History VideoGame / AxiomVerge

''Axiom Verge'' is a 2D indie retro-style {{Metroidvania}} game developed by Thomas Happ. Initial development began in March 2010 as a hobby and was announced in 2012 for commercial release. The game was released in Spring 2015 initially for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, with a UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita version planned that was finally released in April 2016. Just before that, it was announced that the game would also be released for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/WiiU, and it also received a UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port.

The game serves as a loving {{homage}} to several games of the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]], [[UsefulNotes/The8bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames 8-bit]] and [[UsefulNotes/The16bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames 16-bit era]], drawing inspiration from classics such as ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' and ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'', among many others. It also adds its own unique touch by utilizing the glitches and bugs found in games of that period as a game mechanic, allowing players to uncover new areas, the ability to "hack" and change enemy behavior and bypass obstacles. The entire game (including art, code, game and sound design) was developed solely by Happ over a period of four years.

During Nintendo's 2019 Indie World presentation, Thomas Happ revealed ''VideoGame/AxiomVerge2'', a NonLinearSequel set before the events of Axiom Verge in a new world with new characters. It had a surprise launch on UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, and Platform/EpicGamesStore on PC on August 11, 2021.

* {{Retraux}}: Uses a graphical style that fluctuates between the 8- and 16-bit eras of gaming. The glitches and breach incursions are intentionally reminiscent of UsefulNotes/{{NES}} graphical errors. The secret areas you can enter even make the screen fuzzy.

During Nintendo's 2019 Indie World presentation, Thomas Happ revealed ''VideoGame/AxiomVerge2'', a NonLinearSequel set before the events of Axiom Verge in a new world with new characters. It had a surprise launch on UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, and UsefulNotes/EpicGamesStore on PC on August 11, 2021.

* CloningBlues: [[spoiler:When Trace is about to be sent back to earth after Athetos' death, he wonders what life there is for him as the clone of a mass murderer. Additionally, all of the bosses you've been killing, with the exception of Sentinel and maybe Ukhu, are all but stated to be clones of Athetos, which in turn makes them clones of Trace.]]

* The Address Disruptor is similar to the Dark-Light Device from ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'' in that it can make invisible items (in ''Axiom Verge'''s case, platforms) tangible.

* CypherLanguage: The Vykhyan and Sudran languages cypher the English text with a specific font. While Sudran is completely made up, Vykhyan mixes Cyrillic and Arabic letters for effectively the TheBackwardsR effect, meaning people that speak these languages can read the notes without the decypher Passcode.

* BigGood: Ophelia appears to be this among Rusalki, as she demonstrates a benevolent, supportive personality towards Trace, compared to Elsenova who kills him the moment he hesitates to help them.[[spoiler:There are some hints, however, that she's not as benevolent as she presents herself to be.]]

** Hypo-Atomizer: A variant of the Disruptor where each projectile also sporadically shoots off two short-ranged vertical projectiles as it passes.

''Axiom Verge'' is a 2D indie retro-style {{Metroidvania}} game developed by Thomas Happ. Initial development began in March 2010 as a hobby and was announced in 2012 for commercial release. The game was released in Spring 2015 initially for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, with a UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita version planned that was finally released in April 2016. Just before that, it was announced that the game would also be released for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/WiiU, and it also received a UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port.

* ChainReactionDestruction: Bosses usually go out in one of these, followed by their sprite breaking apart and smearing in a paintlike fashion.

During Nintendo's 2019 Indie World presentation, Thomas Happ revealed ''VideoGame/AxiomVerge2'', a NonLinearSequel set before the events of Axiom Verge in a new world with new characters. It had a surprise launch on UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, and [[Creator/EpicGames Epic Games Store on PC]] on August 11, 2021.

* AssholeVictim: While it's undeniable that Athetos' genocide of Sudrans is nothing short of horrifying, the notes found through the game (written by Rusalki, Athetos and even some Sudran authorities) do not paint them in a favorable light; they were a highly xenophobic theocratic society which treated the technology around them as sacred relics which no one was allowed to use, branding such act as heresy (although corpses of robed figures found sitting at some computer terminals, and some notes imply that the use of technology was forbidden to general Sudran populace and outsiders, keeping it firmly in control of Sudran authorities and priests). They also used Breach Attractor to trap Rusalki on Sudra, separate them from their bodies and install their heads in various regions to remain there, forever motionless. They even locked one of the Rusalki, Oracca, deep within the planet which caused her to become ill and listless, prompting other Rusalki to beg Sudrans to give her more room to stretch or at least allow one of them to deliver her a MercyKill. And if Athetos can be believed, they opposed all of his attempts to study the technology of their world so he can bring the accumulated knowledge back to Earth, and their opposition eventually caused him to enact FinalSolution.

* BeastWithAHumanFace: Dialogue against the bosses reveal that most of them actually have human faces. [[spoiler:They were once human clones of Athetos that transformed after being exposed to the pathogen.]]

* AssholeVictim: While it's undeniable that Athetos' genocide of Sudrans is nothing short of horrifying, the notes found through the game (written by Rusalki, Athetos and even some Sudran authorities) do not paint them in a favorable light; they were a highly xenophobic theocratic society which treated the technology around them as sacred relics which no one was allowed to use, branding such act as heresy. They also used Breach Attractor to trap Rusalki on Sudra, separate them from their bodies and install their heads in various regions to remain there, forever motionless. They even locked one of the Rusalki, Oracca, deep within the planet which caused her to become ill and listless, prompting other Rusalki to beg Sudrans to give her more room to stretch or at least allow one of them to deliver her a MercyKill. And if Athetos can be believed, they opposed all of his attempts to study the technology of their world so he can bring the accumulated knowledge back to Earth, and their opposition eventually caused him to enact FinalSolution.

* AssholeVictim: While it's undeniable that Athetos' genocide of Sudrans is nothing short of horrifying, the notes found through the game (written by Rusalki, Athetos and even some Sudran authorities) do not paint them in a favorable light; they were a highly xenophobic theocratic society which treated the technology around them as sacred relics which no one was allowed to use, branding such act as heresy. They also used Breach Attractor to trap Rusalki on Sudra, separate them from their bodies and install their heads in various regions to remain there, forever motionless. They even locked one of the Rusalki, Oracca, deep within the planet which caused her to become ill and listless, prompting other Rusalki to beg Sudrans to give her more room to stretch or at least allow one of them to deliver her a MercyKill. And if Athetos can be believed, they opposed all of his attempts to study the technology of their work so he can bring the accumulated knowledge back to Earth, and their opposition eventually caused him to enact FinalSolution.

* AssholeVictim: While it's undeniable that Athetos' genocide of Sudrans is nothing short of horrifying, the notes found through the game (written by Rusalki, Athetos and even some Sudran authorities) do not paint them in a favorable light; they were a highly xenophobic theocratic society which treated the technology around them as sacred relics which no one was allowed to use, branding such act as heresy. They also used Breach Attractor to trap Rusalki on Sudra, separate them from their bodies and install their heads in various regions to remain there, forever motionless. They even locked one of the Rusalki, Oracca, deep within the planet which caused her to become ill and listless, prompting other Rusalki to give her more room to stretch or at least allow one of them to deliver her a MercyKill. And if Athetos can be believed, they opposed all of his attempts to study the technology of their work so he can bring the accumulated knowledge back to Earth, and their opposition eventually caused him to enact FinalSolution.

During Nintendo's 2019 Indie World presentation, Thomas Happ revealed ''VideoGame/AxiomVerge2'', a NonLinearSequel set before the events of Axiom Verge in a new world with new characters. It had a surprise launch on UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, and UsefulNotes/EpicGameStore on August 11, 2021.

During Nintendo's 2019 Indie World presentation, Thomas Happ revealed ''Axiom Verge 2'', a NonLinearSequel within the same setting, featuring a new protagonist in a new world. It is currently set to be released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2021.

* CombatTentacles: The Bioflux Accelerator upgrades cause either 2 or 4 tentacles that fire shots whenever Trace does to pop out from Trace's back whenever he's at full health.

During Nintendo's 2019 Indie World presentation, Thomas Happ revealed ''Axiom Verge 2'', a NonLinearSequel within the same setting, featuring a new protagonist in a new world. It is currently set to be released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in Fall 2020.