Captured on Nintendo Switch (Connected)
Metroidvania and Soulslike’s genre mashup is a tried and true combination. And that makes sense; two gameplay styles with a deep focus on exploration and strict difficulty were meant to intersect. Games like Salt and Sanctuary, Blasphemous, and of course Hollow Knight have managed to take the genres and combine them into a mini-genre of their own (although some would argue that Dark Souls itself is already essentially Metroidvania). New developers Mantra and Sinergia Games have thrown their own hat into the Elderand-shaped ring, further proving why this blend works, even though this particular blend could be more potent.
You play as an unnamed hunter who has been stranded in a mysterious land with his crew dead and with no instructions to work. This place is filled with a litany of monsters and threats, and throughout your journey you’ll uncover a tense plot involving a cult, a snake society, and a threatened village. While the story is much easier to follow than its FromSoftware inspirations, Elderand also tells much of its story through the use of object descriptions, letters found around the world, and environmental narratives. Truth be told, the story didn’t do much for us, as much of it is ubiquitous text that shines on screen. However, the world building impressed us, each of the game’s areas feel cohesive, and you can really see the effects of events before the game starts.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Connected)
The first thing that stands out is the in-depth sprite work. The customizable main character, and primarily the humanoids, is admittedly a little underwhelming, but the game makes up for it in droves with its strong enemy design. The highlight has to be the Hungry Abyss; a large, disgusting Venus flytrap of a creature, which made us feel uneasy the first time we saw it. It is through such enemies that you can feel the influences of Lovecraft. The bosses are also beautiful, thanks to their size, the sprite work really highlights these intimidating enemies. There’s also the game’s seven zones which look very pleasant, if suitably oppressive, further emphasizing the state of the world.
The game also revels in his blood; while some death animations are the equivalent of a silly old Mortal Kombat fatality, others really make your stomach turn, for example the hideous Disciplinarian, whose stomach bursts into a goblet every time you beat it. A. The worst has to be the cult sacrifices scattered across the world (which are optional, but give you items in exchange) using medieval torture devices. It’s not enough to put us off completely, but Elderand is definitely not a game for the faint of heart.
Matchmaking with the Dark Atmosphere is a brutal fight. You have access to different types of weapons, such as sword and shield, great swords, bows, magic staves, and our weapon of choice, dual blades (there’s also a whip, but more on that later later). The combat is tough, and while you can level up and improve your health, strength, dexterity, and mental stats, you’re only a few hits away from life or death. That being said, a lot of the combat strategy tends to jump behind the enemy while attacking and slashing, even with some of the bosses. You still need to be on your toes at the right time, but a lot of enemy AI can be dealt with using this strategy.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Offline)
As you’d expect in a Metroidvania, the game has this cycle of exploring, fighting bosses, and finding upgrades to innovate, although there are only a few upgrades overall in the game and none of them are particularly interesting. Obviously a double jump, grappling hook, and air slam are welcome additions to any kit, but those are the only real upgrades and they’re a bit underwhelming. Some additional movement options and combat-focused powers would have been nice. The game also tends to be shorter in the genre. We managed to complete the map 100% during our four and a half hours of play.
Although we mentioned the influence of Souls, the team behind this game clearly loves the Castlevania series too. The game feels like a spiritual successor to the GBA and DS entries and a love letter to the entire series. The core gameplay is similar, even bringing in secondary weapons like the ax and knife, which work just like in the Konami series, and as we mentioned there’s a whip. The game is littered with references to Castlevania’s past (with one specific boss even mimicking Dracula’s attacks). The soundtrack is also heavily inspired by the work of Michiru Yamane and is one of the highlights of the game.
However, we are experiencing a few technical issues in our game. The biggest one was random freezing, even when nothing is happening on screen to cause it. This happened occasionally in handheld mode, but was much more common in docked mode. We also encountered audio issues in the mine area, as well as a few crashes (both hard and soft). We’ve been told the game will be patched again in time for release, so we’ll be crossing our fingers that most of them will be fixed by then. However, you’ll want to keep an eye out for these patch notes before playing.
conclusion
Elderand is another solid entry into the Metroidvania genre, though it doesn’t push any new boundaries when it comes to gameplay. It manages to stand out a bit thanks to its strong enemy design and world building, as well as a good soundtrack. For a first game, it’s impressive to see something as well done as this, but there’s very little here that you haven’t seen elsewhere in this crowded genre. Maybe you need a second entry to live up to your potential.