Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Jan 12, 2022

  Aggelos just barley skims by with a positive. its a fun little zelda2 clone but i had a few issues with the gameplay for me to give it a solid thumbs up. first off the map sucks. it does not show anything useful and there is no metrovania map system. this makes backtraking a pain. second most of the game is easy until some late game areas where they just filled them with enemies and projectiles but are manageable. 2 of the bosses had a bit of a difficulty spike but then later ones felt easy. i'm not sure if it was level and/or gear but the squid was rather hard but doable if played defensively. the next boss i felt was a bit much. it was a dragon that takes up 1/3rd of the screen, with you on platforms over lava and his last phase has to much unavoidable damage. the final boss does something similar but instead of taking up the screen with a giant hit box it just fills the screen with clutter. third with how many magic puzzles they have they should have given you more than 6mp (all spells use 1mp) or have some type of fast regain during puzzle parts. it's not perfect but Aggelos was still fun. it also didnt have 1 hit spikes and had no death pitfalls. 6/10
• gamedeal user

  May 4, 2022

  Game is fun, Monster World/Wonder Boy like gameplay. BEWARE **Controller issues!** NO D-PAD with NS-Magic for NSwitch adapter in Green (xbox) mode. Use XPadder (paid) or other joy to keyboard software to mitigate that. OR Use the adapter in light-blue or white mode. Prettu sure, almost any Xinput controller will freak out.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 25, 2022

  The dev team said they were working on D-pad support 4 years ago. Still, there is none. It doesn't matter at all if the content of the game is good, and I couldn't tell you if it is. Playing retro run and jump platformers without D-pad support is a garbage experience. There are too many incredibly good games in the genre you could play instead.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 12, 2022

  Although I like the style of game I cannot give it a good review since the style of game is an action platformer with horrible controls due to keyboard controls not being configuable and controller controls being absolute ass when it comes to the movement due to the fact it is bound to a analog stick rather then a D-Pad which this game should be default to. If it weren't for those facts I could have fully recommended this game because the game has a decent story and good music, yet controls are where this game majorly lacks.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 4, 2023

  Two words: TRASH CONTROLS. Trash controller support. D-PAD DOES NOT WORK, on a 2D platforming game!?!? Trash keyboard customization (or lack thereof). This is the by the book way to ruin an otherwise decent game. Sure it starts playable enough even though I'm forced to use analog stick. Then eventually you will reach frustrating rooms designed to make you waste time with floaty controls on tight platforming challenges. Devs have commented on the D-Pad issue that they would try to fix it. This message was posted in 2018 and yet D-Pad doesn't work in year 2023. Be warned.
• gamedeal user

  May 20, 2023

  I really wanted to like this game but unfortunately there are just so many other games in this genre that are better and more worth your money. The graphics are cute and it has most of the standard metroidvania bells and whistles. I like the design of the world and the enemies and the bosses are good. They have patterns but they dont repeat exactly and that makes for more challenging boss fights than in some other new metroidvanias. The game is rather short for a modern metroidvania but i guess that could be put down to the "retro" tag. What can not be put down to the retro tag is the lack of native dpad support. That is an unforgivable offense when it comes to games like these. Yes you can reconfigure the controls in steam but even reconfigured for usng dpad the controls are just not accurate enough for some of the more challenging plattfroming wich makes it more about luck and frustration than skill at some points (the trials!). At times the save spot locations are horrible too making you go a long way past alot of enemies to get to a difficult boss. Doing this 5-10 times is extremely frustrating. All in all I did enjoy parts of my playthrough but the modern metroidvania scene is just flooded with better games than this, unfortunately. Try Shovel Knight or Cathedral if you want a retro looking game or even dig up Cave Story.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 20, 2018

  disabled comments so little kids will stop whining to me over my opinions :) sorry! Full Controller support!...Except none of my controllers worked, and those that DID get one to work, the D-Pad does NOT work. I ended using JOY2KEY to even play this, there's no way a keyboard would feel comfortable given the controls. Anywho - Gamebreakdown : Ever play Legend of Zelda 2? That's all you need to know here. The page says WonderBoy and the like, but yeah - This is Zelda 2 through-and-through. You don't have an overworld map ( That I've seen yet, anyways ) everything is handled in side-scrolling, vertical fashion. You have a sword, you can jump. You can buy armor to reduce damage, and swords to deal more damage ( which might not help in all situations, more on that in a bit ) You learn moves ( Like a Downward stab I'm sure you saw in the trailer vids ) You gain magic that is used in situations ala Metroidvania, such as turning enemies into platforms. You also can use items to heal and whatnot, inculding " herbs" which restore your health to max if you die. Also, you can save the game at glowing stone thingies ( that kinda look like the end-temple stone slots in Zelda 2 ) lol So the magic, is kinda...bad. In a way ^ Why is the magic bad? Because, to start you only have 3 uses. You can restore magic use by hitting enemies, [b] not by killing them[/b] so - if you have a more powerful sword, you will gain much less chances to refill magic. And that is a drag, because some rooms required perfection in using the magic to advance to a treasure chest. ( of which didn't have anything useful imo ) I was runnign out of uses, with nothign to hit, so I'd have to fall down, leave the screen, come back - and then try again. I like what I see so far, but I cannot stress enough how annoying the controller support is here. I have a DS4 and an XBOXONE controller, neither worked. Also worth mentioning this is a clickteam fusion game - so if that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, I totally get you. It's not the most ideal game engine. ( And I suspect is reasoning for the controller support being iffy - fusion games tend to have issues with USB things plugged in , causing rapid frame rate loss ) Also... I don't think it's fair to call this 16-bit, it clearly uses NES color palettes on anything that is a common enemy, or background, etc. It's not 8-bit per say, but it is most certaintly not 16-bit ; at least not all-around , as some effects are high-bit, while most everythign else is decidedly in the realm of NES graphics. They referenced Wonderboy, which is a game on the original Sega system : The Master System ( 8-bit ) Personally, I would change the store page to say " retro graphics ", Not a huge deal, though. I mean, you can see the game in trailers and decide for yourself if you enjoy the look. Back to Zelda 2 - it is QUITE a bit like Zelda 2, so much so that my GF asked me If i was playing a ROM hack of the game ( This was when I got to the First Temple ) The look is same-y, and she said the music is borderline-infringearenos to the temple theme in the NES classic game, not literally the same, but really close. Again, I would cite that game as a reference point to anyone looking at it, and wondering wth Wonderboy is. There are bosses ( I wasn't particulalry challenged by, but it is still early game ) All in all, I enjoy it so far. If I think of anything else worth mentioning, I'll add it to the bottom.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 24, 2018

  Aggelos is a very solid platformer. Like its description says, it feels heavily influenced by Wonder Boy, but with smoother combat and some modern tweeks like generous checkpointing and a hint NPC for if you get stuck. Aesthetically, it looks great and the soundtrack is extremely catchy. There are plenty of secrets and other forms of optional content for those looking to get 100% completion and the difficulty in general becomes noticeably higher after the second temple. My main complaint is the one several other reviews mentioned - the controller support could use some work. I couldn't use the D-Pad on my PS3 controller with Aggelos and relying on the analog stick occasionally led to accidentally downstabbing in the air and it was difficult to reliably use the third scroll's ability. On a more minor note, I noticed a few spelling errors in the game, especially during the ending with lines like "an exemple" and "for you bravery". That being said, neither of these issues were remotely dealbreakers for me and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Aggelos. I would definitely recommend it to any fans of sidescrolling action RPG's!
• gamedeal user

  Sep 3, 2018

  Decent game overall, but it lacks polish and the controls can be off at times. The lack of D-Pad support also kills a few areas of the game. I appreciate that they added some tough platforming in the optional areas, but it was more frustrating than fun. If you're looking for a good Metroidvania, and have a lot of nostaliga for the Genesis era check it out!
• gamedeal user

  Sep 23, 2018

  [h1] The Metroidvania Review[/h1] [url=https://metroidvaniareview.com/2018/09/22/aggelos/] Scored Summary[/url] | | [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/30503887/] Subscribe to our Curator [/url] [b]How Metroidvania is it?[/b] High Fit – Not a very detailed map, and some of the [i]feel[/i] is more like a Zelda game, but besides that it fits mold well. [url= https://steamcommunity.com/groups/MetroidvaniaReview/discussions/1/1735465524711164043/] Want to hear a different opinion, or want to share your own review? Check out our Forum here.[/url] [h1]Full Review[/h1] Nostalgia is a powerful commodity in the gaming industry these days, and it’s something that indie developers often try to tap into. The most successful projects are crafted by tricky illusionists, those that recognize that there’s a difference between what we remember and reality. Capturing that memory without capturing the archaic – and often unfair – mechanics is what the best projects achieve. [i]Aggelos[/i] should be counted among the best nostalgic game projects. [i]Aggelos[/i] is very reminiscent of [i]Zelda II: The Adventure of Link[/i]; early on you get a down stab ability, and you access four dungeons that play music very similar to the temple music from that old NES title. However your attack comes out instantly, covers a wide range in front of you, and you have a ducking slash that can be used to protect yourself from aerial attackers. These basic abilities are in contrast to the weaknesses that Link had in [i]Zelda II[/i]. It all controls perfectly – though you may need to use Joy2Key or Steam’s custom controller options to get the buttons exactly the way you want it. The dungeon design is also far closer to post [i]A Link to the Past[/i] Zelda dungeons than it is to the original two NES Zelda games. With the exception of your starting abilities, every attack or technique in [i]Aggelos[/i] has a dual purpose. A spell that can be used as an arcing ranged attack can also turn enemies into platforms, the float ability can also be used as a defensive bubble, and even the obligatory double jump is combined with an upward slashing attack. It’s a very Nintendo-like approach to game design that adds some much needed complexity to the combat, and leads to some very fun puzzles. These dungeon puzzles are really what set [i]Aggelos[/i] apart from other Metroidvania titles. It’s not just about tight combat controls, which [i]Aggelos[/i] does great but not as well as other games like [i]Momodora 4[/i] or [i]Hollow Knight[/i]. Similar to the dual purpose power design, the game offers a dual challenge of solving riddles and defeating difficult bosses. [i]Aggelos[/i] has a leveling system so you could technically grind your way to victory, but everything is designed well enough that reflex or pattern memorization can optionally eliminate the need to power up. Death is also very generous – you keep any items you found and any gold you obtained rather than starting over from your last save. You do lose some experience points toward the next level, but later on you can expend cash for xp anyway, which also has the benefit keeping the gold relevant long after you’ve purchased all the best equipment. The game ramps up in difficulty at about the same time enemies drop enough gold to make potions a drop in the hat to purchase. The challenges are very well paced and accommodate a high number of player experience levels – and there’s even a recently patched in hard mode for those who want a little more as well. A lot of the puzzles outside the main dungeons involve running errands for NPCs, but thanks to a generous teleportation system it never feels like a drag to perform the tasks. On the contrary the NPCs are colorful enough (though still as flat as any NES NPC) that it’s about as fun and entertaining to do the quests as it was to do the Trading Game in [i]Link’s Awakening[/i]. I also enjoyed how the game occasionally played on old NES presentation tropes to subvert expectations. With all of these “improvements” over oldschool game design, you’re able to easily enjoy the deeply imaginative game world of [i]Aggelos[/i]. It captures a rare nostalgic feeling of adventure with a dash of camp and hope. Thanks to its expert design, its offerings will melt away before you, making you want more but leaving you completely satisfied with what you had. I really enjoyed [i]Aggelos[/i], and it's easily one of my favorite games of 2018. 4.5 out of 5