Valfaris

Valfaris
86
Metacritic
87
Steam
87.927
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$9.99
Release date
10 October 2019
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
87 (1 334 votes)
Recent
50 (20 votes)

Set in a far corner of space, Valfaris is a heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer and the next game from the team behind Unity Awards finalist, Slain: Back From Hell. Brutal combat. Deadly enemies. Stunning pixel art. Savage soundtrack. Get ready to rip the galaxy a new wormhole.

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Valfaris system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8
  • Processor: 1.5 Ghz or faster
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Storage: 500 MB available space

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
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TheTainted_Wisdom
TheTainted_Wisdom

While this isn't a full-on bad game, it has aspects of its design that really drag it down.
Without spoiling, story-wise, basically nothing happens, the entire game could've not occurred and literally nothing would have changed.
Without that, the gameplay has to carry things and it's nowhere near as strong as it needs to be. The weapons are the biggest sticking point for me because they all suffer from the "Halo Syndrome"; making all the weapons overly similar to one-another in a desperate desire to ensure that none of them become too overpowered. (Which doesn't even work in all cases because the default blaster is better then every sidearm you can get in the game after one upgrade.) This is made even worse by the game's strict upgrade system that does nearly everything you could think of to discourage experimentation.

Since weapons can't be changed on the fly, there's no way to test the efficacy of weapons against certain opponents. Since upgrades are an extremely finite resource, it encourages finding one specific weapon and only upgrading that one weapon even though weapons are constantly being introduced, and since they require so many upgrade resources you can't get an accurate comparison because it's hard to gauge the effectivness of a weapon with no upgrades vs. one that's one away from being maxed out. However, again, most of the weapons either suck (short range) or are completely interchangeable which only makes the idea of trying new weapons even LESS enticing.

It's not just the weapons that are the problem though. there are some seriously amateurish design problems that hinder the game on multiple fronts. Going back to the weapons, it took watching someone else play the game to discover that the Shotgun's range was about 2 to 3 times greater than I thought it was because the visual indicator for the weapon when firing does it no favors. I have never ONCE got into combat and thought, "boy, if only I had Wolflight, Energy Flamethrower, Shotgun, Knife, and/or Priest's Touch (or whatever that weapon is called) so that my range could shorter, be forced to wait to do damage over time, and/or actively HURT me!" There are also certain an energy enemy for one of the achievements that can only be shot by certain energy using weapons like the Shotgun because... "Fuck you, that's why!" seems to be the only answer the game is willing to give.

At one point you're told to climb up a tower while the bridge leading to it is out, and after dying like 3 times looking around the barren environment, I discovered that, "OBVIOUSLY," I was supposed to jump onto the dark metal beams near other dark metal beams that were "CLEARLY" background objects, both of which were "CONTRASTED" by a dark background. With the kidney stone on the medical waste sundae being that even though the aforementioned steel beams extended to the bridge, your character wouldn't be able to grab them unless they jumped OFF THE BRIDGE.

I swear a sword enemy started slashing before getting his sword back from a throw animation, there are enemies like it that are invincible to all attacks until you parry theirs which is particularly unforgiving when there are other enemies around given that it's difficult enough to get it done in the first place. You also have to be facing the right direction when blocking which can cause problems if you get too close, and you're completely screwed if you're out of energy for the block. One of the bosses straight-up kills you every single time if you're too close to it and didn't know when/how to get away with it. Bosses in general constantly waiver back and forth in difficulty, with easily one of the hardest bosses in the goddamn game being fought right before/after one of the easiest. And during the final level, it introduces a new environmental traversal asset (some kind of chandelier thing) similar to a previous one, but makes where you have to jump way less conspicuous, which is all the more galling when MINUTES later they introduce some kind of gargoyle face thing that your have to grab on WHICH THEY INDICATE WITH A GLINT OF LIGHT, and can be seen SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE DAMN CHANDELIERS!!!

There's also a room where you have to climb up while bee-things are constantly attacking you, can keep you from grabbing if they hit you in mid-air, spawn nigh incessantly, and CAN SPAWN AND BEGIN AN ATTACK BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN SEE THE PRICKS! And during another instance in the same level, you have to ride flying worm things to get through a hazardous area, I jumped off, took one step and my character decided to GRAB ON AGAIN FOR NO REASON AND GET DRAGGED THROUGH THE SAFETY OF THE PLATFORM INTO INSTANT DEATH! On the list of things in the "Game Design for R##@&@" book of "Don't do this in your game you fucking moron", "Don't make assets the player can unwillingly interact with just by WALKING and DIE because of them, you lobotomized howler monkey" SHOULD BE NEAR THE FUCKING TOP!!! Especially given that they player pretty much EXCLUSIVELY interacts with them by jumping/falling on them!

Even the character itself doesn't feel right, with the character marching around with a gait and stance like he just shit his pants. And it really feels like there should've been a dash move or something akin to the Alucard back step thing from Symphony of the Night.

It's not all terrible though. The soundtrack is good all around, the backgrounds can be pretty epic at times, the game is MOSTLY competently designed so if this game's aesthetic and gameplay appeals to you, you might be able to look past/not even notice the problems I had with it. Me personally? Since I got all the achievements I'm tossing it aside forever.

shutthebox
shutthebox

Bad controls, a bizarre checkpoint design, and nonrandom enemy patterns/placement make for painfully artificial difficulty. Good art, but not good enough to justify repeatedly playing the same thing over and over and over again. Life is too short.

KoolAidManOHHHYA
KoolAidManOHHHYA

criminally underrated and metal AF (as in heavy metal) I love this game.

Lots of boss fights and they are all very fun. bosses have a wide variety from beast to man and even mechanical.

there are many unique biomes in this game giving the game much variety. all around a solid game with lots of weapons to find/unlock and upgrade with a really cool art style.

Sardu1
Sardu1

Very cool followup to "Slain". Game art Reminds me of Heavy Metal and the soundtrack is great. Excellent game.

safetake
safetake

An absolute gem. I actually started head banging when I beat the second to last boss. Hurt my neck, would do again.

VictoriousWon
VictoriousWon

By far the coolest Super Metroid clone I've ever played. This game has a lot of style, between the soundtrack and visual art.
It's a somewhat tough game, particularly the boss battles. Although the weapon upgrades make it a little bit easier.
If you like Super Metroid and Heavy Metal, then by this game.

cyberbillp
cyberbillp

Horrible controls suck the joy out of this game. Every modern game lets you move and shoot independently, or remap them independently) . Not this game. That makes it harder to play, and after 3 hours, I just give up. I can't adapt to aiming and moving with same joystick on my game pad. I have a couple hundred other games that are actually enjoyable. I love everything else about this game, it's cool factor is off the charts. If the game pad situation got fixed, I'd pour an enormous amount of time into it. But for now, just "no".

ergomayer
ergomayer

Doom meets Contra in this challenging side-scroller, with incredible pixel art and main characters that headbang to heavy metal riffs.

Surprisingly, this hidden gem is just really well designed. Levels are varied and interesting. Checkpoint system works great with optional risk/reward if you were to skip them. There are a wide array of unlockable weapons at your disposal throughout the game; there's also a shield that you can basically grab projectiles with and shoot them back at hostiles. In addition to the shield, you wield a sword in which you can slice and dice as well as parry.

The bosses are brutal, the soundtrack is a killer and the difficulty is ridiculous and unforgiving with all the cheap deaths and rage inducing scenarios you can think of…. Aaaaand I love it! Last boss was a humbling experience, and I have zero complaints. Highly recommended.

mlafond
mlafond

Great game, pure action loved every second of it.

punchobastardo
punchobastardo

Celtic Frost in 2D

pure fucking metal beauty

๋

Metal Slug + Contra + Manowar = Valfaris
10/10

Domicius
Domicius

So, I'm only a few hours into this (level 2), but I can already say that it reminds me of the 16-bit platformer/slashes in the best ways. Good level design, good variety of enemies, fun weapons, lots of bits flying around, and a hardcore metal sensibility.

It's also much easier (so far) than reviews led me to believe - sure it's challenging, but it's not as challenging of arcades or actually games of the time. There is a much famed upgrade system where you can either checkpoint or grow your health, which is cool but you're not penalised too much either way since the checkpointing is fairly generous.

I can see that this is the kind of game to replay when you are more comfortable with the skills - and to be honest, even when you die it's a fair difficulty.

Quite enjoyable.

Jerrrry
Jerrrry

Its good. Very much contra inspired. Cool art and colors.
If you are a fan of Contra you will enjoy this.

Beijing Biden
Beijing Biden

Not worth $25.

The pros for this game are the same as the cons. Wtf?

---Pros---
1. The artwork
2. The weaponry
3. The music

---Cons---
1. The artwork
2. The weaponry
3. The music

The artwork is undoubtedly beautiful. Its the dream of every ADHD kid that takes acid. So many colors and the scenery is constantly dripping and oozing about. But everything just blends together. Sometimes you can't tell what is the foreground and what is the background. There are 3d elements thrown into a 2d platformer... very distracting at times.

There are so many weapons, but you have such little time to explore them because you will get another weapon very shortly after. And the weapons can be upgraded, but I have gone through the entire game and only upgraded my weapons TWICE.... all these different guns and only two upgrades?! Its too much. And many of the weapons do the same thing, except the bullets look different, so its almost pointless at times. I actually found myself staying with the sword and basic gun for the bulk of the game.

The music is great... heavy metal is perfect for the atmosphere. But it is hella repetitive. As much grinding as is required you can hear the songs loop at time, and for me it became very boring.

The game itself is frustrating af. Enemies are constantly spawning forever over and over, on top of you and behind you. I found myself just trying to run through the stage as quick as possible because I didn't have the time to kill everything, and then I run out of energy for my weapons very quickly. I also run out of life very quickly because one hit will take away like 10% of your life. Enemy bullets are all over the place, so you are expected to deflect them. But the deflection takes like 0.5 seconds to work, so you have to deflect before you are ready to deflect, then aim your deflection while holding the button and running around trying not to get hit, then shoot..... its just too much. The controls are janky af.

Wtf is up with the save points? They are situated randomly throughout the game and I think you have to collect capsules to activate them. So I get to a save point and then I go for another 2 minutes and then get to a mini-boss, die and then have to start back over 2 minutes prior. Why are the save points not situated before the important parts of the game?? It makes no sense. It causes you to play an area over and over just to kill the mini-boss, then when it explodes you die a few seconds afterwards because things are still floating around in the air. You have no time to celebrate your win.

There is too much sht going on in the game. You have no time to have fun playing it because you have to get tf outta the area as fast as possible before you get killed by the enemy you just killed. Then you are going up and down and all around in the hive, guessing if you are jumping on something that will hurt you or a platform you can walk on. Its hella frustrating.

That is my thoughts.... it is hella frustrating. Why should anyone pay $25 to be this frustrated? Obviously nothing can be done about the game at this point... it is what it is. But it should not be $25. That's basically an insult to all the other games that blow this out the water.

$10? Sure. More like $8. But not $25. No way.

Beastector
Beastector

It's a short (~5 h), fun 2D shooter game with a challenging difficulty and an amazing metal soundtrack.

You run-and-gun through levels, find items to upgrade health/energy or weapons and defeat bosses. Each level has new weapons to be unlocked, which gives the game enough variety in gameplay and replayability (especially with the new game + mode).

There is a unique risk/reward system: The items which improve your health/energy must be consumed to unlock the next checkpoint or can be traded for additional upgrade material. You always have to decide if you can afford to skip a checkpoint.

If you like similiar games like Contra, CupHead etc., then I can definitely recommend this game.
Else, get it on sale if you feel like you are up to the challenge!

Wicker_Man_1999
Wicker_Man_1999

Cool visuals, amazing music, and if you like Dark Souls then this game is for you (get ready to die... a lot)

Violin
Violin

Awesome action, music and artstyle. A must play for side-scroller fans

kerossin
kerossin

The theme and soundtrack are great but the whole combat is just frustrating.

The character control just feels clunky. It's not as responsive as it needs to be to keep slashing away at all the enemies.

Maybe I'm just too bad at games like these but I really wanted to like Valfaris.

billyrose17
billyrose17

Pros: pixel art
music
sound
unique looking bosses

Cons: inconsistent hitboxes
poor hit detection
long recovery on attacks
RNG factor
brutal checkpoint system
boring level design

Psych
Psych

You play as a magical Elven space warrior who's catchphrase is "I'm going to rip this galaxy a new wormhole" so naturally it's amazing. Added bonuses include rocking soundtrack, combat infused platforming and a host of references to cult classics.

Bearsonal
Bearsonal

BROKEN MEDAL

I would be happy if you followed my Steam Curator Page :)
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40523765-Bearsonal/

Bitterblossom
Bitterblossom

It gets increasingly frustrating to play. Difficulty gets beyond absurd far too quickly. Shame, I fucking love the graphics and kickass soundtrack!

Silver Neelsen
Silver Neelsen

This shit is sick cuz even if you suck you can still get back up almost where you left off. Anybody complaining about controls needs to go back to play fps games with the dopey bloodshot retinas because this is exactly the same as games like alien soldier and gunstar heroes.

Aris Grey
Aris Grey

Very hard, no balanced in all aspects. It's a trial and error game and not forgiving at all. Most weapons do little damage, only blade is good. You can't upgrade easily your weapons.
I love the graphics.

bh9578
bh9578

Overall, a fantastic game that has some of the most creative looking environments of any side-scroller. The Eco-Dome in particular is gorgeous, teeming with alien insects and bubbling rivers of orange, acidic goo that totally immerse you into this strange world. The heavy metal music pairs well with the aesthetics, capturing the frenetic onslaught of enemies leaping from all directions.

As you can probably gather from just about any review, this game is very difficult. I completed the good ending of Hollow Knight and I think this game might have been harder. I'm an average gamer, so this really tested my skills. However, when I swung my sword for the final death blow it was incredibly rewarding. My six-year-old son was cheering me on during the last boss fight and after I finally took him down, we both screamed out for joy and high-fived each other. I felt like a kid again, and it was great to be able to show him that dad's still got some of those SNES skills locked away. There's also a harder, NG+ mode called Full Metal that opens up once you complete the game, though I doubt my gaming chops are up for that kind of challenge.

My only complaint is the enemy AI. Often times they seem psychic with where they strike. For example, lets say you're standing horizontal to an enemy. Logically you know when they're about to strike you need to go up or down. Yet, where ever you go the enemy shoots there instead. To overcome this, I had to wait for the animation to begin to signal to me that the enemy was committed to shoot horizontally and then jump out of the way. While this system does pay homage to the old days of side-scrollers, I think these cheap death mechanics are best kept in the past; purists will likely disagree. Thankfully the controls felt pretty tight, though not as good as Hollow Knight, which to be fair is kind of the gold standard (in my opinion).

If you're up for a challenge and looking to relive the golden age of 2D platformers dressed with a modern coat of paint, it's hard to go wrong with Valfaris. I haven't felt this close to being a ten year old jamming it out on a Saturday in long, long time.

zschmittymyguy
zschmittymyguy

Solid run-n-gun with a good diversity of weapons, a killer metal soundtrack, a touch of RPG elements, and a fun but challenging difficulty.

ceawse
ceawse

7.8/10 I can't wait to see what they do with Valfaris 2.

One of my favorite games in a long time. I started off not really liking it: the controls felt clunky and slow, the bosses seemed broken half the time, I couldn't be bothered to figure out what I was actually doing (pay attention to that bit), all stuff you see in reviews with less than enough time put in. I ended up dropping it. I eventually came back after putting a lot of time in Sekiro, which has a similar theme in gameplay: "you can't just walk in here and expect to win, we will not make this easy."

I would recommend Valfaris to anyone who likes pushing themselves, getting over learning curves, or metal. Especially if you like metal, and even if you don't. Valfaris has one of the best soundtracks in a while (definitely better than Doom's).

My one piece of advice: If you want the TRUE Valfaris experience, play this game multiple times. Fill all three save slots with a game clear, play through after you're comfortable with how it controls and how it treats combat and bosses, then you'll really have fun with it.

My first playthrough was almost spot-on to eight hours. I died a lot, missed a bunch of secrets, and felt like I could do so much better. So I did. I started another run, and got just over two and a half hours, plus almost all secrets. That's a big part of this game, that just playing it once won't be enough. Coming back and playing every single level with experience is so much better than playing blind.

As I said, you should at the very least play until you beat every save slot, which is what I did. My next time was 2:15, and I pushed it all the way down to 1:40 with 100% secrets. That was probably the best moment I had in this game, beating it (not for the first time!) with a great time, knowing that I had put in the work to make it possible. If I hadn't gotten used to the controls (which are initally clunky), learned to anticipate enemies (that made every checkpoint a struggle the first time), figured out every boss's pattern (which is downright required on the final boss), if I hadn't put any effort in at all and only expected the game to hand a perfect experience the very first time, I never would have gotten close.

I seriously love this game. I could play it for a very long time. If you like to play games on the surface level, you won't see why. Valfaris isn't even all that deep; there's a few mechanics to get used to, but other than that it's all about how far you can take yourself, something that just isn't possible on the first playthrough.

kopikat86
kopikat86

Heavy Metal Contra.

If you like Contra, Metal, or run n' gun in general.
Try this game.

clean carp
clean carp

It's 1998 and you're playing Contra again on your shitty counterfeited Nintendo console copy.

Clint Hazzard
Clint Hazzard

Valfaris is a game that's more like a tribute to the SNES era than it is a continuation of the modern Metroidvania craze. The art style is down pat, but I can't say the same for its gameplay. While Super Metroid had responsiveness and an intense atmosphere back in 1994, the recent Valfaris suffers from sluggishness and a surprising lack of world depth. The game's landscape isn't thought out in a creative way, it's just slapped on lazily in the hopes that the shiny weapons will distract you from the mess you're moving around in.

The controls aren't very pleasing, either. When ducking, you can't look to the opposite side without having to stand up, which forces you to get hit sometimes. The sword you get in the beginning hardly feels like a proper weapon (although I'm sure with all of the upgrades, it turns into a better one by the end). When you're standing on a platform above an enemy, you can't aim straight down, and you can't drop down easily, either. I'm not even sure if you gain a dash later on. You're this lesser version of older video game characters, which makes me want to put this game down and dust off my old consoles again. Without any regard for the synergies of better titles that came before it, the game is quite flat. "Hey kids, do you like skulls, guns, and Metroid? Oh, and heavy metal? Check out our game! Aren't we so hardcore?" But there's not really any substance beneath these superficial layers once you load in. This game is the equivalent of playing a hard-hitting guitar riff over and over again and expecting it to get better with every loop. It just dulls the senses as time goes on. Unless you're into that.

Perhaps this game will appeal to a niche audience that longs for simpler, clunkier play, but even the simpler play of the past was a lot better than this. And at about three hours in total playtime, you're not getting much for 25 bucks. Even though I bought Valfaris during the current sale, I still feel ripped off.

[VI] Evarb Loof
[VI] Evarb Loof

I dont even like platformer's, but for a game that sounds like Rolf Harris, this is pretty awesome!
Would love to see some of this content in the Steam items shop.

MINDGAMES
MINDGAMES

MY MIND IS BLOWN AWAY ,,, koonami coldnt do a great conta or shoot em up game in 2021 but this guy di one and a great one

Traumaturgy
Traumaturgy

I had love-hate relationship with this game and after 4 or so hours i uninstalled it completely.
For me this game felt like eternal struggle, it started hard but manageable, but then its just getting harder and harder. Every step was a pain, i paid for every meter of enemy soil with anger and frustration. I like harder games (for example Souls series) but i felt like everything here was placed to kill you cheap and annoy you. You remember archers in Anor Londo? Valfaris felt like Archers: the game.
Even easy enemies (and their placement or movement patterns) have ways to ruin your day, even easy boss can kill you instantly and you feel like you didnt deserve this. And i feel platforming elements are even worse. Cheap death everywhere.
I didnt get what i hoped for with this game, and just didnt enjoy what i got.
And thats a shame because i love metal music and pixel art, i really dig aescethics from 90s, and this is like Warhammer 40k and Doom and Slayer had a baby. Whats not to love here, right? The greater my disappointment. And im not even a bad player, i played a lot of hard games, that needed patience and practice. But this is just too much. So if it annoys me, what about normal/casual players? Its definitely not a game for them.
Valfaris is better that Slain (which was harder and more clunky) so i see progress, but it still needs improvements- difficulty levels maybe?
Id really like to recommend it, but i cant. Too frustrating to be enjoyable.

008edy
008edy

The game is pretty fun, challengin, looks nice, the soundtrack is AWESOME, the story... is alright this game is more focused on gameplay so just nevermind

It has a kick ass enemy variety and the combat is pretty frenetic, if you like 2D action games this is for you.

I HAVE NOT FINISHED IT because I am looking for secrets, maybe the biggest problem is that the game is kinda short but you know what?? that's fine there is a newgame+ mode

Steaksauce
Steaksauce

This is a really cool 2D side-scroller. IMO it has some visual clarity problems, and I occasionally had issues with giving multiple inputs simultaneously with my keyboard (e.g. there's a mech you can control - if you are moving, you cannot aim down, but you CAN aim up, which feels like it must be an error rather than an intentional design decision), but it is so fucking cool man. Damn. I wish we could find out more about the world, though.

As for difficulty, it's not too tough. Certainly easier than something like Dark Souls or Dead Cells, for example. I think an experienced gamer will be able to knock this out in 5-8 hours.

ALI
ALI

Great and short. took me around 5 hours to finish a playthrough. there are secret weapons you might miss so there s a bit of replay value if you want to find everything.

Little Prince
Little Prince

This game rocks!!! I'm not partiularly fond of Heavy Metal and its aethetic - but this game rocks. Weapons feel powerful and I like the combination of meele and ranged combat. It's so much fun to discover a large variety of weapons that allow for different playstyles. I don't understand what the other reviews said about sluggish controls. To me they feel tight and when I die I know it's I who messed up, not the game. Sure, it's challenging but very fair and never frustrating because I can see that I'm making progress even if I have to do a difficult section over and over again. Often it's just a matter of figuring out a different startegical approach.

This game really hit a spot with me. I didn't have so much fun with a run 'n gun title since Contra 3 on the SNES. It's a completely different affair though. Not necessarily better but so much cooler. I might become a metal head - thanks to Valfaris. That's how good it is.

Harry Fader
Harry Fader

Отличная игра.Местами сложновато.Стиль старой фантастики впечатляет,не помню чтоб такое видел где то прежде.Хорошая гитарная музыка не оставит равнодушными любителей хардкора. Много оружия на любой вкус,new game+. То что надо,рекомендую любителям жанра.

OmegaWarrior64
OmegaWarrior64

Hard because "Haha you died very funny, here`s an achivement haha". Go fuck yourself.
Whoever gave me the jester award go fuck yourself too.

Get Squinkies
Get Squinkies

VERY cool, amazing music/ art. However, the difficulty is too high (more unfair than Dark Souls) for those who usually enjoy this genre. So close.

Etu
Etu

Looks like shit, feels like shit, mechanics are awful and not interesting. Atari games were like this in 1995

gibson.strickland
gibson.strickland

Excellent gameplay and vibe. It is a tad short though.

megafinz
megafinz

Take Slain: Back from Hell, fix unresponsive controls, add FUN, and you get Valfaris. Really enjoy this game. Visuals are great, sound design is great, fighting is really satisfying, level design is great, boss design is great. GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT.

Ezio Arishi
Ezio Arishi

fast action game every time u die being better like souls games

TundraTurtle
TundraTurtle

Great game. The artistry and feel are really solid. It's a lot like Volgarr the Viking in that the game only takes about 2-4 hours even on the first playthrough in an arcade-y type experience. So you can just load it up and beat it cover to cover until you've got all the weapons fully upgraded and can 0 death roll the game. If you only plan on playing it through once then it's probably going to be something you would only buy on sale and your dollar/playtime ratio isn't where you want it to be honestly.

Shoehorn O'Plenty
Shoehorn O'Plenty

Very nice style, good challenge and nice weapons.

Vini
Vini

Esse jogo é ótimo, possui grandes desafios, e me lembra o meu tempo de snes...

Kevcenko27
Kevcenko27

like contra, whats not to like. but the ending aint worth it.

liveDoG
liveDoG

unresponsive, character feels like moving wooden stick with legs

fitzy-2233
fitzy-2233

good , yesh . much nipple stuff

Gato Barista
Gato Barista

This game is definitely metal.

shay122007
shay122007

this game is all about bashing your head at walls until they break
for me many parts have stretched my patience maybe it's just my skills
it took me longer then average to beat.
i recommend changing the shield button when using keyboard
the aesthetic is usually ugly(in a good way),gritty and metal it fits the game almost comically gritty tone
as the short amount of dialog is enjoyably cheesy and edgy
the music is good mostly classic style metal with some epic powerish synthesizer

alain_marx
alain_marx

Turican meets doom eternal.
Hard but gratifying.

leviquartz2
leviquartz2

Incredibly fun, and very difficult. The bosses will make you rage and want to quit but the awesome soundtrack will make you keep going.

kwonto96
kwonto96

It's a great indie game giving me those metroidvania vibes, the gameplay is great along with the art being gorgeous as it is. My only issue is that the protagonist is so plain and boring. Other than that it's a fantastic game to play.

Garbage Plate
Garbage Plate

A classic 16 bit metroidvania game. The graphics are nice, the game play is fantastic, and it is hard as hell. You will die a lot. But it makes defeating the bosses that much more gratifying. Great game for fans of retro style games.

SR20DET
SR20DET

Sadly the "full controller support" bit is an outright lie.
Found on the web that I must use an emulator, but after all the hoops and loops I wasn't able to make it work either. A game should be a source of enjoyment not another chore to make it work. Very disappointed in "Steel Mantis". Some jank is fine in games but at least make the controls work. Getting a refund this is a dud
I was so looking forward to this game :( loved the art

vscorza
vscorza

Sometimes all you need is a fairly linear heavy metal action platformer that doesn't spend too much time with dialog boxes.

?dlmithys
?dlmithys

Valfaris is a great but extremely difficult game. Made by the same devs than Slain: back from Hell, it looks like a 2D Dark souls but with sci-fi elements. You still have a sword but now you can carry 2 guns and can change weapons during the game. Also, the cool heavy metal music is still present and it's very fitting !

There's a lot of boss battles (including mini-bosses) and all you need is a lot of patience to beat the game. The final boss is a royal pain in the @$$; it took me nearly 30 tries to succeed.

Finally, I suggest to wait for a discount to buy Valfaris; I bought it at half-price a few months ago.

Nightwarrior
Nightwarrior

Fun old school shoot'em up with a great art direction/style, and an appropriate metal sound track.

The game will take about ~8 hours for your first playthrough.

Some parts are a little overtuned and some parts a little undertuned in terms of difficulty curve, but keep at it and you'll get it, no matter how hopeless it may seem. (Looking at you, final boss!)

Also fair warning: The game gets a lot harder in the latter half.

mkmud13
mkmud13

Valfaris rocks, on multiple levels. Had an absolute blast playing it.

Sellonis
Sellonis

In the beginning I would have said yes. But I've only been able to play the game for 12 hours. It's got an issue where it won't launch. The only fix that I've been able to find is to "reset windows" but after a few updates it stops working again. If it would run I would say yes, the game is a great buy. I tried to get a refund but of course I'm over the 2 hour limit...even though I physically am unable to run the game. There are other people that have the exact same problem, the game icon appears in the taskbar and it just vanishes after a moment or so. https://steamcommunity.com/app/600130 Steam refund denied because I'm over the 2 hour mark. Doesn't matter my support request from months ago never got a response and I still can't actually launch the game unless I reset my system or throw in a secondary drive and install Linux + Steam + Proton.

Deja Vu
Deja Vu

Platformers are probably my favorite game type given I grew up in the 80s and 90s playing almost strictly that, so I am pretty critical of today's releases. Visually and acoustically the game is awesome - but the controls are just too....awkward. It sucks because I love the enemies and weapons, but I just found myself concentrating too much and fumbling around with the controls rather than just enjoying the game. It's just not for me.

Wren
Wren

Monotonous to get from one check point to the next. Only having very specific axis' to shoot from instead of anything precise makes hitting anything above you a huge chore. Good soundtrack though.

MuscelMan
MuscelMan

Valfaris is such a great game. It is a run and gun game where you have multiple weapons, blades and a shield that can deflect projectiles and parry melee attacks. While progressing the game you discover other weapons that you can use and upgrade. The game rewards you for exploring its maps with such upgrades and bonuses and the upgrades give unique quirks to the weapons which made the exploration super fun .It has so much effort and love put into it by the developers and it really shows. Gameplay is really polished and insanely satisfying. Visual style is gory brutal and metal as hell. This game is full killer no filler. Every second of this game is full of action and the game throws bunch of different elements that make the game even more fun. The soundtracks are bangers and fit the theme really well. It gets quite difficult through the end but it is super fair and when you figure the patterns of the enemies, you can get through them pretty consistently. I really had fun playing through it and will definitely buy the upcoming sequel. Must buy for old school run and gun lovers.

Altaur
Altaur

A boring platform game with endless enemy spawns and 8-way aiming. There are a lot of weapons but most of them are useless. Pixelated visuals and music is average. The game is difficult just because of clunky controls.

Chris Memesworth
Chris Memesworth

Pretty cool not to hardcore for non hardcore player. Only one boss was kinda dumb.

Gawi
Gawi

You can probably tell by my profile picture that this game was an immediate interest for me. Thankfully not only that, but it delivered on everything I could have wished for, and threw in a couple extra nice things I didn't expect on top.

Truly a blessing to the run&gun genre.

Cadenced
Cadenced

40k meets metal and there is nothing better than that.

ltcoyote
ltcoyote

I like the graphics style even if it's a 3d rendered to 2d, the music is excellent, and the game has a really techno horror grit which I like, and I wanted to like this game but I couldn't. There are more than several design problems. The main being the controls, how the charater is not able to do much against the horde of enemies despite that this game screams for being able to destroy everything on the screen with a single shot. Fighting is not fun at all, it's a hindrance, a nuisance to avoid if possible.

30 Second Dump Mason
30 Second Dump Mason

The poor checkpoint placement pissed me off so much I just gave up on the game.

Sown-Laughter
Sown-Laughter

Great game, ruined by horrible controls!!

1 Can't remap shield in a more logical place
2 Cant reprogram the look and shoot for a run and gun feel
3 Game feels like its made to make you rush and die where it plays more like an obnoxious puzzle.

1a
If you try to remap the controls in steam like adding extra inputs, the game gets confused and locks you in place till you tap another input 2x this is more likely due to driver detection so if your thinking you can make this into contra no you can't.

1b
if you try to remap shooting to a direction like Right Jstick then the left jstick in the same way it will soft lock the inputs completely till you press it 2x.

1cAnd you also can't for the love of god remap the shield on a controller because for some asinine reason LT is far superior according to the devs for this purpose.

You have to tell the controller to act like a keyboard using steam just to remap the freaking shield on a controller.

So far
Player choice and customization for the impaired is flawed
Control alteration in the code is also hard locked for controller and causes a flawed experience.

The game is amazing but IT is as beautiful as it is its frustrating; trying to AIM and shoot Valfaris forces you to be billy badass while making you play like a grandma with this stop and go annoyance..

Why design a game that feels like contra, with Hyper ambient death metal
and then make you begrudgingly play it SLOW..

Summary:
If you like Jank controls that freak out when you move too fast for its liking, then sure by all means!
But as good as it could be, it's limited by literal design.

Teun Beunhaas
Teun Beunhaas

Infuriatingly fun. I hate this game so much, but I love it so much.

a bad panda
a bad panda

The combat and boss fights were fun and the only downside for me were the abundant instakill mechanics on each level. Maybe I just need to get good. I bought this game on sale and it was well worth the price of admission.

Jay-Z Denton
Jay-Z Denton

liked Doom Troopers back in the day? this game is the closest we have to a sequel

Wonder Fox
Wonder Fox

Looks good. Sounds good. Plays good. Tickles the retro itch.

Ganchito Quemado
Ganchito Quemado

The level and game design on this game are really good. I love how instead of being just one level to the next, everything is connected. Boss fights are pretty cool as well. And not to mention the soundtrack.
Then came a bland story and a very punishing gameplay that I could not get past. This game is not supposed to be a soulslike, so why does it feel like one? Even the game acknowledges this by giving you checkpoints every 10 steps. It knows that you'll die so frequently that in my opinion is just not fair. I would have had enjoyed this game much much more if at least the regular enemies weren't so punishing.

I have mixed feelings about this one because it does a lot of things well, but others need polishing in my opinion. Of course if you enjoy challenges you'll love this game. But for me, a 7/10 just doesn't justify it.

Zangrief
Zangrief

A lot more polished than Slain, also tough af.

Bee O'Problem
Bee O'Problem

\m/ METAL: The Game \m/

Seriously fun run and gun action with lots of cool environments and deliciously gory killing. A good challenge which is unforgiving of mistakes but rewarding of skilled play. The artwork is colorful and detailed featuring a wide variety of environments, each with a decent number of secrets to be found. The mix of melee and ranged fighting along with Therion's shield gives combat a surprising amount of depth compared to most run and gun games IMO.

Not too long and completely worth the price of admission

「 J320  」
「 J320 」

This game managed to offer more that what I was expecting, seriously.
The combat does something I really enjoy, and is this combination of both melee and ranged combat, I'm a sucker for this style.
The music is awesome but the art is even better

crowbar
crowbar

Excellent little indie game that has just the right amount of mechanics to keep you engaged throughout its compact 5-8 hours of playtime. The different systems in the game are just detailed enough to make you think, without being unnecessarily complicated. Each level constantly puts you in new situations with new little gimmicks or just new enemy types. Most of the weapons are really fun to use and while the upgrade system forces you to commit to a certain loadout, you also have the chance to diversify that again later. The biggest draw at first for most people is probably the soundtrack, which I also loved. Really nothing I can complain about.

Bommel
Bommel

Absolutely fantastic game, I had a blast through the whole thing and couldn't put it down until I was finished!
Incredible visuals that look like Warhammer 40k and HR Giger had a lovechild
A slightly thin story that's enough to keep you going through though.
Lots and lots of great bossfights with fun and challenging levels in between that (mostly) don't overstay their welcome.
The music is a banger and keeps you pumped through the whole game.
Controls are pretty tight, the parrying mechanic is quite fun once you learn how to use it, but I'd definitely recommend using a controller as this game feels made for using a D-Pad.
all in all, 10/10 going FULL METAL next

kokiri1232
kokiri1232

Valfaris is an okay but very hard horror, Side Scroller game, All right now story. In a far corner of space a lone spaceship cuts through the vastness of space heading to the world Valfaris and it's pilot Prince Therion who after a long time returns home, but he returns for home for Justice, he returns to make his father King Vcall pay for his crimes and depravity.

Now let's go into the likes, the pixel Graphics/art style is really good definitely well detailed with vibrant colors even in the more darker areas the visuals just pop out, especially for the more gory bits.

The levels in the game are all very good, very diverse with some very interesting locations and visuals to see, I mean some of those visuals/scenes would make excellent pc wallpaper. The enemy and boss designs are really good each with their own unique and gruesome look especially the bosses. The weapons in the game are very good each with their own unique look and kickass names.

The music in the game is good, definitely has a good kickass heavy metal feel. The story of the game was good, nice and simple, nothing too complicated. The gameplay is iffy, it's okayish. The whole game itself feels like a heavy metal cover made into a video game with the mixing fantasy with horror.

Now let's go into the dislikes, the game can be extremely hard and not in a fair way, it felt pretty cheap from enemies and bosses and even the environmental hazards to the point I almost felt like giving up. It just wasn't frustrating in a fun way; it was more frustrating in the regular way. I think the game could have used a easy normal and hard mode.
Now that's all finished, Valfaris is an okay but very hard horror, Side Scroller game, it’s got really good pixel Graphics/art style, the levels are good and the enemy and boss designs are really good.

Now this is going to be difficult on how I rate the game I honestly wish steam had a way I could give both a thumbs-up and thumbs-down, I'm going to give a thumbs-down, but if you do like this kind of game I recommend it.

Neko
Neko

The game is as metal as its soundtrack, and is consistently good for the whole 4-6 hour run. Only wish there were more guitar solos.

Big Tony
Big Tony

This game is pretty metal. I'd reckon I finally got good at around hour 5, but thats with a couple hours offline. It took me a minute to adapt, but just like doom eternal, when you do, it all fits together so nicely. Although, I would have liked to have seen a dodge move with a cooldown or something and a ledgegrab. Regardless, I think this is a solid game. One of those games you can play through like bonfire to bonfire and then just chill out and listen to the metal and admire the drop dead gorgeous art while you sip your drink or check your phone or whatnot. Would recommend, will play the sequel.

CyborgJester
CyborgJester

Metal as fuck!
Gory as fuck!
Fast-paced as fuck!

Fast paced SNES style side scroller action platformer that has me screaming for more. Plays like Contra crossed with a Sci-Fi themed metal album cover. As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew this was a game I definitely wanted the OST with it. Can't wait for the sequel!

Count Vilhiem
Count Vilhiem

I like this game because it is an awesome combination of Contra, gore, pixel art, aliens, and heavy metal rock music.

NEX
NEX

Rage inducing trash mechanics. Every enemy is positioned purposefully 1 pixel away from your hit range at all times, while they can hit you even without touching you in certain cases. I honestly don't understand why would you spend so much money, time and effort to create something that is just there to be annoying. Couldn't the developers find something better to do with their time? Should've got it at a discount smh...

FEASTFORBLOOD
FEASTFORBLOOD

Makes me want to repeatedly punch my balls.

FreeWorldsLegionnaire
FreeWorldsLegi…

Ive played Almost every game out there, this is hands down THE MOST METAL GAME to ever exist

Final score: 10 Hellhammer shotgun blasts/10 Hell Cobra head gore-splosion

Pick it up, full price even, and enjoy eviscerating, dismembering and otherwise annihilating every foul beast in Valfaris

Scar
Scar

Badass game with gnarly metal soundtrack. (ง •`⎽´•)ง

Glenoz187
Glenoz187

Highly recommended!! Great game with a headbanging soundtrack. Reminds me of the Contra games, especially Shattered Soldier on the PS2 way back when. That game was hard, and this ain't no different. Once you get used to the learning curve and using different strategies for certain enemies, It's a joy to play. Pick It up now! It's a steal during a sale.

*1 PuNcH MaN*
*1 PuNcH MaN*

Just a really well done challenging Contra. Not for the unskilled though, It needs skill!

moonshine
moonshine

What if Contra were heavy metal, had better graphics and was gory as hell?

A delightful little romp, particularly the last boss.

Shoryukenrox
Shoryukenrox

This is a HARDCORE run n gun game with a lot of Gore and heavy metal soundtrack.

For those who are looking for a challange, i definitely recommend. Also for those who likes the run n gun genre, lovers of contra, metal slug and so on

Oil4
Oil4

Absolutely awesome game. The fun combat, enemy and level design, and of course the music and graphics are put together very well. It does not get boring for even a second. My only gripes are the awkward aiming mechanics and the worm riding part where I fell off for seemingly no reason a few times. I hardly ever review games Ive played no matter how good they were but this one is underrated as hell so I had to. Gonna try and get all the achievements.

Anonymous
Anonymous

It's very hard game, and very unforgiven.... There's a randon bug in controller, disconnects for about 5-6 seconds and you can not move your character and you died by the enemies... sometimes is fun, but most of time you keep dying a lot, takes a lot of effort to upgrade the weapons.

madprops
madprops

Hard heavy metal 2D game. Unless you're very skilled you'll make slow progress as you have to repeat sections several times. It's satisfying to beat every hard section. The final boss was a surprisingly tough fight. Recommended.

Giantsbane
Giantsbane

(+) Slick aesthetic
(+) Amazing soundtrack
(+) Great gameplay
(-) Difficulty spikes

Tamikuz Tami
Tamikuz Tami

good gameplay, metal soundtrack