Chronicles of the Wolf

Just beat this one. This one really took me by surprise. I liked Wallachia, but it was pretty difficult and more of a classic action platformer. Wolf takes that basic design and makes it into a Metroidvania. It really hooked me and I've been playing it every chance I get. The graphics are 16-bit style and charming. The controls are definitely a bit clunky. The jumping is stiff and feels like the original Castlevania. That said, the clunky controls make it feel retro and engaging. What grabbed me though was the how big the game truly is. There's a ton of meaningful backtracking, a lot of upgrades, and tons and tons of secrets. And without spoiling too much, just when you thought the game was wrapping up, there's entire new areas to explore and more to do. I will say, the game is completely obtuse. It reminds me of the first Blasphemous where it feels like there is no way you could figure out some of this stuff yourself. One of the most frustrating aspects of the game is there are numerous moments that are instant deaths. You'll walk into a room, read some text and then die. I played through a section that took 30'ish minutes, explored a bit more, ran into one of these scenarios, died instantly, and then had to do the entire thing over again. That's...not....fun. Thankfully, it's not too much of a chore to do redo what you did, but getting into death traps with no way out is punishing exploration which is what these kind of games should be all about. If you play it, just make sure to read signs and find a save spot before you continue exploring. I'd say the real stand out though is the soundtrack. It's AWESOME. Dare I say, it might be the best soundtrack I've heard since Symphony of the Night. Every area has a unique theme and it has a prog rock feel to it. Just awesome stuff. As much as I like the item upgrades, I do wish getting them felt a little bigger deal. You just touch the items. No audio queues. Nothing special. When you got an upgrade in Super Metroid, you got a nice upgrade song and then got to use it immediately to learn how it worked. I found myself getting an upgrade and being like "What did I just get?" and have to read about it in the menu. That could use a little tweaking in a future game. It's a really awesome game if you want something like Symphony of the Night mixed in with a bit of Simon's Quest. I think with a little polish, Migami Games is on the verge of something special. I'm looking forward to their next game, and hopefully they can take expand on what worked in Chronicles.