Metroid Fusion is known for being one of the most unique and niche games in the series. With a stronger focus on stealth and horror, story, and combat, along with a more linear progression, Fusion goes against a lot of the series' predefined philosophies. While this direction for the series may not be for everyone, Fusion still gained quite the cult following since it manages to accomplish a lot of its goals incredibly well. The combat and boss encounters are still some of the best the series has seen, the story is actually my personal favorite in the franchise, the setpieces and scares are memorable, and the linear structure makes for a tight and perfectly paced experience. With its rumored sequel left as vaporware and the Metroid series shifting towards 3D before going a long hiatus, there wouldn't been another game quite like Fusion for years. But of course, leave it to the indie devs to scratch that itch and then some.
Iconoclasts is an indie game made by a Swedish developer named Konjak, who had previously been known for the ridiculously bombastic Noitu Love series. Those games were blisteringly fast-paced hour-long run-and-guns, so Iconoclasts being a lengthier, more story-driven, metroidvania was a pretty big jump in scale for Konjak, especially considering that he took most of it on alone. Yeah, this was a solo project, and across what has to have been a grueling seven years of development, Konjak managed to craft a full 10-hour campaign with incredibly detailed and fluid spritework while also making the entire soundtrack himself. How impressive is that? But even beyond the impressive development, what immediately stuck out about Iconoclasts is the fact that unlike many metroidvanias that took inspiration from the typical Super Metroid or Symphony Of The Night, Konjak decided to base Iconoclasts off of the uncharacteristically linear Metroid Fusion instead. Iconoclasts doesn't go full horror like Metroid Fusion does, but it takes a lot of inspiration from its design philosophy. Fusion uses its linear structure to put a stronger emphasis on setpieces and story beats, and in turn, Iconoclasts ups the ante by delivering even more frequent and bombastic setpieces not unlike those in the Noitu Love games and telling an even more developed story within its tightly-knit metroidvania world. Obviously, I do not mean to diss Super Metroid and games inspired by it since that's also one of my favorite games ever and even higher up on my list, but by taking inspiration by a more unconventional metroidvania instead while adding its own flare, Iconoclasts is able to really differentiate itself as a unique entry in the genre.
In Iconoclasts, you play as a mechanic named Robin. She mostly controls like a standard 2D Metroid game, but one of the things that really helps it stand out is how it handles the weapon types. You have a standard gun as you'd expect, and it feels great to use, but you progressively get two other guns with their own unique purposes. The roller bomb gun is fine enough and used for some neat puzzles, but the coolest gun is the Usurper Gun which you can use to swap places with enemies. It's a super creative weapon that's a blast to use. On top of the gun, you also have a wrench you can use, not unlike that in Ratchet & Clank but even more versatile. The wrench can be used as a light melee attack, but it'll primarily be used for puzzle-solving from turning cranks to open gates and move platformers, to latching onto a zip-line and riding it around, to cracking open a boss's weakspot. You can even use it to parry projectiles. While gunplay is also fun, the wrench really is the heart of Iconoclasts' gamepaly and it's not only utilized super well but just simply feels great to use, with a great sense of weight to it.
But while the moveset is great, what really makes Iconoclasts such a blast is how much it's willing to change up what you're doing. This game is blisteringly fast in its pacing and constantly tosses new, unique setpieces at you. This is entirely intentional as Konjak claims he didn't want it to ever feel like the action got interrupted, and yeah, he definitely accomplished that. From a variety of fun minigames like sorting items with an elevator, to an exhilarating train sequence, to one of my favorite water levels in any game, to a horror-tinged darkened cave, there's a lot of memorable moments here, but two in particular really stuck out to me. First off, there's the fact that at certain points, control gets passed off to someone other than Robin, like the shotgun-toting pirate Mina or the swordsman Elro. Then, there's The Tower, a pretty divisive part of the game. This is when you get essentially tossed in jail and striped of many of your weapons, so you have to solve your way out. It's the one point the game slows down a bit, and The Tower as a location feels more like a Zelda dungeon where you have to methodically use elevators to get around. Personally, this was one of my favorite parts of the game. It's a great change of pace, one of the most effective puzzles in the game, and does an incredible job at putting you on the defensive, coming the closest to capturing the atmosphere of Metroid Fusion. All of these setpieces that vary in intensity and gameplay styles really show off just how versatile Iconoclasts is as a game, but The Tower in particular managing to pull off slowing down the pacing for a bit without it feeling like a low point of the game is incredibly impressive.
The highlight of Iconoclasts has to be the bosses though, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise if you've played Noitu Love, which is a borderline boss rush. Iconoclasts packs in a whopping 25 bosses in the whole game, and they are pretty much all an absolute blast to fight. They run the gamut from giant mechanical monsters, to smaller more personal fights with people your size. The bosses are also super creative too, rarely ever requiring you to use the same tactics on them, so let me run through some of the highlights. Inti separates Robin and Mina with a gate, so you have to repeatedly swap between the two to take it out. Carver is a giant worm that chases you around in circles, and you need to link your wrench to a line circling the arena to evade it. The Silver Watchmen are brutal samurais that you have to be at the top of your game to fight, but the best one is easily the one that hops on your elevator and starts trying to stab you from the roof. Omega Controller is a giant spinning sawblade that causes reality to warp while you're fighting it. Ash has the game go full Metal Gear Solid as you need to outwit him in a stealth-off. Mother's Corners has you fight two super fast ninjas at the same time whose moves perfectly play off each other. And of course, Agent Black is a super emotional and climactic fight with some of the most heartwrenching music in a video game and... Oh, wait, I haven't talked about the story yet, have I?
Iconclasts's story is another highlight of the game, it's a great balance of plot-driven dystopia and character motivation-driven drama. The main premise is that Robin lives in a corrupt theocracy where a religious power called the One Concern controls not just what everyone does, but the planet's lifeblood itself. For the horrible crime of helping people and fixing stuff without a license, Robin gets arrested and decides to fight back against One Concern with a crew of, wait for it, iconoclasts. Plot-wise, it's a good setup that's explored really well. The vast majority of NPCs are unwilling to help Robin or even jerkish towards her because of their fear of One Concern, the world of Iconoclasts feels believably awful to live in. The themes of distrusting higher powers is not only one that resonates with me purposefully, but it's similarly explored well especially with a pretty tragically hilarious final boss twist. But what really makes Iconoclasts's story so great is the character work. At its core, Iconoclasts is a game built around motivations. Every single character has their own unique goal which they proceed to act on throughout the game. Robin has the simplest goal, she doesn't want to be labeled a heretic and needs a nap. Mina is Robin's sidekick and the best character in the game, a hilariously snarky pirate who's trying to rebel against multiple religions at the cost of being way too headstrong and prickly. Elro's family died and he desperately spends the game trying to protect Robin, but only keeps making things worse because he refuses to give her autonomy. Royal is a prideful brat who wants claims he's supposed to be the future leader of One Concern, but similarly makes things worse for himself culminating in a pretty crushing end to his arc. And of course, there's Agent Black, wracked with grief and anger towards Robin and Elro to the point where she will stop at nothing to take everything from them. This leads to that aforementioned boss fight, where you need to literally pry the rocket you're supposed to use to save the world from her cold, dead hands. It's a truly emotionally raw sequence, up there with what happens to Royal. Not everyone gets a happy ending in Iconoclasts, but they all get an ending worthy of their character, and the way their decisions and motivations drive every facet of the plot is really what elevates the story.
Back to the lighthearted stuff, Iconoclasts looks freaking amazing. The spritework in this game is clean, detailed, fluid, and incredibly charming. The bosses are massive and intricate, the weapons you wield pack so much punch to them, the colors and bright and pop, and the character sprites are just simply adorable, particularly that of Robin. There's so many little nuances in the animation, so many character expressions. My favorite detail is that Robin's bouncy idle animation stops after a certain traumatic event in the story, there really is a lot of thought put into how everything looks. As I previously said, Konjak made all of the spritework himself and considering the sheer quality and polish on display here, that is incredibly impressive. I also said that Konjak made the music himself and, as you'd probably expect, it's pretty great too. There's a unique blend of chiptune and synths that fit Iconoclasts' dark futuristic world really well. The boss themes hit and the area themes are catchy and atmospheric, but the real highlight is the theme that plays during the Agent Black fight, Moonlight, which is far and away the best track in the game. It's sweeping, climactic, emotional, powerful, it's probably one of my favorite tracks in a video game, and it'll likely always be the thing I associate Iconoclasts with most. It also took me five years to realize it was a re-imagining of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata which only makes it better.
Overall, Iconoclasts feels like the absolute best thing you could want from an indie game. It's a game that feels like a product of someone's unique vision, blending their unique influences with their own unique original ideas making for a final product that's really unlike anything else I've played. The structure of Metroid Fusion, the gameplay of Ratchet & Clank, the pacing and bosses of a Treasure game, and an emotional and thematically fascinating story combine to create something entirely new. Iconclasts is both a blast to play and an absolute marvel on a presentation level, it was one of those games that I couldn't help but blaze through when I first got it because I was just so engrossed in it and its world. And five years later, it's still a game that I just can't stop thinking about.
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