Alwa's Awakening

 Switch
Alwa's Awakening Image
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 10 Ratings

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  • Summary: Use your magic staff and progress through a large interconnected world where you'll solve puzzles, fight enemies and defeat bosses in order to help free the land of Alwa. Explore and uncover the secrets by using your platforming skills in this challenging and charming 8-bit adventure game.Use your magic staff and progress through a large interconnected world where you'll solve puzzles, fight enemies and defeat bosses in order to help free the land of Alwa. Explore and uncover the secrets by using your platforming skills in this challenging and charming 8-bit adventure game. Alwa’s Awakening is a game that tries to stay as close as possible to the authentic 8-bit look with sweet pixel art, a soundtrack filled with catchy chiptunes and so much charm it’ll bring you right back to the golden age of video games. With easy to understand controls the game is easy to learn but tough to master, just like how games were in the old days.… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Nintendo Enthusiast
    Sep 27, 2018
    90
    Alwa’s Awakening is exactly what I had hoped I was in for when I booted up the title. The classy, evocative 8-bit design, the charming synthesized soundtrack, and the addictive gameplay all aggregate to form one hell of a gaming experience. These titles aren’t only for those yearning for a nostalgic trip. The cartoonish design and controls on a 2D plane were beckoning my young son to pick up the controller. The character of throwback, retro-inspired titles that were crafted with care, like Alwa’s Awakening, will always find an audience with those seeking an experience where gameplay is king.
  2. NintendoWorldReport
    Sep 27, 2018
    80
    Alwa’s Awakening is a great investment for those who grew up with old-school Castlevania games or those who prefer Zelda II to The Legend of Zelda. It’s not fast-paced or action-packed, but it has plenty of nostalgia and is well-suited to those who prefer jumping to shooting, spell-casting to sword-swinging. Well, how can I forget you, Zoe? When there’s always another Metroidvania to remind me.
  3. Destructoid
    Sep 27, 2018
    70
    Its restrictive without going overboard, allowing the highs outweigh the lows. The ability to chisel away at some tough rooms with a Switch on the go helps make it even more digestible.
  4. Nintendo Life
    Sep 27, 2018
    70
    We’d give this one a light recommendation; there’s plenty of quality to be found despite some flaws and it’s evident that a lot of passion went into the development, although we would also add that there’s nothing about Alwa’s Awakening that screams “must play”. If you’re a fan of retro action platformers or Metroidvanias, Alwa’s Awakening is certainly worth a go, but if you aren’t a fan, this isn’t the game to change your mind.
  5. NF Magazine
    Feb 27, 2020
    70
    Alwa's Awakening is perhaps a bit more of a throwback to the NES era than it should have been. But it's still quite charming! [Issue #40 – July/August 2019, p. 25]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Switch Player
    May 13, 2019
    70
    Alwa’s Awakening takes inspiration from Metroidvanias of the past, and while it doesn’t do much new, it does offer a satisfactory challenge.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 1 out of 2
  1. Plutocrat
    Nov 15, 2018
    9
    I essentially found this game while going through the E-shop. The game is slow, deliberate, and oddly deadly with a focus on finding secretsI essentially found this game while going through the E-shop. The game is slow, deliberate, and oddly deadly with a focus on finding secrets in an interconnected 2D world. It isn't for everyone but it is for me. Each room is a puzzle that dares you to navigate it without dying or taking damage and your expanding inventory of spells does a good job of keeping the game fresh while re-contextualizing or trivializing earlier rooms on return visits.

    If you are looking for a good metroidvania puzzle/platformer and can enjoy slower paced games then you can do a lot worse than Alwa's Awakening. I want more games like it.    … Expand
  2. loltoke
    Jan 16, 2021
    3
    This game starts out as a fun and traditional metroidvania. There are many areas blocked off until you get power upgrades, which consist ofThis game starts out as a fun and traditional metroidvania. There are many areas blocked off until you get power upgrades, which consist of three magic spells and then upgrades to those spells. Essentially the spells serve as vehicles to get you across larger and larger gaps or up to higher and higher ledges. In that sense, the power ups are not really very cool or interesting compared to some other metroidvanias. In addition, the power up to the main weapon only comes in the form of one orb that doubles your hit power about halfway through the game. Now on to the worst part of the game, which about 50% of metroidvanias in the last five years suffer from (I'm going to end up writing this same review for like 20 other games) - uneven ramp up in difficulty. I got through about 80% of the game, beat 3/4 main bosses and explored 80% of the map or more. The fourth boss is ridiculous. You have to jump back and forth on platforms while dodging eyeball monsters and bullets that cover the whole screen. I could barely even hit the guy twice without dying (I'd need to hit him about six times to kill him). I don't mind grinding and I assume that if I faced him about 20 times I could eventually kill him. The problem is that you never get to upgrade your healthbar in the game. 10 hours in, I'm dealing with the same 3 measley hits and you're dead EXCEPT they are generous enough to give you a flask to refill ONCE. A major design oversight or error was made here because when you restore to your save point, your flask is gone. This means that you have no hope of facing a boss again without going to find a well to refill your flask. This probably takes 10 minutes just to walk to a well somewhere, come all the way back to the save point, and fight the boss again. You can do the math - 10 minutes of walking between each boss fight x 20 fights = 3 hours and 20 minutes of walking. No thanks! Sadly I uninstalled the game and it will forever be 80% complete. Please metroidvania designers, stop doing this kind of thing! I'd like to finish more than half of the games and I'm not a 12 year old kid with infinite time on his hands. I have a real job.… Expand

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