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'Bloodstained' will scratch your 'Castlevania' itch
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SotN) is one of the most influential games ever made. First released for the original PlayStation in 1997, the game has since been ported to nearly every platform under the sun. It perfected the series' core design concept where players could explore gigantic 2D environments at will, collecting new abilities that unlocked hidden-in-plain-sight secrets in previously traversed areas. It also iterated on the superb Super Metroid released for the SNES three years prior. That framework was so well-done that it spawned its own genre ("Metroidvania") and countless games have used it since. Koji Igarashi, SotN's co-creator, has finally brought his crowdfunded (and SotN spiritual successor) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to E3. How does it play? Pretty close to the original.
'Runner 2' and other indie hits get rare physical releases
Indie games don't often cross over into the physical world, so it's pretty notable when two separate companies make boxed games at once. Choice Provisions is partnering with Limited Run Games on a physical version of the Runner2 sidescroller on PS4 and PS Vita with 3,500 copies of each for sale online starting March 17th. Limited Run will also sell 1,000 copies of a (separate) limited Runner2 edition at its PAX East booth on March 10-12.
Hit side-scroller 'Axiom Verge' lands on Xbox One
Not surprisingly, Axiom Verge has taken a while to spread across platforms -- Thomas Happ designed the entire Metroidvania-style shooter by himself, so even a straightforward port was bound to take a while. At last, though, you don't have to be picky about where you play. Happ has released a version of Axiom Verge for the Xbox One, making the mind-bending side-scroller available on every modern TV console (the Wii U version arrived on September 1st). So what took so long for this release, especially since it was available on PCs ages ago?
'Axiom Verge' is absolutely, definitely still coming to Vita
The glorious Metroid-style nostalgia bomb that is Axiom Verge will hit the PlayStation Vita soon, developer Thomas Happ says in a blog post this week. In fact, a playable version is already up and running on Sony's handheld -- rather, it's running on Happ's handheld. The rest of us will have to wait a little (emphasis on little) while longer to play Axiom Verge on Vita. "Here's the good news: The game is ported," Happ says. "It runs and is playable! Anyone who has worked on a porting project can tell you that that represents the biggest hurdle.... So from here on out, our focus is on cleanup, polish and bug fixing."
Hit indie game 'Axiom Verge' gets a vinyl soundtrack
Game studios have sometimes been a little too eager to get their soundtracks on vinyl, but this is one you'll want to consider if you're a connoisseur. Creator Thomas Happ and Ship to Shore PhonoCo are releasing a limited edition vinyl soundtrack for Axiom Verge, one of the indie game darlings of 2015. While the $22 album isn't as comprehensive as the digital version (likely in order to fit everything on to a single record), the music is only part of why you'd get. Happ is providing rough game sketches and his own liner notes, so you'll have a behind-the-scenes peek at the motivations behind this Metroidvania hit.
JXE Streams: Digging in the 'Metroid' dirt of PS4's 'Axiom Verge'
Axiom Verge -- a grotesque and intoxicating new action game for PlayStation 4 due out next week -- wears its heart on its sleeve. From the aliens wandering its creepy interconnected halls to the variety of unusual tools you find exploring its twisted world, creator Tom Happ's game explicitly calls back to Nintendo's Metroid. Rather than lose its identity in an homage mishmash, Axiom Verge actually uses that inspiration to build a demanding game that feels as new as it does eerie. We'll dig into its deep parts and interview Happ himself on today's stream!
