Valfaris Review – A heavy metal 2D platformer

Valfaris is a heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer created by Steel Mantis Games, and you can tell it’s similar to their previous work, Slain: Back From Hell. In the words of its creators, Andew Gilmour and Thomas Jenns:

Incinerate your soul in the unholy fire emanating from the Steel Mantis games-forge. Death awaits those who dare to disturb our slumber.

Fitting for the games this studio are pumping out. Valfaris looks and sounds absolutely brilliant, perfectly fitting to Steel Mantis and their design philosophy, but it’s let down in gameplay and controls when the going gets tough. In this Valfaris review (played on PS4), also available on Switch we examine just how well the formula works.

Valfaris follows a fairly simple pattern of these modern 2D platformers, akin to Dead Cells. Each level sees you pushing through a wealth of meat shield enemies, rewarding you with massive, screen-covering menaces when you reach the end of a level. It’s difficult, but not impossibly so, as the liberal checkpoints throughout the game ease the difficulty to the point I believe most people could get through, albeit requiring a healthy dose of determination. It’s relatively unique in that it uses a cardinal direction input. This means the player can only point in an 8-axis way, like games of old. To me, this proved to be the most frustrating part of Valfaris, in a game that I want nothing more than to adore, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cause a couple of moments of rage when I just couldn’t hit that spot on the boss I so desired.

The story of Valfaris takes places mainly between the games protagonist, Therion, and his AI companion, Hekate. At the end of each section, there’s usually a little chat between the two, providing a backdrop on the grotesque, undead abominations you must slaughter your way through. You’re on a mission to rescue your Father and find out -why- you find yourself squelching through this hellscape of rot. It’s suitably simple for the genre, but works well in its thrusting forward towards that main goal – glorious metal soundtrack accompanying. Sections of dialogue between characters are appropriate in kind, as metal as can be and fitting in the grim-dark world of Valfaris.

With a surprisingly innovate take, Valfaris has a couple of gameplay innovations I really enjoyed. Firstly, the game has a unique take on checkpoints. You make your own, but, with a drawback. As you progress, you collect items known as ‘resurrection idols’, these items can be used to increase your health, or get you upgrade materials. The caveat, is these are also what you use to give yourself checkpoints. It’s a constant balance between ‘do I save’, or, ‘do I push on and get stronger, with risk’. I found myself wanting to make a checkpoint after each monstrosity of a boss, but at the same time feeling like I had somehow ‘failed’ for doing so, and knowing I’d be weaker than I could be later. This was -not- something I’m used to in a game, and as a fan of anything gritty and difficult, this was something I majorly enjoyed. If I had to choose the one thing I enjoyed the most in Valfaris, it would be the resurrection idol system, and the constant risk/reward balance it made me feel.

If I had to choose the one thing I enjoyed the most in Valfaris, it would be the resurrection idol system, and the constant risk/reward balance it made me feel.

Besides just health, there’s an energy meter that’s used up when you take damage with your shield, or when you use large weapons. This is mostly refilled by picking up items. What’s interesting here – is the shield can be used to deflect projectiles or parry enemies, something I’m a major fan of (thanks Dark Souls). Some enemies even require you to do this, so you can make them vulnerable for an attack. The timing is surprisingly forgiving, once you’ve got the hang of it, much more forgiving than most games with a similar technique, perhaps due to it being needed for certain creatures.

Valfaris will take the fairly competent player under ten hours to complete, unless you find yourself hitting a roadblock, a boss you just can’t quite get past, or some other metal-infused menace. When NG+ is released, a mode called Full Metal, this length may increase considerably, but as of now, there’s no reason for me to want to pick up and play the game further, asides from marveling at its graphical glory or incredible score.

Valfaris is exactly the type of Indie game I like, blaring, boisterous, and utterly proud of what it is. It succeeds in every area that it tries, minus some particularly irritating complaints about controls. Regardless, I love Valfaris for what it is, and hope Steel Mantis games continue to improve and create what they’re good at.

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