Worst of all, it?s not that fun to engage with enemies. Given how much love went into the game?s world, it?s unfortunate that the developers weren?t interested in making you explore more of it. There?s little reason to backtrack, and, as noted above, no reason to explore, since you?re not going to find anything that interesting apart from the odd gem (and even those are kind of useless, as I?ll explain shortly). There?s not a moment where it doesn?t feel like the game is funneling you in one specific direction. This, in turn, highlights one of Itorah?s other flaws, which is that it?s incredibly linear for a metroidvania. There aren?t any hidden areas to uncover, no secrets to be revealed: what you see, for the most part, is what you get. There?s the occasional enemy to battle, but for the most part there?s not much to do. Unfortunately, that?s the beginning and end of what makes Itorah interesting ? because the gameplay certainly isn?t.įor one thing, even though the world looks gorgeous, it?s pretty empty. There was one moment, in particular, where the titular character was running against the backdrop of a setting sun, and it looked absolutely spectacular. What?s more, it all looks very nice, with obvious care and attention that have gone into every frame. The designs, the costumes, the buildings, the colour palette: they?re all a little different than what we usually see. Itorah?s attempt at standing out is to have visuals that draw from a unique source: its graphics are inspired by Mesoamerican indigenous groups ? which, to the game?s credit, are definitely sources that aren’t usually drawn from.Īnd, what’s more, its visuals are pretty nice. Elderand, to continue with that example, tried to be bloodier than its competitors (and failed because Infernax did it better), while Yoku’s Island Express added in pinball mechanics to spectacular effect.
As I wrote about Elderand a few months ago, you often need some kind of hook or gimmick to really make it work. Given how many metroidvanias there are on the Switch (and in general), it takes a lot for newer ones to stand out.
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