A superb Metroidvania title, with a huge, well constructed map chock full of items, weaponry, and upgrades. Samus would be proud.

You start off not knowing where you are, or how you got here, with minimal plot revealed, you must start fighting your way through an alien world. As you gain new abilities, the map opens itself up to new possibilities, letting you swing from ceilings, drill through solid walls, and navigate tight crawlspaces, unravelling the mysteries of a bizarre new world as you do so. Along the way you'll find yourself facing a variety of enemies which can be killed or corrupted into alternative modes that can help you, hinder you, or just turn them into a new challenge to face. Occasionally when faced with new enemies, you'll corrupt them in an attempt to depower them, only to find out that their corrupted alternative is even more difficult.

No Metroid-style game would be complete without exploration, which this game delivers in spades. There is a lot of backtracking - though this is a defining characteristic of the genre, as new movement abilities let you pass earlier inaccessible parts of the map - but even if you're not going the "right" way, exploring new areas will often reward you with a new weapon, upgrade, or note that helps build upon the story. It's important to note that unlike the Nintendo title from which this game draws its inspiration, colour-coded doors do not make an appearance here - all doors are generally open, and instead being locked behind physical barriers that require a new movement ability to bypass. This is a change I certainly support, as I could never understand why in Samus' world anyone would ever install a door that required *firing explosives* to enter - someone should really have a word with their contractors.

This exploration is helped with a character that controls exceptionally well, being both highly responsive and with movement that feels extremely well-weighted. Some of the later abilities are a little trickier to use, but in a manner that requires practice, rather than resulting in any cheap deaths. The majority of abilities are sensibly mapped to make them easily accessible when you need them in a hurry, with only changing weapons requiring more than a single keypress on a controller - which I'd personally recommend for the best experience.

Speaking of changing weapons, there are a ton of unique weapons to be found. You'll generally only find yourself using a handful, often in specific situations, and while they're not all required in order to advance, this makes a nice change to the usual limited range that Metroid players might be used to.

The graphics have a pleasing 16-bit console aesthetic, with some fantastic spritework in places and a pleasantly varied, bright colour scheme throughout. The bosses are massive, detailed monstrosities; enough so that the game often zooms out in boss rooms, as they're larger than a single screen. This can make some a little tricky, though often they can be a little easy to defeat once you figure out their patterns and the safe areas of the room. My only complaint would rprobably be the lack of single-use setpieces to give the layout of the world a feeling of logical structure - but given the alien setting, it's hard to hold this against the game as a whole.

Audio-wise, the sound effects suit the game well, but where it really shines is the soundtrack, consisting of some superb electronica, all being original mixes composed by the lone developer, really adding to the technological atmosphere. One complaint is the limited number tracks played in the main game, with only a handful played depending on whether you're in the upper or lower areas of the map - This might grate on you in time, and it certainly could have benefitted from a few more tracks for each area of the map - but this doesn't detract from what is otherwise a fantastic game.

Onto performance: As a 2D game released in 2015; I'd be disappointed if it didn't run well, but I'm happy to report that it does, with masses of sprites often filling the screen without so much as a hitch, which in a game where failing to dodge enemy fire can result in a fairly quick death and a trip back to the last save room, is incredibly important.

In a world where Nintendo seem to be resistant to taking Metroid back to anyting near its roots, this game is more than worthy in filling the gap. Some may find the backtracking offputting, and even find themselves lost at times after picking up a new ability, unsure where to use it; but for fans of Metroidvania style games this is a must-own.

9.5/10