Zexion

About

Zexion is a single player action adventure game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Gallant Leaf and was released on March 21, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Seek out new weapons and equipment to delve deeper into the dangerous world of Cypher-X72! Be warned, you aren't the only one seeking the forbidden technology known as Zexion! It will take cunning and valor to succeed in this action-packed sci-fi adventure!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 323 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

Exceptional Metroid-like metroidvania with strong retro aesthetics combined with polished modern mechanics and a diverse interconnected map.
Innovative twin-stick shooter control scheme with multiple unique weapons and movement upgrades enhancing combat and exploration.
Highly challenging yet fair gameplay with generous boss checkpoints and extensive optional assist settings making it accessible to a wider audience.

Steep and sometimes uneven difficulty spikes, especially in late game boss fights and some enemy encounters, causing frustration without assist options.
Control complexity and unintuitive input mapping can hinder smooth gameplay, requiring time to master particularly with many mechanics bound to limited buttons.
Limited in-game fast travel and early restricted map visibility lead to some tedious backtracking and navigation frustrations.

gameplay
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
70%
4%
Zexion offers a challenging, tightly designed metroidvania experience that emphasizes skillful exploration, innovative mechanics—such as gravity manipulation and twin-stick controls—and rewarding combat heavily inspired by classic Metroid games. The gameplay is praised for its fast pace, creative level and boss design, and seamless integration of storytelling without interrupting flow, though its difficulty and control complexity may overwhelm some players despite available assist options. Overall, it stands out as an original and polished action platformer that excels in gameplay depth and pacing.
- “Zexion is a criminally underrated metroidvania packed full of great gameplay and secrets to find.”
- “The biomechanical world of Cypher-X72 is a joy to explore and move around from the earliest upgrades to the endgame phase as you manipulate gravity to your whims. Backtracking across the world is never too much of a chore as you increase your capabilities and discover new paths through the excellently interconnected world.”
- “The action platforming gameplay is at times difficult but never insurmountable and very generous with checkpoints, especially in the later stages where you really have to use everything in your upgraded toolbox.”
- “The game feels hard just for the sake of being hard rather than asking you to interact more deeply with the game's mechanics.”
- “It was like the game was made to be difficult which is needlessly difficult and off mechanics.”
- “They deserve better than that, but this excessive amount of checkpointing incentivises people to not engage with the mechanics.”
music
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
61%
5%
The game's music is generally praised for its well-crafted retro/chiptune style that fits the atmosphere and enhances different areas and boss fights, with many calling the soundtrack phenomenal or sensational. However, opinions vary, with some finding certain tracks harsh, overly ambient, or less memorable, and a few areas featuring music that induces anxiety rather than catchy tunes. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong and integral part of the experience, often comparable to top metroidvania soundtracks, though not universally loved by all players.
- “The soundtrack is incredible, ranging from funky, groovy and fun, to more dread inducing, suspense filled, ambient, and even thoughtful (if not emotional) at times.”
- “Zexion genuinely might be one of the best metroidvanias ever made, that as an added bonus comes packaged with a godly soundtrack.”
- “One of the better metroidvanias and action platformers I've ever played - the world design, concept, artwork, gameplay and music are all up there with the best of the genre and work with the NES style limitations on graphics/music to create a fantastic adventure.”
- “The soundtrack is also a bunch of random fart sounds.”
- “At least get rid of always high-energy music, it should be made illegal or something.”
- “Music was decent, but of my categories probably the weakest.”
story
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
48%
5%
The story in this game is notably minimalist yet highly effective, relying on environmental and visual storytelling without heavy dialogue or cutscenes. It intertwines plot and gameplay seamlessly, featuring engaging set pieces, well-paced reveals, and multiple factions vying for a coveted power source, which enriches the narrative depth while maintaining game flow. Players praise its expressive, wordless delivery that enhances immersion and atmosphere, especially through unique boss fights and exploration moments.
- “Wonderful environmental storytelling, instead of blocks of text.”
- “The environmental storytelling is great, no cutscenes needed, all drama is visual and barely interrupts gameplay.”
- “The storytelling is incredible, relying purely on the visual.”
- “It is so unnecessarily long that it starts to take away from its impact on the story and the player.”
- “The method of storytelling is criminally underdone and a very unappreciated part of Zexion.”
- “Simple story.”
graphics
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
54%
6%
The game's graphics strongly embrace an 8-bit, NES-style retro aesthetic that effectively evokes classic Metroid and other vintage inspirations, delivering charming and polished pixel art with a nostalgic yet distinct sci-fi vibe. While some players find the style limited or garish, most praise its careful design, vibrant neon palette, and detailed sprite work that enrich the atmospheric world and enhance the sense of exploration. Overall, the visuals complement the gameplay well, showcasing impressive craftsmanship, especially considering it was mostly developed by a single creator.
- “One of the better metroidvanias and action platformers I've ever played - the world design, concept, artwork, gameplay and music are all up there with the best of the genre and work with the NES style limitations on graphics/music to create a fantastic adventure.”
- “Especially for players who love metroidvania games and retro pixel art style, Zexion boasts numerous merits: ingenious map route design, diverse skills and items, intense boss challenges, nearly bug-free experience, well-crafted lore-rich backstory, excellent pixel artwork, and atmospheric chiptune music... what's most astonishing is that such a polished game appears to be developed by a single creator?”
- “Finally, in terms of sound design and visuals, the game is stunning with some absolutely beautiful sprite work.”
- “Honorable mentions are the visuals and audio: they were so bad I got a headache for two days.”
- “To my aesthetic senses, it looks kind of garish and unappealing.”
- “I’m not a fan of the 8-bit aesthetic but thought I could push through it for the neat sci-fi vibes and fun gameplay, but alas.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
79%
The game offers exceptional replayability through its well-designed randomizer, numerous challenge options, and post-game content, encouraging varied playstyles and mastery. Its open map, multiple routing options, and achievement system further enhance incentives for repeated playthroughs, making the replay value practically infinite.
- “The randomizer adds a ton of replayability, with lots of options to adjust the randomization.”
- “My favorite part of the game is how, like Super Metroid, its design puts a lot of focus on replayability; difficult to master, nearly no downtime at all, many routing options, great bosses, skippable power ups, fantastic practice tools, and even a built in randomizer (should be a genre-standard by now).”
- “With the different upgrades, the openness of the map, and the options included for the randomizer you have some endless replay value that I wish more games in the genre included.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
37%
The atmosphere is highly praised for its dynamic boss fights, well-crafted, lore-rich settings, and atmospheric chiptune soundtrack that enhances exploration and intensity. The open, intricately designed maps and hand-crafted environments contribute to an immersive, high-stakes metroidvania experience. Overall, the game's ambiance effectively supports its gameplay, narrative, and retro pixel art style.
- “Great atmosphere, with a very open map and tons of secrets to find.”
- “Similar to its gameplay, not a moment of Zexion's narrative feels wasted, every setpiece and environment hand-crafted to contribute to its high-stakes and alien atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack is also really good, providing a nice, atmospheric background to everything that happens.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional nostalgia reminiscent of classic '90s titles like Metroid, blending suspense, tension, and dramatic moments with a unique and engaging narrative. Its soundtrack enhances the emotional depth with a diverse range of moods, while the gameplay's control sensitivity occasionally hinders precision, slightly impacting the player's emotional connection. Overall, it successfully modernizes classic emotional experiences with impactful storytelling and atmospheric design.
- “The soundtrack is incredible, ranging from funky, groovy and fun, to more dread-inducing, suspense-filled, ambient, and even thoughtful (if not emotional) at times.”
- “That isn't to say that Zexion is without emotional merit; during my time with the game, I witnessed horrific revelations, quiet tension, heart-pounding chases, dramatic comebacks.”
- “Zexion is near perfect in just about every way and it's a title that made me feel like I did when I first played Super Metroid decades ago.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is considered tedious due to the repetitive need to backtrack and re-collect lost items, which diminishes the enjoyment of runbacks and makes progression feel frustrating.
- “The runback wouldn't be so bad if you kept the items you picked up, but it gets tedious to go out of your way to grab them for the 15th time.”
- “I usually love to backtrack but with Zexion it feels tedious.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is subtle and occasional, with some playful, trollish moments like the brief ice physics sequence. However, challenging platforming and repetitive segments can frustrate players rather than amuse them.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is highlighted by strong and memorable character designs, with particular praise for the design of [spoiler] Siege [/spoiler].
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The feedback focuses on the game's lack of marketing and advertising rather than its monetization model, indicating that its obscurity limits player exposure and potential revenue.