Tevi is a metroidvania with bullet hell and RPG components. That straightforward description belies the true nature of this side-scrolling title, which options beautiful graphics, chibi characters, Japanese dialogue, a deep menu system, and a robust fight factor. With a lot occurring, does it hit the mark?
There’s an extended and detailed story right here, with the titular Tevi performing as our protagonist. She’s additionally a beastskin, a species of human with animal qualities. She’s an outgoing gal who ventures into the wild to hunt legendary gadgets generally known as astral gears. These uncommon artifacts are launched through a cutscene set years earlier when the world was below assault. Unbeknownst to Tevi, others are additionally looking for these gears, triggering a race to seek out all of them.
Alongside the best way, Tevi meets many fascinating characters. These embody all method of creatures, resembling demons, angels, and different beastskins. Some are extra pleasant than others; you by no means know when Tevi’s powerful persona has offended the incorrect individual prior to now, triggering a boss combat. Different conferences are extra fortuitous, together with her biggest allies even becoming a member of her quest. These occasion members aren’t playable, as a substitute hiding inside Tevi’s spinning orbs to grant her additional energy. The orbs function Tevi’s long-range assault, though she additionally has a melee possibility that’s equally helpful.
Tevi carries a lethal sword that she wields with precision. Fight is fast-paced, with button-mashing combos proving to be very satisfying. Every time you encounter an enemy, your assault is scored by a letter within the high proper. I loved the sensation of accomplishment that got here with attaining an S as typically as attainable.
Enemies range immensely. That is additionally the place the bullet-hell factor comes into play, with sure enemies spawning projectiles that have to be prevented. Merging bullet-hell gameplay with platforming components presents a brand new problem if you happen to’re used to the everyday top-down fashion of the style. Avoiding bullets in a side-scrolling atmosphere could be difficult, nevertheless it works properly general. Fortunately, Tevi comes with six problem settings to cater for all ability ranges.
As with every metroidvania, exploration is an element and parcel of proceedings. There’s an unlimited world to discover, which may get sophisticated. A map helps make clear issues, nevertheless it wasn’t probably the most intuitive instance I’ve seen. This participant discovered herself wandering round very often, uncertain of the place to go subsequent. This could possibly be irritating for some gamers, nevertheless it appears typical of the style. Varied save factors and teleportation pods assist hold issues accessible, too.
One factor that took me abruptly was the quantity of on-screen dialogue. If you happen to’re in search of a text-heavy story, you’ll get pleasure from this outing. Initially, it interrupted the circulation fairly considerably. My advice is to keep it up, because the motion does decide up after the primary couple of hours, revealing a extra sturdy outing. It’s a disgrace the dialogue bogs issues down through the early a part of the sport.
Aside from exploring and preventing (and speaking), there are a number of different goals to maintain you enjoying. Gadgets could be discovered hidden across the panorama or on the market within the city retailer. These improve your stats, permitting you to customise Tevi to some extent. It’s also possible to use recipes to organize meals, offering one other increase to your stats. There’s lots occurring within the menu, and it pays to verify again often to be sure you’re as powered up as attainable.
The graphics are beautiful. This side-scrolling journey options many diversified and colourful backdrops with a 16-bit look that’s merely charming. The background stands out whereas the foreground pops. The chibi-looking characters are additionally properly designed, oozing character. Curiously, these quick, cute characters are juxtaposed with taller, extra anime-esque variations of themselves throughout dialogue scenes. It creates an fascinating fashion and compliments the audio and voiceover work.
The soundtrack is equally fantastic and a stand-out a part of this sport. Upbeat tunes and dramatic beats accompany you in your journey, including to the ambiance. The audio blends a synth beat with an anime vibe to assist draw you additional into the motion. The voicework—which is fully in Japanese with subtitles—is great, too.
Total, Tevi is a beautiful-looking side-scrolling metroidvania with bullet hell and RPG components. A heavy load of dialogue slows issues down initially, however there’s a deep sport hiding beneath the floor with satisfying motion and gameplay.