LogFAQs > #972257896

Aeterna Noctis (PC)
Hell yeah.

I don't know if this is the most difficult game I've ever played, but at the very least, it's in the conversation. Aeterna Noctis bills itself as a Metroidvania, and while that's definitely true, it's very much a precision platformer first and foremost. I've seen a fair number of people refer to it as what a whole game of Hollow Knight Path of Pain would look like, but having not played HK I can't comment on how accurate that is.

The game is incredibly well designed. The mobility options you acquire throughout are fun and responsive, and they all get mixed and matched in creative ways so you never feel like you're doing anything too repetitive. Hitboxes, with a couple of occasional exceptions, are clear enough that you'll rarely if ever feel like a death wasn't your fault. I had a very consistent feeling of satisfaction for my entire playthrough - oftentimes I'd be incredulous at what a particular area was expecting me to do only to find that I was actually equipped to handle it pretty well.

Combat with regular enemies is... Okay. Probably the weakest aspect of the game. Not bad, just sometimes an unwelcome distraction from the platforming. The bosses, though, are as great as one would hope for in a game of this type. There's a solid difficulty curve as you progress and get more used to all the options you have available; the first couple bosses only took me two or three attempts, but I spent a solid hour and a half on the penultimate fight and a good two-plus hours on the final one, so the final blows on those two were accompanied by some triumphant fist-pumping. Apparently one or two of the optional bosses are even tougher, as they should be.

I just don't have many bad things to say about this game. The artwork is gorgeous - I've seen some complaints that it's even a bit too much at times but I never felt that way. The music isn't anything you'll be humming to yourself for days, but it's well composed and excellent at capturing the feel and atmosphere of its respective areas and fights. There's even an upgrade skill tree for people who love those! The lore driving the plot is somewhat derivative, but it goes some places I wasn't expecting and makes for some really cool cinematic moments that make me feel like this could've been an interesting anime in an alternate universe.

A sequel's already been announced and I'm very much looking forward to it. I'm tempted to go and 100% this one but I've just got too many other games I want to play right now. If you like challenges like this, or if you're attracted by the notion that if you open the map at the beginning and try to scroll to the first objective marker you might think the game has frozen because of how long it takes, you should definitely at least check out the free demo.