Alwa’s Legacy Review

Alwa’s Legacy is an indie metroidvania developed and published by Elden Pixels. This title got released on June 17th, 2020 and received a positive response from the community for being one of the better metroidvanias out there considering that there are so many of them nowadays! It is also worth mentioning that Alwa’s Legacy can be seen as a sequel to Alwa’s Awakening. I myself haven’t played the previous title, but I have done a bit of research and the difference is that the pixel art style looks a lot more polished in the newer title. Perhaps you have been looking for a solid metroidvania to play but don’t know where to look? If that is the case, then I’ve got your back!

As mentioned earlier, Alwa’s Legacy takes place right after the events of Alwa’s Awakening! Just like in the last title, you will once again take the role of the female protagonist, Zoe. The evil sorcerer Vicar has returned along with monsters in an attempt to rule the land of Alwa, and it is up to you to stop him! As you progress throughout the story, you will be able to learn new magical tricks and abilities that will help you on your way in your attempt to bring peace back to Alwa. What I really liked about the plot is that it doesn’t play a huge role when it comes to the gameplay part. It does nonetheless a pretty good job in kicking off the story!

Remember how I mentioned that you will be able to use spells in the game? Well, at the beginning you will only be able to use your staff and then gradually you will be able to develop your magic usage. Magical spells will pretty much allow you to gain an advantage in order to progress throughout the level! There is a magic bar that will allow you to use your spells without spamming them to an extent. This will lead to a more fair gameplay challenge and gameplay experience! So basically, use your magic wisely! You will also be able to upgrade your skills or unlock new abilities by spending the blue orbs that can be found around the areas! Most of the upgrades aren’t required since you will be able to reach certain areas just fine by using the very basic spells of yours. In case you aren’t convinced about the spells, wouldn’t it be cool to walk on spikes with nothing to worry about?

Now, let us move on to other aspects of this title! The soundtrack is just amazing! If you are a fan of old retro games from the SNES, then you will definitely enjoy what Alwa’s Legacy has to offer. The style is also really charming and vibrant! It just makes me want to come back for more! The boss battles really feel classic, and that is what makes them shine. The puzzles within the game aren’t that difficult since they just encourage you to experiment a bit in order to figure out the solution! At first it might be a bit challenging since you will only have three health points to work with as you get used to the game mechanics. To compensate, the checkpoints are quite generous and will provide you a lot of room for errors.

Let us wrap things up, should we? There really is a lot to say about this title. Everything from the fun platforming to the satisfying boss battles really made it a worthwhile experience! Heck, it even crushed my expectations since it was so good! I wouldn’t be surprised if this title became a well-known masterpiece in the future. Whether you are a fully grown adult or a kid looking for a classic retro experience, I’m sure this will satisfy your hunger for a metroidvania!

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary PC code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.