metroidvania perfection. the absolute best of the genre right here folks. i have one gripe, and that it doesn’t go on forever. crafted with such love and care.
i learned about this game from a castlevania youtuber i watch, he had faced an optional superboss in the game. and honestly? i was completely entranced. it held no punches, its style and charm utterly entranced me. it looked so hard and the boss patterns shown had me mesmerized. i knew right then and there i needed this game. however, i really didn’t expect how hard it would grab me.
metroid has always been hit or miss with me, it has some games i’ve loved (prime 2 is one of my top metroidvanias for example), but it also had some entries i didn’t really care for. initially i was a tad bit weary for that fact, as zexion wears its inspirations on it shoulders proud for everyone to see. still, the style and boss i saw were so unbelievably cool, i had to give it a shot.
what i did not expect was to be completely pulled in. this game grabbed me hard. harder than any metroidvania pulled me before. everything about it, the soundtrack, the graphics, our character we play as. it gripped me. i played through the game and i just could not believe how incredible it is. every new upgrade is so fun, the shooting is great (INCREDIBLE auto charge mechanic by the way), the mobility is so cool, and the bosses… oh my gosh, the bosses. i am much more inclined to love a metroidvania if the bosses are engaging. let me tell you, the bosses in this game ENGAGE. they are so difficult, yet, they really want you to learn. every step forward feels like a million bucks, finally dodging that one attack, you died but so eager to hop back in, discovering the best ways to blitz down the bosses. boss phases are an integral part of this game, you will learn that quick that bosses will evolve right in front of you, several times. there is always something new to learn. something that keeps you coming back. perfection. best bosses i’ve ever seen, in any game, period. they are genuinely THAT good. dodging the insane attacks this game throws at you makes you feel like you’re the best player in the world!
i’ve seen people say “zexion hates you, it punishes you for playing the game!”. completely and utterly wrong on all counts. zexion LOVES you. it wants you to succeed, it grabs your shoulder and leads you along on the path to success. it tells you “you can overcome this. you can do it”. it is a thrilling feeling to put it lightly. you will have an insane arsenal by the end, and every step of the way you are getting upgrades left right front and center, and each one makes you feel even more powerful. there are no duds here. they are insanely well crafted and the final kit you have feels complete in every meaning of the word. there is a tool for EVERY scenario. in particular, the x missile power up really stood out to me. classic “missile + gun combination”, with a twist however, and that is you can combine this with your bombs as well! leading to every gun having so, so many possible use cases. not to mention, the guns, the missiles and the bombs themselves feel so STRONG. you are facing the world, but you KNOW you can take it on, you KNOW you’re capable. they are that good, and they are so fun. you can get mega bombs in genuinely the first few minutes, if you’re savvy to using your kit to its fullest capabilities, then that bomb helps you get another bomb early on (if you’ve played metroid, you will know where it is used)! furthermore, the game doesn’t just go “oh, you got bombs early, but i can’t give you ammo yet”. exact opposite, there are bomb refills ready to go for you, pickups that the dev knew you’d be able to use that early. it does not think you won’t have them, it understands that you CAN have them, and it gives you the ammo for them! not to mention, tons of hidden pickups as well, not just the ones that are plainly visible. you will find many, many caches to supply you, hidden in plain sight.
never a dull moment exploring either. as the world slowly unravels, you will be led along the path to a huge expansive world. now, that does not mean you’ll have to to do a ton of clunky backtracking, nope. you can finish the game with 7 items total. what does that mean? well, it means that a lot of the upgrades are simply mobility. for instance, the phase step upgrade really stood out to me. at first, i saw it allows you to clip through walls. sounds cool right? it is, BUT here’s the thing, the dev made the game with it in mind, and as such, there a LOT of walls that lead straight into others areas to help you navigate the world quickly! huge skips that make backtracking fun. that’s essentially what i mean, these upgrades are so well crafted and while you can navigate the world without the bulk of them, that means that the world is that well put together, where most of the mobility simply means you can navigate the world quicker. obviously there are areas where you need them to grab that new powerful, of course. but it is mind boggling how accessible the world is with the bare minimum. of course, there is also a fast travel too, but you do unlock it pretty late. be mindful of that, and remember you’re going to have to utilize your kit to jump through that one area that you can suddenly use to skip a whole section. keep your eyes peeled. this game has a lot of nooks and crannies that let you do this.
that said, this game also makes power ups very very visible. one of my biggest gripes with metroidvanias is if the items are esoteric. how would you ever know that? honestly, it is extremely likely you will just 100% this without needing any external sources. the map allows you this courtesy. yes, there are power ups that aren’t immediately shown on the map, sure, but you have many guns that specialize in area cleaning, not to mention the aforementioned fact of mega bombs being so readily available. obviously those will be huge room clears to help you see that one hidden items. use them liberally, don’t worry, you will get ammo quick, and often.
my top metroidvanias are as follows: nine sols, aria of sorrow, silksong, prime 2. zexion is now my number one, ahead of all these other complete juggernauts. it, in my opinion, is the best of the best. metroidvania perfection. a must play. i could go on and on it is SO INCREDIBLE. metroidvania genre has no shortage of great games, but zexion? it stands above the rest. it is crafted with the utmost care. my one gripe is it had to end at one point. this game is the only game that made me want to play randomizers, and god they’re fun. i never thought i’d find myself playing a metroidvania randomizer! keep in mind, the game also has MANY end game feats that you can accomplish, and they. are. HARD. they are truly for the player that wants to see it all and experience it all. as a fun bonus, you can customize all of your colors as well. cute addition.
anyway, i could talk about this game all day, i really could. it’s perfect. that’s that. play it. my favorite metroidvania of all time. never seen a game with as much tlc put into it as this.
10/10. the absolute best of the best, period.
