Xboxaddict.com Article
Infernax Preview
by Adam Dileva
Berzerk Studio and The Arcade Crew were kind enough to let us get our hands on an early PC build of Infernax, an 8-bit adventure that fans of classic NES Castlevania and Zelda II should quite enjoy. I’ll admit, not being a very big Castlevania fan, I didn’t think I was going to enjoy Infernax as much as I did, and I can admit when I was wrong and pre-judged it. While this was an early PC build, I did play with an Xbox controller, which felt immensely better than the awkward keyboard controls, and since it’s due to release on console this Valentine’s day, we figured what better way to get an early look.
While some modern games try and nail the classic 8-bit visual aesthetic, Infernax does this perfectly, but also captures that ‘feeling’ of being a classic game you remember playing growing up with, if you're aorund my age of course. Developers, Berzerk Studio, stated they wanted to create a game that looked and felt like a genuine NES game from the era, from what made them captivating, challenging, yet added some modern mechanics and design choices that I would argue makes for a better experience overall.
While some NES titles from ‘back in the day’ did have some blood, it was generally quite tame. Infernax changes this, adding more blood and gore, but in a way that makes logical sense. For example, finally defeating a massive boss and his guts will spray all over, leaving the hero covered in it. Small details like this are awesome to see for having that classic aesthetic. This early preview build covered the first half hour of the game or so, ending when we defeated the first dungeon boss, and we really enjoyed what we got to see and play to that point.
Set in the Crusades era, a knight returns to his homeland only to find it overrun with monsters, ghouls, beasts and dark magic. From the sounds of it, there’s going to be an interesting overarching storyline, but given that the demo we had access to was only the first half hour, obviously we won’t see the outcome of the choices you make and monsters defeated, but it sure gave us a great tease.
With numerous dungeons, multi-endings and a leveling system in place, Infernax looks like it’s going to be a fun title for those that crave that classic Castlevania style of gameplay. One of the first events that take place after arriving by boat is you having to make a choice. You encounter someone that looks like something bad has happened to them, asking you to kill them and put him out of his misery. Do you abide by his request or Pray and hope that he’ll be fine. There’s consequences for your choice, one that ends up in a mini-boss fight basically from the start of the game, setting the tone going forward.
As you explore the lands, you’re notalways quite sure where you’re supposed to do, as there can be branching paths. Sometimes these will bring you to secret or inaccessible areas, meaning you’ll need to come back later at some point, most likely with some upgrade or ability. You’ll come across towns where you can spend your hard earn gold dropped by enemies to purchase armor, health, potions and more.
It appears Infernax will also have sidequests, one I wasn’t able to complete due to not having a certain item or skill to bypass a large wall blocking my path, so that’s exciting that it’s going to be more than a simple linear experience. With dungeons to explore, and plenty of enemies to bash, Infernax looks like it’s going to satisfy those Castlevania cravings.
Given that I’ve never been much of a Castlevania fan, blasphemy I know, I didn’t think I would enjoy Infernax’ combat as much as I did. Sure, it’s basic just like back in the NES era, swinging your mace in front of you, but it feels very smooth and precise. I did have frustrations when trying to play with just the keyboard, but with a controller it felt just right, which is probably why it suggested playing with a controller in the opening.
Simple and tight controls made combat great, attacking with a single button, jumping and being able to use an item or magic with others, it’s as basic as it gets. With a handful of different enemies, you’ll need to approach each one with a different strategy. Zombies for example simply walk towards you slowly, floating eyes come at you at weird angles and a handful of other enemies in the demo all required a different approach.
While your mace simply extends out slightly in front of you, you also have a shield that can block some attacks. This is done simply by doing nothing and not moving. Not all attacks can be blocked but knowing which ones can will make a world of difference, especially when it comes to skeletons lobbing lances or throwing axes in your direction.
When you die, and you will, there’s an interesting option given to you, asking if you’d like a Casual or Hardcore restart. Casual allows you to begin in the room you died in with all your gathered XP and gold up to that point, where Hardcore brings you back to the last shrine you prayed and saved at, but if you choose Casual, Hardcore will no longer be an option. I really appreciated this option and should appease both types of fans.
The shrines you pray at also are where you’ll spend your accumulated XP you’ve gained from defeating monsters, like a currency. Here you can purchase upgrades to your damage, health or mana, allowing you to customize your character to suit your play style. I tried one run with all damage upgrades, and another with magic upgrades. Both were viable, it just depends on what you prefer.
I grew up with the NES era, so of course I have a soft spot when it comes to 8-bit nostalgia with games like Infernax. The retro pixel artwork is done wonderfully, as are the smaller details with enemy design, blood and gore, and the massive bosses. The death animations when you do die are fantastic as well and worth a mention. The audio has that classic retro chiptune style to it as well with a great soundtrack and some ‘oomph’ to your attacks and hits.
Set to launch on Valentine’s Day, Infernax impressed me with its Castlevania and Zelda II inspired gameplay and I’m actually excited to see how the gameplay is going to improve and evolve in the final version, which is substantial considering I’m not usually a fan of the genre. You won me over with the early version Infernax, I hope the release is even better. It's going to be a bloody good Valentine's.
**Infernax was provided by the publisher as early access via Steam and reviewed on PC with an Xbox Series X controller**
