Astalon: Tears of the Earth

Astalon: Tears of the Earth es un Metroidvania que aporta mecánicas nuevas y refrescantes a la fórmula clásica del género. Su jugabilidad resulta muy adictiva una vez que le agarras el hilo a todo lo que propone. La música y el apartado artístico son excelentes, con un estilo que rinde homenaje a la NES. No puedo decir mucho más: es un título obligatorio para cualquier amante del género Metroidvania.

Astalon: Prepare to Die edition is a decent little Metroidvania where death is commonplace and the backtracking is thick like a pair of padded yoga pants. That's not to say the game is inherently bad, just that you will be seeing the death of your trio of adventurers quite often which sends you back to the entrance of the tower and for a while it's a slog. It does get better, but that's after opening up some shortcuts and obtaining more tools to explore with. However, I'm getting ahead of myself... The games story starts off as the trio are on a journey through the wasteland to solve the mystery of the poisoned water that your village has been cursed with, only to discover this mysterious tower looming along the riverside. They learn pretty quickly that they're quite under-powered to deal with the denizens of the Tower and subsequently die. This is where the game properly starts. After that quick semi-guided tutorial, you learn that death is pretty much the sole way to level-up, so you will die... A LOT ... before you're adequate enough to push forward. That being said, the tower isn't too difficult to traverse, but there were a couple of places where I was scratching my head wondering "where do I go now?". If you're ever stumped on where to go, I highly recommend downloading a map (Demajen has a good one). There are a few spots where you're expected to suss out a hidden wall to progress, but that's not a commonplace problem. Swapping Characters will be burdensome, as it can be only done at a bonfire until you gain the item that lets you do it anywhere. So there will be a TON of backtracking to swap characters, but if you're a veteran of the Metroidvania genre you won't find it an issue. Otherwise, turn away as it will get annoying. [b]Spoilers and helpful hints below for the post-game, skip if you don't want the extra info.[/b] [spoiler]Upon beating the game, which isn't a small feat, you will unlock a couple of modes. In the first mode, stand in blood to recover health. This is told to you in ONE location on the map and by the time you will unlock this mode, you will forget. So take a note and let this be a reminder for those interested. Also, don't skimp on collecting the Health/Attack Ups, there's no leveling. The second mode, which I won't spoil, healing is done by random drops of juicy meat and is also not told to you anywhere in the game. Wonderful. Same goes for the Health/Attack Ups from above. Then there's the third mode, Boss Rush. The first boss is a terrible time in this poorly balanced mode. Trust me, I got fits just from just the first boss because you're given basically nothing and the jackass likes to go Orb throwing happy. When you got the boss, six bouncy orbs, pools of slowing blood, a set of spikes on the other platform, and all of them take 5 to 7 life of your limited 30 life health pool, you're going to die. I recommend using Merchant man for the first boss as it's the only one of the characters that has the ability to hit slightly above you and a rapid fire. Once he's dead, in the next room you get a choice of random items, if you get the Chalice Item you're lucky and you will sail to victory as long as you have a pair of thumbs. Otherwise, restart. I beat the rest of the bosses by going Archer for Ranged Damage, then Off-brand Belmont for the Tank, Axes, and Melee Range.[/spoiler] Overall, the game has its flaws, but it's generally good. The music is excellent, the graphics adequate, and the gameplay flows well. However, there's some serious clunk until you get the proper items or levels. I'd recommend it only to players who enjoy the Metroidvania genre and don't mind a slog or grind to start out.