I am very drawn to games by the feelings they evoke in me visually. Yes, I’m obsessed with nostalgia, but there’s a lot of great classic games. And I just find the style of both pixelated and sprite based art to be very impressive. The sheer amount of effort put into make those living and breathing characters is astounding. As such, I had heard of Alwa’s Awakening, even though I hadn’t played it. Thanks to the Steam queue, I often run across titles like that. I probably hadn’t yet played it cause that was more of a puzzle platformer. But the good news is, developer Elden Pixels has crowdfunded a Metroidvania sequel called Alwa’s Legacy.
Set as a successor to Awakening, Alwa’s Legacy is nevertheless a standalone title set in the same world. You play a young mage who must use her magical skills to fight off a mysterious curse. Better yet, you can choose how you play the game, either focusing on offense, defense or exploration abilities. As a huge fan of the Metroidvania genre, I’m quite excited by the sound of it, even without having played the first game.
If you’re interested in 16-bit tributes to the past, you can check out Alwa’s Legacy on Steam and GOG as soon as June 17th. To read more details about the game, just check out the press release below.
Alwa’s Legacy begins! Arriving on
June 17th to Steam & GOG
A modern take on a classic adventure
Gothenburg, Sweden – June 8th, 2020 – Indie developer Elden Pixels has announced that Alwa’s Legacy, the successor to the critically acclaimed 8-bit inspired platformer Alwa’s Awakening, is launching on Steam & GOG on June 17th for £13.99 / $17.99 / €14.99; with the Nintendo Switch launch soon to follow.
After saving the land of Alwa following the events of the first game, Zoe is about to embark on her quest home. However, upon waking up she finds herself at the beginning of her adventure with the world feeling disparate yet familiar. In order to return home, she will need to help the inhabitants of this mysterious land and save it yet again from the mysterious curse it appears to be under.
Using Zoe’s magic staff, players must negotiate the land of Alwa to solve perilous puzzles and fend off monsters. New items and a character upgrade system allows you to craft your individual playstyle, centred on an offensive, defensive or explorative skillset. Using magical upgrades, novel pathways can be found as you explore the nonlinear interconnected world by summoning blocks to climb on, bubbles to bounce off of, and lightning bolts to attack with. Quick reflexes are needed to traverse challenging rooms while avoiding booby traps and pitfalls. Along this adventure, you will meet all manner of interesting characters, comb through dangerous dungeons, and uncover incredible secrets as you attempt to save the land from extinction.
Alwa’s Legacy honours the past with it’s thoroughly contemporary take on the metroidvania genre – full of puzzles to solve, dungeons to explore, magical items to acquire and ancient secrets to discover. Varnished with it’s 16-bit inspired visuals, mixing classical pixel art aesthetics with new visual flourishes such as a realistic lighting system and modern game design principles, Alwa’s Legacy offers a timeless play experience.
This is Elden Pixels’ second game after their homage to classic 8-bit platforming adventures, Alwa’s Awakening, which received rave reviews from the likes of Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Nintendo World Report, and Nintendo Enthusiast. Fans were so enthused by it that Alwa’s Legacy was funded on Kickstarter with 924 backers offering SEK 250,000 to see its production come to fruition. Though set in the same world with the same protagonist, Alwa’s Legacy is not a direct sequel to Alwa’s Awakening, but rather a standalone experience which can be enjoyed separately.
“The decision to go full time into game development to make a sequel to Alwa’s Awakening has been very satisfying. Alwa’s Legacy is the great game we’ve always wanted to make with it’s diverse skill tree, expansive level design and gorgeous 16-bit style graphics,” said Mikael Forslind, Game Designer for Elden Pixels. “We’ve put everything into making Alwa’s Legacy the best it can be. We can’t wait for the fans to get their hands on it after all their support.”
