Axiom Verge pays homage to the classic metroidvania with a very personal glitch twist: bizarre weapons, a corruption mechanic and an eerie biomechanical world. Exploration rewards curiosity and the atmosphere oozes mystery. Solid and singular.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player12+
Description
The scientist Trace awakens in an alien world made of circuitry and flesh. Published by Thomas Happ, released worldwide in 2017. Interconnected exploration, numerous inventive weapons, glitch exploitation as a game mechanic and a tribute to 8-bit classics.
Axiom Verge review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Long"
Technical info
💾0,4 GB📅05/10/2017
Published by Thomas Happ
Axiom Verge (Nintendo Switch) price, value & rarity
The sci-fi metroidvania crafts its guardians as survival puzzles: dodging swarms of projectiles, cracking each entity's mechanic and wielding Axiom's experimental arsenal. The glitch-organic mood, the suffocating tension and patterns that force you to rethink your tools turn every showdown into a test of ingenuity as much as skill.
An underrated gem
The near-solo work of one man, it pushes the interconnected-exploration formula into sick, fascinating territory made of flesh and circuitry. Its arsenal of inventive weapons, and above all its brilliant idea of exploiting glitches as a mechanic, set it radically apart from its models. Lost in a wave of metroidvanias, it never reached the prominence of its more publicized peers. Yet its oppressive atmosphere and authorial ambition still leave a mark. A treat for explorers hungry for unapologetic strangeness.
Is Axiom Verge still worth playing in 2026?
Axiom Verge is a learned tribute to the original metroidvanias, built almost entirely by one person. Its alien world of circuitry and flesh distils an oppressive, singular atmosphere, and its sprawling arsenal teems with inventive weapons. Its signature mechanic, exploiting glitches to cross obstacles, remains a brilliant and rare idea. The map can feel labyrinthine and the pacing uneven, yet the depth of exploration rewards persistence. For genre fans after a demanding, atmospheric auteur work, it keeps every bit of its relevance on Switch, a confident solo achievement that still stands tall today.
