Infernax is an Amazing Action RPG

Infernax is an action-RPG that is everything I would have wanted from a modern remake of Castlevania II. It has many similarities with the Castlevania games, and I really like the cutscenes and graphics. It is a wonderful game, and I like that they added an option for another playable character.

There is a level of frustration in this game that keeps me playing. It is like many of the other Castlevania games, where I enjoy it, but I’m also frustrated by it. I love that indie developers make games like this that feel like they took a retro game and improved on it.

This game feels like it took many of the things I liked about games like Simon’s Quest and Castlevania: Bloodlines and improved on them. It is a very fun game that is very challenging. I love the graphics, setting, and gameplay.  

TLDR: Beautiful Graphics and Great Gameplay.

Narrative

I really like the setup of this story. It feels like either an abandoned Castlevania story or one of the games trying to emulate that style. It is much better than many of the games that try to do this, and I love the game’s fantasy setting, where you can get magic, but it isn’t ridiculously overpowered.

You play as a Duke, and/or his squire, depending on the mode you choose, who is returning from the crusades. Upon returning home, you encounter demons, monsters, and other horrors. By talking to the townsfolk, you’ll get quests and ultimately find out what you’re supposed to be doing.

As you explore the game, you’ll come across several towns, camps, or hermits who will give you tasks to perform. These are your quests, and by completing them, you’ll make things a little better for the people in the game. You’ll also see changes to the world, which is something I enjoy.

There is something else going on here, and it is up to you to try and piece things together. A group of cultists has spent a year sealing a castle in the main character’s homeland. You have to defeat several monsters, navigate a few castles, and destroy five gems to fight the final boss.

This is a Dark Fantasy story where everything has gone to hell. It is a bleak world, and everything is up to the main character to set things right. I like the story, even if it is a little generic for this genre.

Gameplay

Infernax feels like a combination of Symphony of the Night and Simon’s Quest. It is a side-scrolling action-RPG where you’re trying to cleanse the land of evil. The game has a lot going for it, and it is one of the better Metroidvania, or whatever you want to call this genre of games, that I’ve played.

On the surface, this game feels like a regular side-scrolling action RPG. It has good controls, you get a few spells, and there are save points where you can level up your character. What I like about the game is how good the gameplay is.

Occasionally, you’ll have side quests to do. These will give you more experience, items, or spells. It is a cool way to get the player to explore the game’s map, and it gives you something to do while you’re trying to level up for the final boss fight.

There are a few spots where you have to decide on what to do. I’m guessing that this has to do with a “good” and “bad” ending. Sometimes these result in a boss fight, and other times they end with people leaving an area. It is a cool addition to this type of game.

I’ll go over this more in the next section, but I like how they do the day-night cycle in this game. Enemies are stronger at night, but you also see different enemies, which is a nice way of explaining why these enemies are stronger. You get little cutscenes that show the sun rising or the moon coming out from behind clouds, which is better than Castlevania II’s text box.

There are five gems that you need to destroy so you can enter the final castle. I like the way this is done, but I wish some of the clues were better than they are. This has more to do with me not being able to find the clues, but I wanted to mention it anyway.

If there was a weak point in the gameplay, I would say it is the platforming. I wasn’t sure if it was my fault or if things felt a little stiff. Things simply didn’t feel as good as other games in this genre.

Overall, I like the gameplay quite a bit. It is a fun Metroidvania, and I love this take on a Dark Fantasy story. It is a fun game to explore, and while it can be a little frustrating, there is enough challenge to make you want to keep playing.

Visuals

I love everything about the graphics in this game. It looks like the developers were trying to create something close to what the NES and SNES games looked like, but with the detail you only get from a modern pixel art game.

The day and night cycle looks very cool! The game goes from being bright and colorful to dark and threatening. It was already a dark setting, but when night falls, things get really creepy. Things look very cool!

The background graphics reinforce that a lot has been going on in this land during the main character’s time with the crusades. You’ll see impaled bodies, ruined buildings, and corpses all over the place.

What I really like is that you’ll encounter guards fighting out in the country and in the castles. It gives you the impression that you’re not alone, but that the average person is mostly powerless against these enemies. You’ll also see tangible results of what you’re doing in the game.

When you complete a quest, you’ll see some of the townsfolk repairing buildings outside of town. It is a nice touch that lets you know that you’re making a difference. Most games don’t do stuff like this, but I really like it.

The backgrounds look great. This is a fun place to walk around in. It is also cool to see the environment change as you move into a different area.

Overall, I love the graphics in Infernax! Modern pixel art looks so good, and this is a great example of how it looks modern, but also has some things that call back to the era of video games that this game was inspired by.  

8.5/10. This is such a fun game. I love the graphics and gameplay. The story is a little weak, but I really love it.

Pros

• Beautiful Graphics
• Decent Story
• Fun Gameplay

Cons

• Controls feel a little weird
• A lot of backtracking

Conclusion

I don’t normally like Metroidvania games. It is a genre of video games that feels like I should like, but they aren’t always fun for me. Infernax feels different in several ways, and I think it has to do with the similarities to some retro games that I like.

Simon’s Quest is one of those retro games that I enjoy more than the internet tells me I should. Infernax plays like a natural evolution of Simon’s Quest, where the developers cleaned up the gameplay and made the story better. It is one of those challenging games that I really enjoy.

It has been a few years since this game was released. I’ve played it a couple of times since then, and I get a little further each time. There are some annoying parts to the game, but it never felt impossible.

If you liked this post, please check out my other posts, such as Simon’s Quest or My Favorite Indie Games so far.