AGGELOS Review (Switch)

AGGELOS is an 16 bit action rpg developed by Storybird Games and published by PQube Limited. Take on the role of the hero as you fight to save the land from an invasion of beings from another dimension.

Story:

You must fight for survival in order to defeat the invading army/evil beings that come from another dimension to claim your own. Use all your wit and all your abilities to protect the Kingdom Of Lumen.

Gameplay:

AGGELOS is a non linear action rpg that feels like something you might have played or wanted to play back in the good ol days of the 16 bit era. The game itself is advertised as being inspired by games such as the Wonderboy series, more specifically, Wonder Boy in Monster World. The jist of the game is nothing too complex for a player to understand if you're used to these types of games, just save the world and that's it, but of course I'm leaving out all the in between stuff you actually get to do.

The games main focus involves the player progressing their character as they go through the games story and explore and uncover different secrets. With each progression you make, you will gain a new ability and element that will help you in your quest to save your kingdom and each upgrade you manage to get will offer you various ways to defeat your enemies. One of your main forms of attack will be the classic sword swiping,which is limited to left and right at the start of the game, but like I stated, you're able to get upgrades and new abilities which will allow for a much better range of attack for the weapon itself.

Each upgrade of power you get is very useful due to the way the levels are designed themselves and it seems the developers had them in mind when creating the boss battles, as specific upgrades are useful against specific boss fights. Don't just spam attacks though as its going to take a lot more than just pressing one button to beat some of these bad guys. AGGELOS is one of those action platformers that is both not an easy game, but at the same time its not extremely difficult either, as long as you concentrate and pick and choose your spots when to attack and use an ability, most players should get through this game in a decent amount of time.

The game itself will run you anywhere from 12-15 hours depending on your style of play and how good you are, but a real part of why this will take you as long as it does is due to it being a metroidvania styled game as well. Being a metroidvania style of game, it requires you to search every nook and cranny and every single area you can possibly think of to find new items,new abilities,new powers. But of course that brings you to a possible negative if thats not your thing, with this style, you have a chance to run into some repetition. You may get lost or not find everything you want right away or even in a decent amount of time so you might be stuck for hours just searching and searching and that can get a little boring.

But repetition can also pay off if you stick through it and keep pushing forward through the journey, this happens in the form of special challenges that you are able to take part in. With these challenges it allows you to unlock even more rare special attacks to aid you on your quest and ones that you can only get via these special quests/challenges. Keep in mind that these aren't all able to be beaten your first attempt, you may need to go get stronger and come back a later time, so do not get discouraged if you lose a few times. Just go explore some more,find more abilities,get more health containers and come back stronger than ever and kick an enemies ass.

The various powers you get in the game will help you traverse stages or even help during specific enemy battles,each offering their own variety. For instance one ability allows you to swim underwater for a period of time using a summoned bubble for you to breathe in,which can also double as a physical attack, and another is a fire ball attack or Dash move,etc. Due to the way the levels are layed out for you and the amount of puzzles you find throughout each stage, all these abilities will either be used or have some use in figuring your way around these puzzles or the areas around them. So if you happen to get stuck on a puzzle,then maybe,just maybe, you need the right ability to gain access to the area or solve the puzzle.

One of my favorite elements in this game is the loot system. I love me some loot systems in rpgs due to the fact that I feel I'm actually making a difference for the character and I'm the reason they're getting stronger,not just what the developers told me to do. As you explore you will gain coins for currency and with this currency you're able to buy potions to keep your inventory,as well as purchase equipment to wear. While it might not be the amount of armor id like, they at least give you some sort of choice and options to pick from so you aren't stuck with just one bland set all game. If you do not like a specific set of armor anymore then you're able to re-sell it again for extra coin in order to purchase something else.

Boss fights for me personally was my favorite part of the game due to not only their sheer size, but also do to their creativity and interactivity. Fighting these baddies isnt as simple as just running up to one and smacking him until he dies before you do, but instead it requires you to test your timing,your jumping skills and challenging you to learn their patterns and which attacks/abilities you should use at that time. While they aren't overly difficult, a few of them will surely give you a bad time here and there, so be prepared to die several times if you aren't fully prepared for the challenge.

Overall thoughts:

At the end of the day AGGELOS is a fun little action rpg adventure that on its surface doesn't do anything wholly original,but still manages to be very fun in its own right. Sure it has problems like possibility of repetition,getting lost is easy and there isn't that big of a weapon or armor selection, but I feel the games puzzles, its environment set up and its engaging boss fights more than makes up for any shortcomings it may have.

I say if you're a fan of a series like WonderBoy or just like classic 16 bit style games in general, give this one a go if you have time, its a really fun and challenging time!

AGGELOS is out now on Nintendo Switch

*Review code provided by PQubeLimited