Zexion

About

Zexion is a single player action adventure game with horror and science fiction themes. 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!

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91%

Audience ScoreBased on 373 reviews

gameplay21 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

Excellent Metroidvania that captures the classic NES Metroid vibe with modern enhancements and unique ideas.
Very well-designed map and interconnected world that encourages exploration and backtracking with meaningful upgrades.
Boss fights are challenging, creative, multi-phase, and rewarding, contributing significantly to the game’s excitement and replayability.
Strong accessibility options including difficulty modifiers and save states make the game approachable for all skill levels.
Built-in randomizer mode and numerous achievements add extensive replay value.
The game features tight controls once mastered, polished pixel art, and a memorable atmospheric soundtrack.
Engaging story told through environmental storytelling and cutscenes without intrusive dialogue.
Movement mechanics and weapons are unique, satisfying, and make exploration and combat diverse and fun.

High difficulty curve with some bosses and late-game content being overwhelmingly hard, occasionally resulting in frustrating damage race scenarios.
Control scheme and movement can feel clunky, unintuitive, or excessively complex particularly in boss fights, leading to a steep learning curve.
Lack of early fast travel and limited map visibility initially can make backtracking feel tedious and navigation cumbersome.
Some enemy designs and platforming sections can be unfair or oppressive, including hitbox issues and overwhelming enemy patterns.
Occasional difficulty spikes and long multi-phase bosses without mid-fight checkpoints can be tiring or exhausting.
Resource scarcity (ammo and health) and respawning enemies add pressure that may feel punishing.
Some platforming challenges and specific areas (e.g. ice physics or timed sections) are perceived as frustrating rather than rewarding.

gameplay
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
73%
3%
Zexion offers challenging, fast-paced gameplay that combines classic metroidvania exploration with innovative mechanics like gravity manipulation and twin-stick controls, resulting in a fresh yet tough experience. Its tight controls, rewarding upgrades, and inventive boss fights are praised, though some players find certain difficulty spikes and control schemes frustrating. Overall, the gameplay excels in pacing, design, and immersion, with assist options available to ease the challenge.
- “The game has a cool cinematic feel at points, you feel it right from the intro cinematic, but a lot of gameplay cutscenes happen at random moments or during fights that make the world feel lived in, unexpected for an NES-styled game, but very welcome.”
- “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 (a late game unlock once certain keys are collected is especially enjoyable for those who enjoy their space adventures with a hearty amount of psychedelia).”
- “The action platforming gameplay is at times difficult but never insurmountable, very generous with checkpoints (there are assist mode features as well, though did not use), especially in the later stages where you really have to use everything in your upgraded toolbox—Metroid Dread's harder fights come to mind in terms of the execution required of evasion, movement, and damage output.”
- “Core mechanics are either obscured or actively interfered with.”
- “Bad movement mechanics take the fun out of it.”
- “It was like the game was made to be needlessly difficult and off in its mechanics.”
story
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The story is minimalistic yet effectively conveyed through environmental and emergent storytelling, avoiding intrusive cutscenes or dialogue. It presents a compelling, visually-driven narrative about a mission to obtain the powerful substance Zexion amid competing factions, enriched by well-crafted set pieces and boss encounters. Overall, the story excels at integrating with gameplay to create an immersive and atmospheric metroidvania experience.
- “And the story, while minimalistic, is implied through environmental and emergent storytelling, which did a great job with worldbuilding without feeling intrusive.”
- “The environmental storytelling is great, no cutscenes needed, all drama is visual and barely interrupts gameplay.”
- “The story is simple but is handled with finesse, weaving normal gameplay and inventive set pieces to create some stellar situations.”
- “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.”
- “The laydown is: you're a military scout sort of fellow, on a mission to this planet something-or-other, to obtain Zexion, a substance that is so powerful it'll make the Viagra on your homeplanet work again.”
music
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The music in this game is widely praised for its authentic, retro NES-inspired chiptune style that effectively enhances atmosphere and gameplay, with many describing the soundtrack as phenomenal or sensational. While some tracks and timbres feel harsh or less memorable to a few players, the overall soundtrack is considered a standout feature that complements distinct areas and boss fights, often motivating players to seek out the digital OST. Though not universally adored, the music's blend of creepy, ambient, and energetic compositions is seen as a strong and fitting accompaniment to the game's immersive metroidvania experience.
- “Zexion genuinely might be one of the best metroidvanias ever made, that as an added bonus comes packaged with a godly soundtrack.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
graphics
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
55%
6%
The game's graphics feature a carefully crafted 8-bit NES-inspired retro aesthetic that effectively captures a nostalgic, sci-fi metroidvania vibe with vibrant pixel art and a neon palette. While some find the style charming and well-executed with intricate sprite work, others feel it can be garish or headache-inducing, though most agree it complements the gameplay and atmosphere excellently. Overall, the visuals are praised for their quality, variety, and ability to enhance the exploration and challenge within a large, thoughtfully designed world, especially impressive given the game's solo development.
- “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
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The game offers exceptional replayability through a combination of a rich base game, numerous achievements, and a built-in randomizer with customizable options. Its design encourages multiple playstyles, skill mastery, and challenge runs, providing nearly endless incentives for replay. Overall, the inclusion of a randomizer and varied post-game content significantly enhances long-term engagement.
- “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.”
- “So aside from a very meaty base game, a well-crafted randomizer adds limitless replayability.”
- “What's strange is that Zexion bases its replayability almost entirely on its achievements.”
- “Replayability: I can see myself replaying the base game.”
- “There is also the ability to generate new seeds for the game, making the replayability infinite.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive, high-stakes, and alien feel, enhanced by a well-crafted setting, dynamic boss fights, and atmospheric chiptune soundtrack. While some musical tracks receive mixed reactions, the overall exploration, map design, and detailed environments contribute to a captivating and richly atmospheric metroidvania experience.
- “Great atmosphere, with a very open map and tons of secrets to find.”
- “For me the game overcame these frustrations with the sheer dynamism of the boss fights, the interesting setting and atmosphere, the great metroidvania progression, and the generous checkpoints.”
- “Similar to its gameplay, not a moment of Zexion's narrative feels wasted; every setpiece and environment is hand-crafted to contribute to its high-stakes and alien atmosphere.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong nostalgic emotions reminiscent of classic 90s titles like Super Metroid, blending suspense, tension, and dramatic moments to create a compelling emotional experience. While some players felt control precision issues impacted their immersion, the incredible and varied soundtrack enhances the overall mood, supporting both intense chases and thoughtful atmosphere. The narrative adds emotional depth through its story of a lone warrior on a perilous quest, enriching the classic yet modernized emotional journey.
- “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 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.”
- “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.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is highlighted by strong and memorable designs, especially with diverse and intriguing space pirate factions adding depth to the narrative. Notably, the character "Siege" stands out as a particularly well-designed and favored figure.
- “What if Metroid was happening on a world filled with mysterious space pirate factions (some with Metal Gear level character designs) who were also trying to find the MacGuffin?”
- “Character designs are very strong; Siege in particular is a design I'm quite fond of.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is considered tedious due to the need for repeated backtracking and item retrieval, which becomes frustrating since items are not retained. While some players enjoy backtracking normally, the repetitive grind here diminishes the experience.
- “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 includes some lighthearted, trollish moments—particularly with ice physics—that players find amusing without overstaying their welcome. However, certain challenging platforming sequences, especially in Stage 4, may frustrate rather than entertain players.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's monetization is hindered by minimal marketing and advertising, resulting in it remaining largely obscure and unnoticed by potential players.