocked me the most, however, was the music, which combined with the fine visuals and overall setting created a great sense of atmosphere and mystery that I absolutely loved.”
- “The gameplay feels pretty solid, it's very pretty to look at, but where I find it really is lacking is in the music department.”
- “It's near completely silent at times, even with the music cranked up to max. There's occasionally a few notes or sounds in the background but it immediately returns to... nothing.”
- “What I like is the idea of the game and combat and that's it, the lack of knowing where to go is infuriating; the movement is slippery and the music is not good, it's just repeating over and over. I'm confused as to why this has so many good reviews.”
gameplay
146 mentions
32 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Vernal Edge" is a blend of metroidvania exploration and dynamic combat, featuring innovative mechanics like poise and combo systems that encourage strategic play. While the movement mechanics are praised for their fluidity and the level design offers unique challenges, some players find the combat overly complicated and tedious, with a lack of engaging enemy design. Overall, the game is recommended for its solid core gameplay, though it may not resonate with everyone due to its pacing and character dynamics.
- “It's one of the few indie games to get posture mechanics right, making them a deliberate and considered part of the combat loop rather than a free damage bonus for not dying long enough.”
- “The gameplay is smooth and fast, the combat is rewarding and is just the right difficulty, the pixel art is very well done, and the soundtrack is out of this world.”
- “Satisfying, deep combat and movement that is approachable and rewarding the more time you take to master the mechanics.”
- “The combat itself feels more like a chore than a core mechanic with numerous 'kill x enemies on this screen to advance' zones - complete with impassable walls - spawned enemies.”
- “It's overly complicated, fights take forever, basic attacks are useless, charge moves are too useful, block sucks, power moves require an awkward and unnecessary lock-on mechanic.”
- “Every gameplay aspect got quite tiring after a while without a real reason to keep going on, other than doing it for the sake of beating the game.”
graphics
110 mentions
58 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising the beautiful pixel art and unique aesthetic reminiscent of the PS1 and Sega Saturn eras. While some players found the visuals to be stunning and immersive, others noted a lack of polish and simplicity in certain areas. Overall, the art style and visuals are highlighted as standout features, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “Very well executed pixel graphic style.”
- “The OST goes hard and the excellent visuals are the cherry on top of this sweet experience.”
- “The visuals are by far the best aspect of it.”
- “The graphics are extremely dull & the gameplay is whatever.”
- “The visuals are very simple.”
- “However it still lacks polish: some graphical fixes (for example stuttery feel as if fps dropped in some places) and a few bug fixes (like solving the issue with wall detection and phasing through platforms).”
grinding
14 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating and tedious, with repetitive combat and unlikable characters contributing to a lackluster experience. While some unique challenges offer a break from monotony, many encounters feel like a slog, and the slow dialogue further exacerbates the sense of tedium. Overall, the design choices surrounding grinding have left many feeling disappointed.
- “Did you think making the combat a boring, grindy slog was...good design?”
- “It can feel frustrating and tedious, and the combat can also feel very repetitive near the end of the game.”
- “Most enemy encounters wall you off into a small combat arena and I found this feeling tedious pretty quickly.”
emotional
12 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game effectively evokes a range of emotions through its engaging narrative and character interactions, particularly between the protagonist Vernal and her supporting cast, which includes heartwarming moments that resonate with players. However, some players express mixed feelings about the overall experience, especially regarding the challenge of higher difficulty levels and the movement controls, which can detract from the emotional impact.
- “Vernal is a very fun protagonist, and her supporting cast does a good job helping the narrative create a handful of genuine and emotional moments.”
- “The conversation between Chervil and Vernal is cute and wholesome.”
- “Movement controls are the most heartbreaking aspect of the experience for me.”
humor
10 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted as its standout feature, blending cheeky dialogue and amusing character moments, particularly with the character Vernal. While the game follows a typical revenge narrative, its comedic elements set it apart from similar titles, making it an enjoyable experience for players who appreciate humor alongside gameplay.
- “But in this case, you get your basic revenge story mixed with a little sci-fi and occasional cheeky humor.”
- “It's the only thing this game commits to being different than its inspirations, and hilariously it's by far its strongest component.”
- “Vernal is a funny character too and may or may not shower, lmao.”
atmosphere
10 mentions
40 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by fast movement and striking visuals that evoke a sense of exploration and mystery. However, some players find the overall sound design too quiet, and there are mixed opinions on the suitability of the music, with some tracks not aligning well with the game's intended ambiance.
- “What really sells me on this game is the atmosphere and fast movement.”
- “What shocked me the most, however, was the music, which combined with the fine visuals and overall setting created a great sense of atmosphere and mystery that I absolutely loved.”
- “(I must say, it adds to the atmosphere of being an explorer though.)”
- “But some of the music doesn't fit the atmosphere.”
optimization
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its high polish and lack of significant performance issues, contributing to a smooth experience. The visuals and soundtrack enhance the overall enjoyment, with no major complaints regarding bugs or performance.
- “As for game performance and options, there was really nothing that stuck out as a thorn in my side.”
- “Luckily there's also some positives in the game, namely the gorgeous pixel art visuals, relaxing soundtrack, and the high polish in terms of bugs/performance.”
- “- no DMC style combo counter/performance rankings (not like the game needs it, but it'd be funny :) )”
replayability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Replayability is generally considered low due to the game's linear structure and lack of additional content beyond a harder difficulty level after completion. The absence of features like New Game+ or level select limits players' ability to revisit encounters, making the experience feel repetitive and less engaging.
- “Replayability, however, is unfortunately fairly low as the game itself is pretty linear and doesn't offer anything extra besides a harder difficulty level after beating the game once.”
- “A new game+ or level select could probably compromise the elegance of the game's design, but having no way to replay encounters on their own hurts replayability, as restarting from zero means going through the combat at its least interesting.”
- “Replayability: low.”
stability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game experiences occasional stability issues, including minor audio glitches and random softlocks. Notably, a specific boss fight can become unresponsive, with the boss getting stuck in an animation. Overall, while the game is playable, these glitches can disrupt the experience.
- “Some minor audio glitches every now and then, particularly with sound effects persisting from the time bomb.”
- “One boss fight (the one in the tower of battle) bugged out with the boss just standing there stuck in an animation.”
- “Random softlocks and glitches.”
character development
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with players noting a lack of growth and poorly written dialogue for key characters, particularly one who is described as "edgy" and unlikable. Many feel that the overall worldbuilding suffers, resulting in a cast of shallow characters that detracts from the game's thematic coherence. There is hope among some players for improvement in character arcs as the game progresses, but current impressions are overwhelmingly negative.
- “She's edgy, her dialogue is poorly written and she has 0 character development throughout the game.”
- “I hope she gets some much needed character development later in the game because, to be honest, I almost want to skip every dialogue just so I don't have to deal with her randomly being an asshole.”
- “Unfortunately, like many Kickstarter games, the worldbuilding and character design suffer as the towns are filled with 'donut steels' with one or two lines of dialogue and absolutely no thematic or artistic alignment with the rest of the game.”