Odallus: The Dark Call is the best game on Steam that no one is talking about.

Odallus: The Dark Call has been out for a little over a month now and I just completed it. I loved almost every minute of the game and intend to write a user review soon The newest release from indie developer JoyMasher is a clear throwback to the original Castlevania games on the NES. The game has enough exploration and hidden secrets to be called a Metroidvania, and it is one of the few games in that genre to actually capture the spirit of the NES era of both Metroid and Castlevania.

Odallus is a Metroidvania without a map and without one big world that is interconnected. There is a world map in the game which lets you jump between the games levels. This makes the eventual backtracking much easier. The game follows the general idea that the other games in this genre do: you will complete a level having only seen part of it and later in the game you will be able to come back with weapons and abilities you unlocked to see the rest.

There is a story here, but it is so unimportant to the game that it is not worth going into any real detail about. The small amount of cutscenes in the game actually felt like they were just getting in the way of the gameplay, which is the best part of the game.

Odallus plays great. It gives you the feel of playing the first Castlevania, but it has enough modern touches to keep you from getting frustrated with outdated controls. The amount of control you have over the character prevents you from ever feeling like there are any unfair deaths. The game manages to feel like a throwback while still being totally original. Unlike the series that it is inspired by, there are no pits to fall in in the game. The only real way to die is to actually have all of your health drained.

The main problem with the game is that the levels are large and there is no map. Some of the levels have multiple areas that look very similar so it can be hard to keep track of where you are going where you have been. There were multiple times that levels had “alternate” paths which simply led me back to where I originally was. A map could easily have solved this problem. At one point in the game I realized that I was clearly missing an upgrade but I had no idea where. So, I took to the internet to help me out. This is where I started to feel like I was the only person who had ever heard about the game.

I found almost nothing online about this game. I couldn't find one Walkthrough for this, which may sound like a lot to ask for a game that is only a month old, but the game is short enough that it can be completed in one sitting. Almost all of my Google searches sent me to people asking the same questions I was in the Steam forums. That is it. The only reason I was able to find the item I needed was that I got lucky and found a video on YouTube of someone speedrunning the game.

The question is, how did I find out about this ghost of a game? This game has very little coverage in the press and is getting very little attention from the internet in general. As of this writing, the game only has 77 reviews written for it on Steam. The only reason I heard about this was because I overheard a man telling his friend about it and how it was just like the NES games from their childhood. I was interested in hearing about this Steam game that I have heard no one talking on the internet about. Yeah, I literally heard about a month-old video game for the first time through word of mouth.

I had to do a decent amount of looking to find the information that I wanted about this game. It started as an Indiegogo project looking to raise $5,000. The game ended up getting funded to over $7,000 so it is clear that the game had some attention at the time of fundraising. Being someone who checks out video game news daily I was really surprised that this game somehow slipped by in it's production and release.

I'm simply writing this because I really enjoyed my time with the game and I want to recommend it to anyone who would be interested. You know if you want to play this. If you enjoy Metroidvania's but would like one that plays more like Castlevania I suggest you check it out. If anyone who has been watching VinnyVania has had the urge to go play a Castlevania game I really recommend this. The game takes around 5 hours to beat and at a price of $14.99, you can't afford not to play this game. There are a lot of games which manage to slip under peoples radars, but we shouldn't let Odallus: The Dark Call be one of those.

Is this closer to a metroidvania game, or more like Castlevania 1-3? You mention exploration, but is it very involved or can this game be played more linearly?

This game looks incredible! Good shout out, dude!

Treat it as a Castlevania 1-3 with secret exits. The world map has 4 levels in a straight line leading to the final level. However, each of the first 4 levels has one branch coming out of it to show that there is a secret path in these levels which will unlock a new level. All levels, including secret ones, must be completed to end the game. And I believe all equipment, except for the armor and sword upgrades, are needed to access new levels. The exploration is mostly trying to find any breakable walls or new areas to access in older levels.

This game is genuinely great. I sent a message to both Dan and Jeff telling them about this when it came out, because I really think that this developer could use some attention. The game that they made before this, Oniken, is also damn good, and is an action platformer along the lines of Ninja Gaiden. I see so many indie devs making games that they say are "Our attempt to make a game like [Insert classic NES game]!" But, these guys take it to another level. Everything about these games absolutely tricks your brain into thinking that this could actually be played on an NES. Their attention to detail in the visuals, audio, and controls are just incredible. I highly recommend these games. And, if you can't trust the word of a random internet dude, then who can you trust?

Thanks for putting this on my radar dude, I'll definitely check this out!

I didn't realize that their first game is similar to Ninja Gaiden. I will definitely be checking that out too.

This does look pretty cool actually. I'll check out some videos at least, and go from there.

Hey, this game! My friend broke it and stuff. (spoilers in 2nd link I guess?)

I do want to play it for real at some point tho.

This definitely seems like something @vinny should take a look at. Perhaps even a GBE Playdate is in order.

I'm glad this was randomly bumped. Whenever I'm reminded of this game, I remember that I should play it. Looks great.

Having just played through this, This game is criminally underrated, really really satisfying platformer that plays like a 1987ish NES action game yet treats progress/checkpoints like a modern game.

It's not quite as good as Shovel Knight (mainly the music and the especially the writing), but man this game deserved a hell of a lot more exposure and sales than it got.

I've almost pulled the proverbial trigger on this at least a dozen times but always shied away from fully committing because I had this nagging feeling that I'd probably abandon it halfway through. I love the look but I just don't know if I can go back to that style of gameplay, especially now that I read from this blog how there is no map. One thing that gets discussed on the Bomb/Beast-cast a whole lot (and is unfortunately very true) is that with age your free time tends to diminish and you no longer have neither the liberty nor the patience to just wander around until you stumble onto the right path. This is probably why I had zero issues with FF XIII's universally despised streamlined structure, which in my case was a refreshing A to B to C experience tailor made for my growing distate for sprawling open worlds and numerous side quests.

So I might give this a shot finally, lord knows it goes on ridiculous sales quite often.

Ha, I spent yesterday evening with Odallus. Amazing game indeed. It feels very reminiscent of Castlevania. I like how Odallus' secrets are always indicated in some way. Either you will see the reward, or you will see a different coloured wall or a contraption you can interact with. Some secrets are tough to find or require an ability you don't have yet, but you won't have to jump or kneel in every room to find some invisible stairs or open up a door. If you don't mind visiting levels multiple times, it will bring you enjoyment for sure. And after a few upgrades, the earlier levels will be a relative breeze.

I'm on the final boss now, which is truly a pain in the butt.

@humanity: Yeah I think that's very fair way to feel and if this didn't have a fair amount of modern contrivances regarding progress I don't think would have stuck with it. Fortunately the game is super forgiving, despite being somewhat difficult at spots, in terms of saving progress (e.g. once you open a door it stays open forever, Once you pick up an upgrade you never lose it etc. regardless of whether you make it to a checkpoint or not. If you bust down a wall it stays open as long as you don't have a game over).

The no map thing is a bummer, no doubt about it. It wasn't a big issue for me, but I tend to have a pretty good memory of where I've been in games. YMMV. I wouldn't say the layouts of the levels are that complex, but they do tend to have a lot of verticality to them. And you do have to at least clear the bosses of them all to reach the end. Also if you want upgraded gear, you will need to revisit levels once you acquire a relic you might need to access the item.

So I could certainly see that being an issue for people.

Still If you get for a buck or two (which it often is) it's definitely worth checking out. No shame in putting it down if it doesn't grab you at that price.

@onemanarmyy: Me too man, I've got 100% collectibles but that last boss is a really tough nut. I can crush the first two phases super easily but that last one is incredibly punishing if you don't do a good job evading his attacks. Of course it doesn't help that the A button on my controller is giving out.

I almost never complete games because of my limited time but this is one that hooked me. Absolutely loved every second of it. Challenging but fair, just like all of my favorite retro games. I spent 6-7 unforgettable hours with it.

@slag: Well it's on my Steam Wishlist, and after all these glowing endorsements I'll get it the next time it drops to that sweet, sweet $3.

I had a game breaking bug after the first boss. Just kept repeating the dialogue and I couldn't get out of it.

Oh well seemed cool, but it killed my desire to play it.

@omgfather: I've definitly had some technical issues with the game over the course of playing it.

- Playing windowed turned the window entirely black if i had a webpage in focus while the intro was playing. Restarting the game while focusing on the intro works reliably though.

- Playing with a controller, the monitor would turn off after a while. I guess that's on me for using power settings, but i haven't seen any other game turn my monitor off while i'm playing with a controller.

- Sprites freezing in place - Not sure what caused this but i had to start an endboss while his 'wall of ice' attack was permanently on the board, and fully functional :D

Despite those technical flaws, i've had enough fun with the game to persist.

Here's a clip of Jeff playing 10 minutes of the game

This game crashes at random points every time I play it.

@slag: Didn't even realise this thread was a year old, and now I'm very curious about this game.

Dude this looks rad!

I know i am in the minority but this game doesn't look good at all to me. Seems like it requires nostalgia that i dont have and gameplay wise it just looks old unlike stuff like shovel Knight that seemed well designed.

@bollard: Yeah I bumped this because @shaunk's blog was really well written and it felt deserved to be read by more people.

I just played the game myself after getting it for like 2 bucks in the steam winter sale and was pretty impressed.

The lack of a map alone is almost a deal breaker for me. I'm also a bit wary about retro-style Metroidvanias as I slogged through Axiom Verge last month and found much of the game design frustratingly archaic. That being said, you make some valid points and the content at least sounds interesting. I'll add it to my watch list and keep an eye on the price. Thanks for sharing, OP.

@renegadesaint: Honestly, most levels only have at most 2-3 logical pathways you can take. It never felt like i didn't know where stuff was. In the first level, you can either stay above ground and run from left to right, or you go underground until a pathway leads upwards again. You will note some blocks you can't use yet, and probably remember that you should re-visit that place later on.

Since there are only 8 environments you have to go through, which consist out of 3-4-5 screens, you will get automatically familiar with the levels. It's not comparable to a meaty Metroidvania like Shadow Complex where you have to scour every 'block' to 100% the game. I accidently 100% Odallus just because the self-contained levels help you get around fast.

The game is also good about not having to do leap of faiths, hoping that you land on a secret platform. All secret area's are indicated and visible from platforms.

Didn't Jeff play some of this at some point? It was on one of the Steam request streams.

@l33t_haxor: yes, check the link in message #19 of this thread. It should bring you straight to the Odallus part.

@onemanarmyy: Well, your passion has won me over. I'll put in on the list.

Thanks! I'm just glad that more people are checking this out. It was a pretty cool experience at the time, because I feel like I never get to play and new good games that everyone doesn't already know about. I still suggest people play this game. I know it was in some humble bundle pretty recently, so I hope more people were exposed to it through that.