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    Alwa's Awakening

    Game » consists of 6 releases. Released Feb 02, 2017

    An action-adventure platformer, made in a retro style with pixel graphics and an 8-bit soundtrack. The game is developed by Elden Pixels.

    Indie Game of the Week 48: Alwa's Awakening

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    Mento

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    NEStalgia might be one of the biggest driving forces in the Indie market, at least as far as Steam is concerned, because not only does it invoke a common touchstone for those of a certain age - and, honestly, probably more if we include cases of hand-me-downs and situations where the system is seen as a good entry point by retro-savvy parents - but also because the relative simplicity of the format makes producing games that much more manageable by a smaller team. Just because a game looks like a 8-bit classic of yesteryear, however, doesn't mean it has to be entirely devoid of the decades of incremental game design evolution that has occured in the interim.

    I say that, but Alwa's Awakening from Swedish developers Elden Pixels might be more no-frills and beholden to its era than something like the comparatively complex Shovel Knight or the genre-subversive mayhem of Axiom Verge. A spacewhipper in the classic Metroid and Castlevania II mold (with some Solomon's Key thrown in for flavor), its heroine Zoe must traverse across the titular land of Alwa to defeat four "protectors" of special ornaments, which in turn unlock the way to where the big bad "Vicar" is hiding. Alwa picks up three ability-endowing treasures as she explores the various dungeons and towers of the world, and they collectively make up all the tools she needs to complete the game's many platforming puzzles. They include multi-purpose sorceries like the conjuring of a green block which can be used variously as a footstep, a switch activator, a bullet-deflector and, eventually, a boat. Alwa's ace in the hole is keeping its mechanics simple, without necessarily making the game easy in the process - while the game doesn't quite have the challenge level of, say, fellow NEStalgia throwback Battle Kid (which has an "inspired by" credit, incidentally), it can get very rough with the myriad trap gauntlets especially as you approach the final boss. I will say that, even though it persists with the system of having checkpoint rooms which can lead to a lot of annoying backtracking to the room that killed you, the game will preserve your map progress and any collectibles found. Likewise, the paltry three hit points you have for the entire game can eventually be bolstered by a single-use healing item power-up that activates upon dying (though not the water, lava or spike instant-death kind of dying). It's not going to go easy on you, but it's at least fair about it.

    One of the (mercifully few) block puzzles in the game. A lot of these are predicated on the fact that you can summon, destroy and resummon your own green block (the jelly-ish bottom right one) as often as you want.
    One of the (mercifully few) block puzzles in the game. A lot of these are predicated on the fact that you can summon, destroy and resummon your own green block (the jelly-ish bottom right one) as often as you want.

    I actually thought the game might've been on the short side until I saw my ten hour playtime total on its final results screen, so I can assuage worries that the game is over before it truly starts. While it only has a handful of abilities to learn, the two that help with traversal also have a second, upgraded level which greatly expands their utility, effectively doubling the number of locations you can reach. Many of the puzzles find ways to combine two or all three of these spell abilities in quick succession, and each draws from a universal mana bar which regenerates at a rate specific to each spell: the last acquired, for example, takes the longest to recharge the bar. So in those cases where you might need all three abilities, you will often have to be careful about which order you use them. As is always the case in games like this, if somewhere looks impossible to reach, it probably is until you have acquired the right ability or have played the game sufficiently enough to identify where you can sequence break (and there are several - the developer has even crafted speedrun-friendly shortcuts in the final area, but only if you have leftover keys from doors you avoided or found other ways around).

    Presentation-wise, Alwa does fine with a selection of catchy area-specific chiptunes (I liked this one; it reminds me of Daft Punk's "Short Circuit") and a traditional 8-bit graphical style with some vivid palette choices. If anything, the game might be too cute in spots: I ran into several enemies without realizing they were hostile because they looked so adorable. There isn't a whole of enemy variation, and you soon learn how best to take on (or avoid) enemy types after you've met them a handful of times. One troublesome foe is a hooded skeletal figure who underarm tosses magical balls at you; the trajectory and speed of these projectiles is dependent on where Zoe is standing in relation to the enemy, so it's preferable to get as close as possible to make them easier to evade.

    ...Goddammit. There's always one room. The orbs, by the way, are collectibles that will auto-damage bosses the more of them you have. The boss fights can be tough in this game, so the extra edge is appreciated.
    ...Goddammit. There's always one room. The orbs, by the way, are collectibles that will auto-damage bosses the more of them you have. The boss fights can be tough in this game, so the extra edge is appreciated.

    Ultimately, Alwa's Awakening isn't so much a game that defies expectations but meets them precisely, which might be all the convincing you need to wile away an afternoon on a straightforward, if not easy, 2D exploratory platformer with a retro aesthetic. It might not rank as anyone's favorite Indie game of 2017 (though, to be fair, it's been a spectacularly busy year) but it's solidly made with few major weaknesses and should satisfy anyone who only took a minute or two to look at its Steam trailers before deciding it was right up their alley. If your alley lies elsewhere, however, its modest charms are probably not going to win you over.

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

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