Astronite

Astronite is a throwback game in a modern Metroidvania mould, and, owing to sharp design, map layouts, currency systems and ability upgrades, is an enjoyable experience. Its simple emphasis on platforming pitfalls and cavern negotiations feel more Metroid than 'Vania, and refreshing in a genre that usually follows the Japanese route of grinding for levels and magic. With a little effort, it reveals itself as a well-thought-out and competently-executed action adventure, with a few magic moments in its boss battles and NPC characters. Its black-and-white styling may not appeal to everyone, but it's easily recommended to those intrigued and is a nice companion for Gato Roboto fans looking for a steeper challenge.

Astronite is that game that you're not going to call it amazing or your favorite but it is not bad either. It can be just another simple metroidvania to play during the weekend.

Astronite can be really fun and challenging, but sometimes it can be unfair and the reward is nearly not enough. If you are a casual game, skip it, but if you love pain and old school games, it is really worth the try.

Your enjoyment of Astronite will almost entirely rely on your patience for retreading the same paths again and again while taking unfair damage from hazards that blend in with the scenery and enemies that shoot much further than you can. Good grief!

Delivers some challenging Metroidvania play with a distinctive black-and-white retro look and feel

With the conscientious work of a single person in charge, Astronite is one of those games that we will like at a quick glance, but it will not easily settle in our heads given the vast artistic offer that 2D action and platform metroidvanias present. But it will as soon as we have the pad in our hands and spend hours with it. Through a classic approach well managed in control and situations, we will have a much more difficult game than what we have become accustomed to in this style in recent years. That can be a good thing, although it's not so good anymore that some complications and frustrations come from a hopeless approach to managing in-game currency, or some more intricate and restrictive moments and structural design than its genre could demand. But Astronite is still a recommendable and interesting game, a game that can also give you a good number of hours, compared to much shorter similar proposals. We simply have to know what we are going for and where we are going to get into.

Thanks to sparse placement of save rooms and challenging enemy locations, the player will be constantly hitting walls to their progression and replaying the same paths repeatedly (and in both directions). Tragically, the only reward for triumphing over these is often a predictable, meager upgrade or another equally difficult stretch of rooms, thus forcing Astronite to be a monotonous experience. The quality boss fights simply aren’t plentiful enough to make up for its shortcomings.

Although with a somewhat high and frustrating difficulty, Astronite is a solid metroidvania that will appeal to experienced players of the genre.

Astronite has several small flaws that don't spoil it, but rather detract from the experience of what the game could offer. It's not a good gateway to the genre, but it might please enough for those who are already used to it and want one more retro adventure to explore in a weekend. In the end, this is the kind of game with some good hits and tolerable flaws, showing potential for improvement in a future sequel or new title from the developer.