🏹 Foregone | Review | Nintendo Switch | "it plays like a more focused, 2D Metroidvania" 🏹 @BigBlueBubble #GameDev #IndieGames

 

Foregone 8/10

I really enjoyed my time with Foregone. Casting you as an Arbiter fighting her way through the city of Calagan against a horde of enemies, it plays like a more focused, 2D Metroidvania that doesn’t outstay its welcome at around 7-8 hours. 

The 32-bit style pixels call to mind the very best of the Saturn-era and the energy levels of the platforming action are kept up by a solid soundtrack. 

There is an element of looting and skill-tree upgrading to the game, which is initially interesting but feels somewhat unnecessary as you approach the end of the game as I found that I had my preferred melee and ranged weapon (there are about 6-8 variants of each) and all the stuff I was continually picking up pretty much may as well have been cash as I was constantly travelling back to the hub and flogging everything.

The artwork really draws you in and gives a sense of scale to the game, with the feel of the combat and some moments reminding me, oddly, of the recent SuperEpic, although with a more ‘set jawline’ than that more cartoonish game. 

The boss battles aren’t huge, punishing barriers and, upon dying you don’t get pushed back too far in terms of progress as the doors unlocked throughout your travels act as shortcuts through stages.

It does feel good to have such a solid entry in this genre that feels so immediate and accessible, it’s not a game that you can get completely lost in should you have a few days away from it and end up staring at a convoluted map thanks to the mostly linear and clear design. 

It may not be breaking the mould with any amazing new ideas or tricks - and the late-game boss rush may be a bit of a  teeth grinder - but all in all, a fun and well-presented game that I’d recommend not only to fans of the genre but also to newcomers.

8/10