Alwa’s Legacy (switch)

Powah Dunk | November 5, 2020 | Review | No Comments

Alwa’s Legacy is the follow-up to the indie smash Alwa’s Awakening which was a fantastic homage to the NES/Master System era of gaming with its visuals spliced with a Metroidvania style adventure. Much like history, Legacy hopes to further the NES style adventure by taking the form of a SNES inspired title, did it work? Read on!.

Alwa’s Legacy puts you in the robe of conveniently amnesiac Zoe, she wakes up on a beach in the land of Alwa and after a brief run in with the main foe of the game is off to solve the mysteries of the world and regain her memory back the only way gaming knows how, smash enemies and explore dungeons!.

The narrative is short and sweet in Alwa, much like the games it takes inspiration from the main focus here is on the path taken and not the destination. You’ll meet side characters who add to it somewhat but the game will never keep you waiting while it gabs on for too long. You’ll be back solving puzzles, bashing enemies and locating new areas before you can say “Plot device!”.

Alwa’s Legacy is a fantastic looking game which harnesses the graphical style of the SNES era to produce some buttery smooth animations and wizardry within the sprite style. The levels are wonderfully varied and coupled with the enemy designs and the bosses, Alwa’s Legacy will easily push any old school fan of gaming back to a golden age of imagination, wizardry and adventuring.

So the gameplay is key here in Alwa’s Legacy, what the hook here is that not only is it an expertly crafted Metroidvania where progression feels quite natural, they have added a little Zelda fusion in with it in the form of dungeons!. While it doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, it is a brilliant little addition and one I am very surprised isn’t used more often.

The controls are the standard affair here, jump, attack and a magic button to use, you’ll unlock new abilities as you explore the map which will allow you get even further, if you have played a “Metroidvania” then you know the script by now. The controls are wonderfully responsive and the combat never really gets tedious which is always good when playing games involving backtracking!.

Now where Zelda comes into everything is there are several “Dungeons” to locate in the world of Alwa, here there is a much greater focus on puzzles much like Dungeons from the Zelda series. It changes up the pace brilliantly and shows the developer thought a little outside of the Metroidvania box which is becoming more and more commonplace as of late.

Alwa’s Legacy is a beautiful, fun and captivating experience, it may play like every other Metroidvania around but it’s visuals, the dungeons and did I mention the visuals? Well the game just manages to draw you in with its magic.

The controls are sublime and the platforming is ideal, it is so easy to get lost in the world of Alwa during your 10-hour stay and I am eager to see if the team will once again provide a ticket to the world of Alwa for a third outing down the line. I would like them to maybe try another genre but all in all, Alwa’s Legacy is certainly one you should track down and play if you are a fan of captivating and whimsical adventure.