X
- T
- DANGEN Entertainment
- T
- DANGEN Entertainment
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- DANGEN Entertainment
- T
- DANGEN Entertainment
Smelter
Released On: Apr 22, 2021
75
User Score
Mixed or average
6.8
Metascore
Generally favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
75
56% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
44% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
75
56% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
44% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Smelter is a meticulously crafted genre hybrid that almost does everything right. The margin for error with its design is so slim that it might be some kind of gaming miracle. A challenging and captivating experience from start to finish, Smelter is an absolute must play. Here’s hoping this isn’t the last time we see this dichotomous duo.
Smelter joins elements of action platformers and real time strategy
games in an effort that produces a marvelous tribute to the 16-bit era.
With a fun and captivating exploration and great combat mechanics,
Smelter has all the ingredients to stand out in the Nintendo Switch
catalogue and make a name for itself for all the good reasons.
While there are some moments that frustrate or drag a little during its runtime, Smelter is quite impressive on the whole. It’s not difficult to spot its inspirations, but it does its own thing well enough that it avoids the pitfall of feeling like a lesser copy. Fans of 16-bit action games will definitely want to give it a look.
One of those rare titles that takes inspiration from the classics but manages to forge its own identity, Smelter is a breath of fresh air that uses its influences very wisely, assisted to excellence by generally pretty terrific level design with only a handful of lesser segments bringing things down just a tad. The proceedings feel confident, original and polished, with gorgeous graphics and an outstanding soundtrack that calls to mind the likes of Mega Man X4 for its action stages and evokes Yuzo Koshiro's majestic ActRaiser score for its side-scrolling levels.
With its eye-catching pixel art style and strong visual and tonal identity, Smelter really could have been the complete package. Unfortunately, uneven gameplay, a strange choice in upgrade paths and difficulty spikes that only led to frustration as opposed to the joy of a challenge left a sour taste in my mouth. Fans of the genre should still find a lot to love in this title, so long as it’s approached with a heavy dose of patience.
With enjoyable sim gameplay, an engaging element combat system, and excellent boss fights, Smelter is a game with a lot of good pieces across 12-15 hours of play. Unfortunately, it never becomes more than the whole of its parts. The platforming level design feels a bit unremarkable, and the myriad challenge levels placed intrusively within the main levels ruin the pacing. Still, if you love ActRaiser or Mega Man X, there’s enough to make Smelter worth recommending.
This game has the makings of something really great. The art and sprite work is outstanding. Wildly inconsistent difficulty jumps, frustratingly long bosses, fights, check point lengths and cheap deaths all ruin what absolutely would have been a title much higher rated. The majority of the experience is fun, with a good difficulty level, but inevitably there will be these randomly, absolutely killer, difficulty walls, which ruin how good it was going up to that point.
User Reviews
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Summary You are Eve, fresh out of Eden and armed with a living suit of armor. Explore a dangerous new world, battle its bizarre denizens and expand your empire in a desperate journey to find Adam. Smelter is a strategy, action-platformer combo inspired by classics from the 16-bit era. Lead Smelter and his faithful Zirm forces by expanding Smelte...
Rated T
for Teen
Platforms:
- PlayStation 4
- Nintendo Switch
- PC
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 5
Initial Release Date: Apr 22, 2021
Developer:
- X Plus
Publisher: DANGEN Entertainment
Genres:
