Inexistence

It was not a bad little game, just very short (and I usually don't have a problem with short, but 1:20 on the first run of an adventure-style game is very brief) and standard. There are a few things that you can buy, but all they really do is make the few attack options you have tougher. The levelling does the same. Basically, you start the game being able to do a 2-hit combo, in the next level you get a really wimpy shoot. Then you spend the last hour of the game choosing which of the two you want to make reasonable. Most bosses can be rushed down with the basic sword attack and the few that can't simply take jump and poke. The story is very minimal and the ending does't make much sense. Again, not a bad game. I bought it for $3 and am not sure if it was worth it (I'm leaning towards "not")

The way Inexistence describes itself on the store page certainly makes it look appealing at first glance. A Metroidvania where we're a kid who maintains order and balance just by existing? Saving his sister (as opposed to a princess) from his older brother Claos by traveling through a vast world filled with varied places, mysteries, and action? I'm sold on just that it's a 2D Metroidvania. Thing is, I wish Inexistence lived up to how it describes itself. If by vast world you mean island with five destinations to travel to, you are correct. If by varied places you mean two houses with stretches of linear grassland that serve as tutorial places, a cave, a linear mountain pass, and a castle, you are correct. Annex quests and hidden places? That one spot in each of the five areas you couldn't get to before because you didn't have one of the three acquirable skills yet. Hald is as developed as the game sounds. Mash attack, or try to time it for a slightly faster (?) combo attack. Or just mash attack. You get the ability to use magic early on from Sahasrahla (yes, the exact name and essentially dude from Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past), but the damage is always inferior to the sword attack and the magic meter takes forever to recover. Later on you get a double jump (complete with flapppy hands) and a teleport useful in all of five situations as it requires you to stand still and can only bring you across completely level terrain. Bumping the icon of where you're going to end up into something like stairs immediately fizzles the spell. Four swords, four armors, four medallions, potions, antidotes (can't even remember being poisoned), and a couple of key items are scattered around the Island. One medallion requires you collect seven golden puzzle pieces lifted straight out of Banjo-Kazooie. I finished Inexistence to "100%" in 2 hours on Normal. Quotations because the game is bugged with regards to one of the boss fights in the Castle. Said bug messes with some of the treasure chests, forever screwing up your completion percentage and achievement gain for that saved file. In between the stretches of "mash attack while you run forward", you get snipits of plot. Much of it never evolves beyond "Hald hates Claos and wants to defeat him because he's a hero". Then you whoop Claos' ass through all three final boss forms, and are given a whiplash twist ending. Ain't gonna spoil it, but it's the one thing the game made me feel something other than boredom (specifically confusion and discomfort). If none of this scared you away like it should have scared me away, then worry not. 2016 winter sale it was marked down to 50 cents which, considering what I received and played through, isn't a bad deal. It's just 2 hours I'd have rather put into something else. Shame, considering the initial description and pixel art. It's ironic to call Inexistence by that: absence of existence. 'Cuz there's an absence of a far better game than what we have, and I wish it could have been better.

Despite the mixed reviews, [b]Inexistence[/b] is a decent "metrodvania-style" platformer. Short and fairly easy, just the way I like it (with the added bonus of secret chests and a few collectibles in the form of golden puzzle pieces). Even though the game outright says it's optimized for a controler, keyboard controls work smoothly and feel responsive. You can also customize the keybinds, which should be standard but is actually somewhat rare with indie games these days. All in all, [b]Inexistence[/b] is charming, visually pleasing and enjoyable experience. Can recommend!

A fun little game in which brings back nostalgia to the SNES days. A nice side scroller with a few metroid-like elements thrown in. The game is not that long to beat but that is fine as not every good experience has to be 10+ hours. At $2 this is a recommend to anybody.

Inexistence feels like a baresbones first attempt at a metroidvania platformer. There are much better examples out there, even from tiny development teams such as this one here. Levels are very mediocre in terms of looks and design. With a few exceptions, monster design is poor even when it comes to attacks... if they even attack. Controls are functional, but you're extremely limited in terms of moves. The dodge should have been its own button. The second quick attack when you time it correctly never felt right or satisfying. The only magic attack, a blue magic ball, is extremely underwhelming. I thought there was no map, but turns out there was one of the castle (only the castle) buried in the second page of a menu option that I learned about in the forums. The music is usually good, but not great or memorable like a Castlevania game, which Inexistence clearly takes inspiraton from. At first, the game felt fine, but the more I played, the more disappointed I was. There is an expanded "Rebirth" version of Inexistence that is probably better.

Avoid this game. I wouldn't mind short if it didn't have: -bad mechanics; -bad platforming; -bad level design; -bad design; -bad story; -several bugs. The pixel art is sometimes pretty but wildly inconsistent. Not suggested even to platformer lovers.

[h1] Just play the new version Inexistence Rebirth. [/h1]

This is a run of the mill metroidvania with great music and a great look. With that said, controls aren't as tight as they could be, and it's a relatively short experience. If you can't get enough metroidvanias, you won't regret playing this, but if your time is limited, I'd recommend you skip this and check out Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight instead.