His body shakes, the darkness cuts, a figure of a weak man standing before me. Brief moments of begging for redemption are met with the requirement for action. Redemption of the soul through pray and faith… or by steel and might. A knee is taken and trust in prayer begins. The words ring hollow; his flesh bursts from its seams, birthing an unholy monstrosity. Between the swipes and lunges to take my life, I find the moment to truly redeem its soul with the might of my mace. Crushed beneath my feet, flesh, teeth, and bone. Redemption is foul work for righteous souls.
Infernax
Developer: Berzerk Studio
Price: $19.99
Platform: PC, PS4, Switch, XSX
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review
Infernax is instantly striking; it bellows with proud fury as the menu boots up. A clear stride of confidence that rarely relents. Of course, pixel art games deeply inspired by retro titles are nothing new. You could even whisper that the sub-genre has become overpopulated by titles too driven to imitate and remind rather than impress. The resulting effect means any new blood entering the space really needs to smash down the door, rather than a gentle knock.
As a concept, Berzerk Studios has baked in their clear admiration and nostalgia for a certain series with a level of sincerity. Infernax is every bit a love letter, but not one that simply replicates and does jazz-hands. A returning crusader lands upon the familiar soil of home, only to find it besieged by unholy horrors. With mace and shield in hand, it’s time to purge corruption.
Admittedly, the opening intro to the game is seemingly everything I love. Hyper-violence, demonic creatures, steel armour and devilishly delightful music. It’s a barrage of charm, personality, and a punch to the throat. Infernax knows exactly what it is and it wants YOU to know exactly who it is.
Built upon a looping gameplay circle, Infernax pushes the player into tests of combat, platforming, and holding the nerve. The constant threat of the varying enemies produces a near non-stop requirement for the player’s attention. A brood of foes ensures that each encounter matters. Flowing somewhere between rock-paper-scissors and a balancing act, the attack types and combinations always cut deep. You will die, it’s part of the process. Learning when to go, when to jump, when to attack, and when to retreat. From simple melee attacks, clever use of the shield, and a range of spells to throw out, it’s a fairly robust set of options given the limits of the genre.
Infernax is harsh but fair. Each failure is the result of the player’s mistake. A forceful reminder that a single slip-up can result in a fair amount of progress being lost. The player’s impact on the game can be altered through the RPG-light features of items and levelling. While nothing too major, the ability to lean into a style of play offers plenty of utility and space to operate. Additionally, Infernax’s ‘back to your last save’ method can be negated with the ‘Casual mode’ that sends the player back to the start of a screen. Having the option between the two opens the door to a less hardcore heart that doesn’t reduce the game to a cakewalk.
Neatly woven into Infernax is a quest and consequence system that does enough to push the player to return to areas while giving the world a larger sense of life… even when killing the undead. The complete ensemble of Infernax’s gameplay loops born through its DNA, with the added benefits of questing to further level all work in tandem. It’s a complete package that doesn’t simply rely on the fact it looks and plays like the classics of yesterday, far from it.
A love letter to a genre and its forefathers. Infernax has plenty to say and plenty to offer outside of nostalgia. Making a neat space for its own brand of gorey metroidvania, Infernax’s mix of challenge, combat and utility produces an undoubtedly satisfying experience. With plenty of flesh to chew on, the explosions of meat between the teeth never fail to deliver.
The Final Word
As the closing act meets its end, a litter of bodies left in your wake, Infernax achieves a rare thing. It becomes more than its influences, more than a simple genre piece, but a powerful entity in its own right. The only negatives that rise from the ground are a few boss battles being easy to defeat… and that’s it. Robust, neatly wove, disgusting and wholeheartedly engaging, Infernax is a fantastic example of influence creating new greatness.
– MonsterVine Rating: 5 out of 5 – Excellent
