As it may seem, at first glance, a game released from the 80s, Infernax has only recently been published for all the main platforms: between a quote to Castlevania and the other, we see in this review what it has to offer us. just this title
There are many retro-style games inspired by the greats of the past: even today, in most indie productions, we can find projects that follow the footsteps of adventures that made history decades ago. Usually each of them, despite being inspired by this or that title, has elements that distinguish it from the others, which give an identity specific to the product.
It is also the case with Infernaxwhich, despite being clearly inspired in many aspects by Castlevania, has many of those peculiarities that allow the title to enjoy its own light: therefore we see in this review what these elements are, and why, if you are looking for a tough but captivating 8-bit adventure, Infernax might be for you.
Alcedor, returning from the war in a land now cursed
The events narrated are very simple, and serve as a pretext to start the player towards exploration of the game world and at the completion of the main quest. You will take on the role of moose, a crusader knight returning from the holy war in his own land. Upon your return, you will quickly discover that something is wrong: the game world is infested with fierce and deadly demonsand it will be your task to bring everything back to normal while averting the danger.
This simple premise will therefore serve as a pretext to set out on an adventure. Between main and side quests, throughout the course of the adventure the plot will remain one aspect background. With a slender narrative in full retro style that will mostly serve to give you motivations and goals, it will have no real consequences as regards the part played, or the real pivot of the experience of Infernax: having said that then, let’s proceed with the actual review.
Prologue: Moral Choices and Consequences – Infernax Review
We begin our adventure that we are immediately catapulted into a game world. After becoming familiar with the commands and actions of the character (and immediately found some element of resemblance to Castlevania), and after killing the first enemies, we will find ourselves in front of a moral choice: whether to kill a farmer about to turn into a monster or to spare him. In addition to the short-term consequences of this first choice, this introduces us to one of the fundamental aspects by Infernax.
In fact, if we do a flashforward towards the epilogue of the adventure, in fact, we can identify well 8 different endings (although we can’t be 100% sure yet, maybe there are more). These endings all depend on a number of factors: moral choices, the side quests and the optional bosses you will face will be able to radically change the final outcome of the adventure. This requires the player to keep an eye on all content, prompting him to explore and complete apparently unimportant objectives.
Back and forth like in Metroidvania – Infernax Review
Yes, the side quests are also fundamental. From the very first hour, you will find several, some that can be solved immediately, others that need specific power ups to be completed. This then brings us to another fundamental element: although the game is two-dimensional, our progress will not be linear at all, but we will back and forth between the various zones to be able to explore everything and to complete the objectives. Yes, Infernax is a full-blown metroidvania (as we will see even better later in this review), although it is not immediately obvious as with the other major exponents of the genre.
From the initial stages of the adventure you will find areas that are inaccessible or too difficult for the moment, but you can explore them later after having unlocked them the specific skill or after having enhanced the character properly. Through this layered level design, we will be constantly surprised by the title and its unsuspected complexity: secret treasures and unexpected threats they are hiding in every corner of the kingdom, and it will be our job to find it all.
Beware You Don’t Die – Infernax Review
In the midst of this retro experience (with graphic style and soundtrack in full old style) studded with modern elements, we find a system of statistical progression of the fundamental character to be able to get to the end of the campaign. The experience points will be spent in fact to increase Strength, Health and Mana in the order we want most, even if the high difficulty will require us to pay attention to everyone to avoid being stuck later, especially if you play in classic mode.
There will in fact be two different difficulties: classicalthe toughest one, in which the gameover means having to reload the last save (the save points are scattered with criteria throughout the game world), or casualwhere death means losing part of one’s experience and one’s coins without losing progression.
Along with this, in the game there are a number of spells, armor, weapons and power-ups in general that will be very useful to you throughout the experience. They can be purchased from merchants, or found in chests. Although most of the fights are legible and every enemy has large attack windowsthe high difficulty of the experience will be felt very strong: just think that, in classic mode, each dungeon it will totally be no save pointsand it will therefore be important to make your way without running into the gameover.
Conclusions and final verdict
Infernax therefore looks like a game that it is heavily inspired to titles that have fascinated gamers in the past, but which nevertheless proves capable of presenting signs of modernity well thought out. Above 8-bit graphics and a retro-style soundtrack, we find a well-layered metroidvania level design, combined with a system of moral choices, side quests and, in general, secrets that will accompany us towards one of the endings. All of this, combined with one difficult but rewarding progressiongenerates a fun but also interesting gaming experience, capable of keeping the player’s attention high.
So at the end of the Infernax review, the ball passes to you: what do you think? Waiting for your response, we invite you to stay tuned on the TechGameWorld.com pages for daily updates on all the most important news in the videogame world. If you prefer to buy game keys at discounted prices, you can do so through our link to Instant Gaming.
A retro but modern adventure
Points in favor
- Attractive level design
- System of choices with a weight on history
Points against
- Too punitive in some places