Developer: Metamorphosis Games
Steam Deck Compatibility?: Verified
Rrp: £15.99 (Humble and Steam)
There are a great many metroidvania’s on the market and they range from the short and silly like Gato Roboto to the much longer and darker Hollow Knight. It seems like whatever your particular flavour there’s a metroidvania out there for you. The quality and length is, of course, varied.
This particular metroidvania should sate those that have a love of the steampunk aesthetic.
In Gestalt: Steam and Cinder you play as Aletheia, a young woman working as a Soldner (a kind of mercenary) in the city of Canaan, the last refuge of humankind. Canaan is under attack and it’s unclear if the attack is from outside or within.
As metroidvania’s go this wasn’t a bad one, certainly not the best I’ve ever played but still good. The pixel art animations are beautiful, especially on Aletheia and the world is well designed without being overly busy. Combat starts off quite slow and clunky but as you progress and unlock skills it becomes more flowing. The problem is that by the late game I was starting to find any enemy that wasn’t a boss trivial and even the bosses themselves barely caused an issue. That being said I still enjoyed it and becoming that overpowered did feel great.
I do have a bit of an issue with the fact that the game ends on a cliffhanger and is very clearly setting up for a sequel and I have no idea if there is one coming or not despite quite a bit of searching.
