Aeterna Noctis

Making a metroidvania is a very complicated task. It takes a wide range of skills, secrets and bosses. In addition, it requires original, varied and intelligent level design. But above all, it needs to stand out, because in recent years the popularity of this sub-genre (or genre, one might say) has spread like wildfire.

It's not enough to make a good metroidvania; you must aspire to make the best. And that is exactly what Aeternum Game Studios, a small Spanish team based in Talavera de la Reina, have set out to do.

Aeterna Noctis tells the story of the eternal struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, represented in its world by two immortal figures engaged in an eternal struggle: the Queen of Light and the King of Darkness.

For centuries, these two divine beings have engaged in combat to maintain the balance of Aeterna; when one of the two is defeated, they are sent back to the mortal world, stripped of all their powers, so that they can regain their strength and face the victor again. An eternal cycle.

Aeterna Noctis begins with the King of Darkness being defeated, serving as the usual metroidvania staple: we have a character stripped of all his abilities, which means that initially the repertoire of attacks and moves is limited, and many areas are impassable until the right skill is obtained.

But within the metroidvania genre, Aeterna Noctis is committed to doing things a little differently. For example, the skills: instead of being scattered around the map, they are there, right at the start of the game, hidden behind ten gigantic white doors (which also serve as a brief tutorial on how to use them).

Of course, to open these doors we first have to find the necessary key, but it is a curious change that brings freshness to a genre in which everything seems to have already been invented.

In terms of structure, Aeterna Noctis does things very well. Initially, we are obliged to follow a specific path... But soon afterwards, options begin to open up before us and we must choose whether to tackle one area or another, giving us a lot of freedom to choose which objective to pursue at any given moment. And every now and then, there's that sense of being lost that feels so good in metroidvania games... we, at least, love it, as it's usually a sign that the exploration and level design is done very well.

But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Aeterna Noctis is the immense amount of content it offers. Don't let its "indie style" fool you: this is a title that hides different types of weapons, items with varied effects, collectibles, side quests, an abundant number of secrets, 16 very different areas, a great variety of enemies, imposing bosses, a great skill tree that allows us to prioritise different play styles...

It is a gigantic game, also in terms of the scale of its world. It's the kind of title that offers so much for so little that you inevitably feel like you're mugging the people behind it.

It can be said that Aeterna Noctis puts the playable focus on platforming, and, more specifically, on tricky platforming challenges that require enormous amounts of skill at the controls and a full understanding of the abilities at our disposal.

The control, fortunately, responds accurately in the vast majority of cases. And we say vast majority because there is a small downside: there are times when pressing the jump button shortly after touching the ground does not recognise the input, which has led to a few deaths.

Talking about difficulty is always tricky, as there are players who love challenges and others who deeply reject them. The high difficulty of Aeterna Noctis is going to be a huge barrier for those who come looking for a traditional metroidvania.