Software:Valfaris

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Short description: 2019 video game
Valfaris
Valfaris cover art.jpg
Developer(s)Steel Mantis
Publisher(s)Big Sugar
Director(s)Andrew Gilmour
Designer(s)Thomas Jenns
Programmer(s)Thomas Jenns
Artist(s)Andrew Gilmour
Composer(s)Curt Victor Bryant
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, Switch
  • October 10, 2019
  • PlayStation 4
  • November 5, 2019
  • Xbox One
  • November 8, 2019
  • Amazon Luna
  • December 3, 2020
Genre(s)Action, platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Valfaris is a 2D action platforming game developed by Steel Mantis and published by Big Sugar. The game was released for Windows and Nintendo Switch on October 10, 2019. It was later released on November 5 for PlayStation 4 and November 8 for Xbox One. Merge Games distributed the physical copies of the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions. They were announced in August 2021 and were released in November. The game's soundtrack was composed by former Celtic Frost guitarist Curt Victor Bryant.

The game follows Therion, a warrior who returns to his home of Valfaris and finds out that it has devolved into chaos. He goes on a journey to figure out what happened to his home, destroy its demonic inhabitants, and kill his dad in the process.

Valfaris received generally favorable reviews from critics. A sequel titled Valfaris: Mecha Therion was released on November 21, 2023 for PC and consoles.

Gameplay

Therion shoots at an enemy.

In Valfaris, the player controls Therion, who is armed with a sword and a plasma pistol.[1] The pistol can be fired in eight directions.[2] Therion also has access to a heavy gun and a shield. Therion's energy meter is depleted when he uses the shield or the heavy gun.[3] The energy meter is replenished when Therion kills an enemy or loots a supply cache.[4] Therion can use the shield to block incoming fire, but he cannot move while using it.[3] If the shield is used at the correct time, it can send projectiles back towards enemies.[1] Blood metal is used to upgrade Therion's weapons, making guns fire faster and giving swords longer reach.[3] Weapons have to be upgraded at shrines. These shrines are also used as checkpoints. To activate these checkpoints, a green token called a Resurrection Idol must be used.[5] A Resurrection Idol can be found stashed in levels. Saving Resurrection Idols up until a certain threshold rewards the player with higher health and energy.[5][4] Resurrection Idols are not lost if Therion dies.[5]

Development and release

Valfaris was developed by Steel Mantis, an independent studio that previously developed Slain: Back from Hell.[6][7][2] The game was first announced through a trailer released during E3 2017.[8][9][10] The game was scheduled to release in 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.[11] In 2018, a 30-minute gameplay trailer was released, showing off the game's weapons, saving system, and weapon upgrades.[12] Valfaris was featured as part of the Indie Megabooth at PAX West 2018.[13] A game demo of Valfaris was shown at Gamescom 2018.[14] A Nintendo Switch version of the game was also announced by video game publisher Digerati.[15] Valfaris was featured at EGX 2018.[16][17]

Another demo of Valfaris was featured and the 2019 Game Developers Conference.[2][18] A trailer was shown off at the PC Gaming Show during E3 2019.[19][20] Steel Mantis also presented a model of the Bringer of Mayhem, one of the weapons in the game.[21] Physical copies of the PlayStation 4 and Switch versions were announced in August 2019. Merge Games distributed the physical copies, which were released in November.[22][23] A standard edition and a special edition titled Valfaris: Digital Deluxe Edition.[24] The signature edition came with digitally signed artwork, the game's soundtrack, an artbook, two pins, and an art card.[25] The soundtrack of Valfaris was composed by Curt Victor Bryant, a former bassist and guitarist of the extreme metal band Celtic Frost.[26][1][4]

Valfaris was released for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch on October 10, 2019, later releasing on November 5 for PlayStation 4 and November 8 for Xbox One.[24] The game was also released for Amazon Luna on December 3, 2020.[27]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticPC: 86/100[lower-alpha 1][28]
PS4: 80/100[lower-alpha 2][29]
XONE: 80/100[lower-alpha 3][30]
NS: 79/100[lower-alpha 4][31]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Famitsu31/40[32]
Hardcore Gamer4/5[3]
Nintendo Life6/10 stars[5]
Push Square8/10 stars[33]
Windows Central3.5/5 stars[34]

Valfaris received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[28][29][30][31] It received a score of 31 out of 40 from Famitsu, based on individual reviews of 8, 8, 8, and 7.[32]

Liam Croft from Push Square praised the game's platforming sections, weapon variety, and visuals. He called the boss fights "incredibly cool", but felt that the game's enemies respawned too quickly.[33] Dom Reseigh-Lincoln from Nintendo Life liked the Valfaris extreme metal soundtrack and the visuals. He believed that the Resurrection Idols made saving the game easier. He also felt that enemies respawned too quickly, and thought that the game needed a dodge button.[5]

Windows Central writer Brendan Lowry rated Valfaris 3.5/5 stars, writing that it was an "excellent" game, but felt that it was held back by design and technical flaws.[34] James Cunningham of Hardcore Gamer praised the game's "brutal" environments and liked the "monstrous abominations" of its bosses.[3]

Kellen Beck from Mashable complemented the game's metal soundtrack, and believed that Valfaris was a combination of "really well-done" elements. He called the boss fights "unique" and recommended the game for those looking for a "fun" action platformer.[1]

Sequel

A sequel titled Valfaris: Mecha Therion was announced on August 25, 2021.[35] It was released on November 21, 2023 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.[36][37] It will be published by Big Sugar.[38]

Unlike its predecessor, Mecha Therion will instead be a 2.5D shoot 'em up.[39][38] Steel Mantis originally planned to make a sequel to Slain!, but Andrew suggested that the team make a sequel to Valfaris. Thomas agreed, writing in a PlayStation.Blog that he was "immediately enthused".[35]

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Score based on 12 reviews.
  2. ↑ Score based on 9 reviews.
  3. ↑ Score based on 8 reviews.
  4. ↑ Score based on 19 reviews.
References
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Beck, Kellen (10 October 2019). "'Valfaris' is a blast of sci-fi metal action" (in en). https://mashable.com/article/valfaris-review. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Shive, Chris (3 April 2019). "GDC 2019: Valfaris Could Be The Greatest Sci-Fi Heavy Metal Adventure Since 1981 - Hardcore Gamer". https://hardcoregamer.com/gdc/gdc-2019-valfaris-could-be-the-greatest-sci-fi-heavy-metal-adventure-since-1981/327477/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Cunningham, James (10 October 2019). "Review: Valfaris - Hardcore Gamer". https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-valfaris/359339/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jones, John-Paul (20 November 2019). "Have You Played 'Valfaris'? A Perfectly Irresistible Marriage Of 'Doom', 'Contra' & Heavy Metal". https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3594782/played-valfaris-perfectly-irresistible-marriage-doom-contra-heavy-metal/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (9 October 2019). "Review: Valfaris - Heavy Metal Mayhem That's Rough Around The Edges". https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/valfaris. 
  6. ↑ Horti, Samuel (28 September 2019). "Heavy metal platformer Valfaris gets October release date" (in en). https://www.pcgamer.com/heavy-metal-platformer-valfaris-gets-october-release-date/. 
  7. ↑ Prescott, Shaun (25 August 2021). "Hellish pixel platformer Valfaris goes 2.5D in forthcoming sequel" (in en). https://www.pcgamer.com/hellish-pixel-platformer-valfaris-goes-25d-in-forthcoming-sequel/. 
  8. ↑ Barrett, Ben (14 June 2017). "Unto the End is a bloody, brutal Viking side-scroller". https://www.pcgamesn.com/unto-the-end/unto-the-end-trailer-valfaris. 
  9. ↑ Goslin, Austen (10 June 2019). "Valfaris is a heavy metal side-scroller from the creator of Slain: Back from Hell". https://www.polygon.com/e3/2019/6/10/18660084/valfaris-trailer-pc-gaming-show-e3-2019. 
  10. ↑ Shuman, Sid (13 June 2017). "E3 2017: Highlights From the Media Showcase and Beyond". https://blog.playstation.com/2017/06/13/e3-2017-highlights-from-the-media-showcase-and-beyond/. 
  11. ↑ Taylor, Craig (13 June 2017). "Valfaris Preview - Steel Mantis Teases A Metal-Inspired 2D Shooter Set In Space" (in en). Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/games/valfaris/b/xboxone/archive/2017/06/13/steel-mantis-teases-a-metal-inspired-2d-space-shooter.aspx. Retrieved 6 June 2022. 
  12. ↑ Saed, Sherif (6 June 2018). "Watch gameplay from Valfaris, the new game from Slain devs" (in en). https://www.vg247.com/valfaris-heavy-metal-action-from-slain-devs. 
  13. ↑ Hall, Charlie (17 August 2018). "Indie Megabooth's 20-minute highlight reel helps you pick your next obsession". https://www.polygon.com/2018/8/17/17722552/indie-megabooth-pax-west-trailer. 
  14. ↑ Boudreau, Ian (23 December 2018). "You can try out Valfaris, the upcoming heavy metal sci-fi shooter, in a free demo". https://www.pcgamesn.com/valfaris/free-demo. 
  15. ↑ Romano, Sal (21 August 2018). "Valfaris adds Switch version, new screenshots". https://www.gematsu.com/2018/08/valfaris-adds-switch-version-new-screenshots. 
  16. ↑ Welsh, Oli (20 September 2018). "Here's a full list of the 265+ games playable at EGX this week" (in en-gb). https://www.eurogamer.net/heres-a-full-list-of-the-265-games-playable-at-egx-this-week. 
  17. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (20 September 2018). "EGX 2018 has tons of playable games at the show - here's the list" (in en). https://www.vg247.com/egx-2018-playable-games-list. 
  18. ↑ Singletary, Charles Jr. (20 March 2019). "Dev interview - Metal and mayhem in 2D platformer Valfaris" (in en). https://www.shacknews.com/article/110663/dev-interview-metal-and-mayhem-in-2d-platformer-valfaris. 
  19. ↑ Romano, Sal (10 June 2019). "Valfaris E3 2019 trailer". https://www.gematsu.com/2019/06/valfaris-e3-2019-trailer. 
  20. ↑ Kane, Alex (10 June 2019). "'Valfaris' Gets a New Gameplay Trailer at E3's PC Gaming Show". https://variety.com/2019/gaming/news/valfaris-gets-a-new-gameplay-trailer-at-e3-pc-gaming-show-1203238468/. 
  21. ↑ Brown, Fraser (10 June 2019). "Action-platformer Valfaris gets a heavy metal trailer at the PC Gaming Show" (in en). https://www.pcgamer.com/action-platformer-valfaris-gets-a-heavy-metal-trailer-at-the-pc-gaming-show/. 
  22. ↑ Romano, Sal (6 August 2019). "Valfaris PS4 and Switch physical edition launches in November". https://www.gematsu.com/2019/08/valfaris-ps4-and-switch-physical-edition-launches-in-november. 
  23. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (7 August 2019). ""Valfaris" Physical Edition Coming To Nintendo Switch & PS4" (in en). https://bleedingcool.com/games/valfaris-physical-edition-coming-to-nintendo-switch-ps4/. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Romano, Sal (26 September 2019). "Valfaris launches October 10 for Switch and PC, November 5 for PS4, and November 8 for Xbox One". https://www.gematsu.com/2019/09/valfaris-launches-october-10-for-switch-and-pc-november-5-for-ps4-and-november-8-for-xbox-one. 
  25. ↑ Wilson, Mike (29 September 2019). "Heavy Metal Action Game 'Valfaris' Raises Hell October 10th". https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3586380/heavy-metal-action-game-valfaris-raises-hell-october-10th/. 
  26. ↑ Chapstick, Kelsey (27 September 2019). "'Valfaris': See Wild Heavy-Metal Video Game Scored By Ex-Celtic Frost Guitarist" (in en). https://www.revolvermag.com/culture/valfaris-see-wild-heavy-metal-video-game-scored-ex-celtic-frost-guitarist. 
  27. ↑ (in en) New on Luna+: Valfaris, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTrOKI9zCd4, retrieved 2022-12-18 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Valfaris for PC Reviews" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/valfaris/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Valfaris for PlayStation 4 Reviews" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/valfaris/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Valfaris for Xbox One Reviews" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/valfaris/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Valfaris for Switch Reviews" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/valfaris/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Romano, Sal (22 January 2020). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1625". https://www.gematsu.com/2020/01/famitsu-review-scores-issue-1625. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Croft, Liam (10 November 2019). "Mini Review: Valfaris - Heavy Metal Headliner Is Hellishly Worthy". https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/valfaris. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Lowry, Brendan (15 November 2019). "Valfaris Xbox One review: A brutally tough platformer that's good, but could be better" (in en). https://www.windowscentral.com/valfaris-xbox-one-review-brutally-tough-platformer-thats-good-could-be-better. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Jenns, Thomas (25 August 2021). "Valfaris sequel switches genres, but stays true to its roots". https://blog.playstation.com/2021/08/25/valfaris-sequel-switches-genres-but-stays-true-to-its-roots/. 
  36. ↑ Croft, Liam (25 August 2021). "Valfaris: Mecha Therion Brings More Heavy Metal to PS5, PS4 Next Year". https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/08/valfaris_mecha_therion_brings_more_heavy_metal_to_ps5_ps4_next_year. 
  37. ↑ Romano, Sal (25 August 2021). "Valfaris: Mecha Therion announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC". https://www.gematsu.com/2021/08/valfaris-mecha-therion-announced-for-ps5-xbox-series-ps4-xbox-one-switch-and-pc. 
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Craddock, Ryan (25 August 2021). "Valfaris: Mecha Therion Is A Genre-Switching Sequel Headed To Switch". https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/08/valfaris_mecha_therion_is_a_genre-switching_sequel_headed_to_switch. 
  39. ↑ Parijat, Shubhankar (25 September 2021). "Valfaris: Mecha Therion Interview – Enemies, Weapons, Progression, and More". https://gamingbolt.com/valfaris-mecha-therion-interview-enemies-weapons-progression-and-more. 

External links



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