Episode 680: Axiom Verge
Added 2025-03-24 11:00:11 +0000 UTCJeremy: I've been out of the press long enough that when we start commemorating the anniversary of games I reviewed, it makes me feel very old and very mortal. Nevertheless, we persevere! Because this month is the 10th anniversary of what the kids these days would call a "banger," and not in the sense that it's a British sausage. No, we're talking about Axiom Verge, the game that out-Metroided Metroid in the darkest days of no one making Metroid games. We didn't even know about Federation Force yet! That's how darkest we're talking with those days.
Diamond and I chat with Tom Happ and Dan Adelman—the creative and business minds behind the game, in that order—about the origins of Axiom Verge, its creation and design, all those weapons, the game's inspiration, and even a little bit about my own small involvement in the publishing side of the game a few years back. Needless to say, it's a topic that's near and dear to my heart. I mean, I got to commission art from the guy who painted a bunch of official Gundam illustrations and the amazing cover to the Japanese version of The Guardian Legend, for crying out loud! How cool is that! But still not as cool as Axiom Verge, a game that didn't just capture the overall vibe of the original Metroid, but also turned the NES cart's weird technical glitches into a core gameplay mechanic. And now it's 10. That means we get to talk about it on Retronauts, so you'd damn well better believe we made the most of that opportunity.
Art by John Pading. Edits by Greg Leahy.
09:32 - Intro
18:53 - Trace Awakens
28:24 - Otherworld
37:19 - Rusalka
46:01 - Amnesia
54:56 - Without Place
1:06:06 - Trace Rising | Occlusion
1:15:51 - Cellular Skies
1:26:01 - Axiom Verge 2: Monsoon (feat. Mayssa Karaa)
Closing - Trace Reborn
Comments
Phenomenal episode! I loved how all of you were struggling to name the weapons or other items in the game. Those moments were proof that mastery of every fact about a game has nothing to do with one's enjoyment of it. (I do value that expertise in other episodes, mind you!) With a game such as Axiom Verge, there are a (mere) ten years worth of memories associated with it. You were all adults when it came into the world. The fuzzy feelings of nostalgia are not the sole source of your interest in the game. It seems more that the joy comes from how this game pushes against the expectations of what a very Metroid-y Metroidvania retro game can be. Also, I dug the idea of Axiom Verge 4 coming before Axiom Verg3 as a real-life sequence break. More like METAroidvania in that case!
Tall Rob
2025-03-27 13:05:16 +0000 UTCI just went and checked when the first Axiom Verge episode aired, and it was 2017. HOW.
Quin Adams
2025-03-25 04:08:03 +0000 UTCAxiom Verge has been on my radar for years but only got around to playing it during the recent holidays. 2024 ended on such a sour note and this game provided some much-needed escapism and joy. I've downloaded the sequel and am thrilled to hear that Axiom Verge 4 and Axi0m Verge Zero are coming in the future ;)
Jason J
2025-03-25 00:50:02 +0000 UTCWhich when I played through it on Nintendo switch online my first thought was “did the axiom verge guy play this?”
Brandon Rebidue
2025-03-24 14:45:08 +0000 UTCI believe Tom was talking about vice project doom.
Brandon Rebidue
2025-03-24 14:44:34 +0000 UTC
