PSYCRON

[quote]A review copy was provided by the developer.[/quote] [quote]Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews,[/url] so you can be updated whenever I post a new review.[/quote] [h1]Overall Rating - Average ★★★☆☆[/h1] [h1]First Impressions[/h1] Despite growing up with the NES and SNES, I didn't actually play the Metroid series as a kid. As an adult I've come to appreciate Metroidvania games though, and PSYCRON (PY) looked like a promising, albeit short interpretation of the genre. By the time I received a copy it already had a solid review score, so others seemed to like what it had to offer. Hopefully I will too. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] There's not an exact formula to this kind of game with the possible power-ups that can be included, but map exploration, hunting down secrets, and run and gun platforming are the key features you expect. Certain areas will be accessible in theory, but not when you take into account the fact your character can't double jump or break down certain barriers. If so, you could have gone further down that path, but it just means you'll have to come back later after unlocking those abilities. In theory it sounds a bit annoying, yet for a curious gamer, these are little kernels of intrigue, making you wonder when you'll return and what might be down there. From what I experienced, PY hits the main points you want out of a game like this. To be honest, it started a little slow, with very little choice on where to go, even if you wanted to find optional stuff. However, as I went into the next area, getting another weapon which destroyed one of the wall types I'd seen already, it opened up more of the game for me and held my attention better. A sense of choice and having your exploration rewarded is what I find fun about Metroidvanias, and PY is able to deliver on that. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2883681758 [h1]Controls[/h1] The game itself suggests playing with a controller, which I was happy to comply with. PY starts off with only a few inputs, but as you obtain more tools, it'll incorporate other buttons. I found them well-mapped, as it always clicked and made sense to me. Though I wasn't overly fond of the dash move and how its mechanics worked. Since it defaults to the d-pad, and mine is an Xbox 360 controller, it didn't always cooperate as much as I'd have wanted. However, I know that's a fault of the controller and not the game, so I thought they were well designed. [h1]Story[/h1] In the endless vacuum of space, a transport ship is responding to a distress call. It had what I took to be a crew of civilians or generally peaceful technicians, so to me it seemed more like a mundane, this sort of thing happens now and again matter. Unless there's an indication some kind of invasion or attack occurred, you can send a team of space nerds to handle things. Unfortunately, they encounter an unexpected hazard, and the stakes rise suddenly and drastically. With you waking up all on your own, you'll search the surrounding area, trying to stabilize and repair broken systems, and hopefully save some lives. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2883681721 [h1]Visuals[/h1] One problem I noticed is how the perspective can lead to nearly off-screen damage taking place. Your character gets near the edge of the screen, as if it's zoomed in too much, which leads to enemies crashing into you that you weren't able to see in time. The same can happen with blind falls, where you just have to drop and hope you don't crash into an enemy. With the art style they used, PY winds up looking very simple. Enemies are often made of basic shapes, and are underwhelming for it. Even the playable character isn't that interesting. He's just some guy with a backpack and pistol, finding weird power-ups. Because bosses are larger, there's more room to give them a unique design, but they didn't always deliver that well. [h1]Sound Design[/h1] Each of the main locations has their own song, and I'll admit that I was a bit surprised when I got to the area the right railroad took me to. I thought to myself, “When did I get into a club?” It really sounded like dance music, which doesn't seemingly fit the game's tone that well, but it was kind of nice to have something more upbeat and energetic playing. That was easily my favorite song, while some of them were kind of droll and droned on. At least there weren't any aggravating sound effects. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2883681659 [h1]Pros[/h1] 🌟 In part because of the phases they have, the boss fights were pretty interesting. For instance, the machine that broke in half and kept firing anyways. 🌟 The constant mini-map in the upper right corner never seemed to get in the way, and was a nice reference point to help navigate while playing. [h1]Cons[/h1] ❌ Since I didn't understand how the dash worked when I first got it, I struggled for a while and had an unnecessary death. You leap forward slightly when hitting the button, so I thought it was some kind of jump boost, but it allows you to run over liquids. ❌ I don't double-back and search for secrets in games for the sake of finding palette swaps. I want a power-up, something useful. Also, why didn't they put it under the suit options? You kind of have to dig to find them. ❌ Enemies are pretty stingy with health drops. If you've been exploring a while without finding a save point, you'll certainly notice the low drop rate. [h1]Tips[/h1] 🔍 The first boss you fight will be one of the hardest, simply because its the one you face with the least amount of tools. You have no alternative weapons or ways to dodge it besides basic jumps, and little HP to spare. Once you get past that hump, it gets easier. 🔍 As you find more upgrades for the charge shot, it becomes even more useful, primarily because its shots are spread further out. Get used to firing it often, as its the one of the better ways to handle enemies. 🔍 On the final phase of the last boss, spam your regular shots. If done right, it'll get stuck in place and die easily. [h1]Final Thoughts[/h1] Something I think PY does well is creating a tone that holds your attention. Not seeing much of your teammates or other survivors, only getting small portions of the story at a time through cryptic logs, and facing a shadowy version of yourself works well together. Conveying an atmosphere that intrigues players isn't necessarily easy, but if done right it'll lead to more people sticking with a game long enough to see it through. I'm glad I pushed past the slightly slow beginning because it was worth seeing PY through to the end. $7 is kind of an odd price, and unless you want to replay PY for more achievements, its a rather short game. I can still recommend picking it up, though you'd likely save doing so for a sale. [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] [table] [tr] [th]PC Specs[/th] [th]Performance[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Ryzen 2700 RTX 2070 16GB RAM ADATA SSD 1920x1080 [/td] [td]The game ran without incident on default settings. 💖 - PY is healthy [/td] [/tr] [/table]

Very nice, short Metroidvania. A highlight is the music. It fits perfectly into every environment and scene in the game! I would say that if you are a Metroidvania fan you should definitely grab this game and give it a shot! Only downside I can see is the relatively short playtime. But the game has a lot of replay value!

A real nice little Metroidvania, with solid platforming and fun tweaks to common powerups. It's a bit short, my first run was just under 2 hours but there are some incentives to replay it. The story is heavily inspired by Metroid Fusion and the artstyle is very reminiscent of Environmental Station Alpha, both fantastic Metroidvanias.

Fun, bite sized metroidvania. Falls more in the metroid fusion side. Priced just right even when not on sale.

Absolutely loved the game! The movement and upgrades in the game feel very fluid and super fun to use; environments and levels are well designed and immersive; and the music is ABSOLUTELY fantastic! The game is a total blast and a steal at $7.00! (I'm surprised it doesn't cost more tbh) Definitely buying the soundtrack to further support the devs.

A delightful little metroidvania that knew exactly what it wanted to be and just nailed it at every turn. It's about 2-3 hours to complete 100% - besides speedrun achievements - and it's just fantastic fun all the way through. Definitely worth a playthrough if you enjoy the genre!

psycron is one of the best games i've played this year (alongside the obvious metroid dread!) i love the movement, combat, music, there's a lot to love! i for sure plan on getting all the achievements, only 5 left, most timed ones since i really took my time with the game and trying to find everything there is to find. i followed the game for a few months before release, and it was what i was primarily playing day of release and the day or two following. it's not the longest game, especially if 100% isn't a think you like about these sorts of games, however the gameplay is a blast. it's pretty simple, however has a whole lotta polish. the boss fights are a blast, and the soundtrack slaps (even the bonus cut track) and i find myself listening to it quite often. i've really never found myself super into any indie games in the past, however theres a first for everything i suppose. overall, i'd highly recommend psycron, especially if you're into the metroid series as i am. even if you've never played those, it's still a great game, well worth the price.