Summary
- Set in a far corner of space, Valfaris is a heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer and the next game from the team behind Slain: Back From Hell
- Explore a diverse range of tainted environments as you venture ever deeper into the dark world of Valfaris
- Full of brutal combat, deadly enemies, stunning pixel art, and a savage soundtrack
If you like your gaming experiences loud and over-the-top (and excellent), then you’re in luck – Valfaris, the heavy metal action-platformer, is available to download today for Xbox One on the Microsoft Store.
With its heady mix of relentless
run-and-gun thrills and rowdy ear-blistering riffs, here are five reasons why Valfaris
is the heaviest metaliest game of the year.
1. There’s a gun that fires tormented
souls (and 18 other extremely metal weapons to play with)
Sure, bullets are fine and everything, but shooting
tormented souls at your enemies? That’s metal. And the Hellwraith, one of
Valfaris’ Destroyer-class heavy weapons, does exactly that. In addition to
spitting tortured spirits at foes, the Hellwraith – which is a rapid-fire
Gatling gun style killamajig – also drips blood from its sizzling-hot muzzle.
And the fun doesn’t stop with the Hellwraith.
A total of 19 outlandish weapons are waiting to be played with, including the
Bringer of Mayhem (fires a plasma beam capable of combusting the internal
organs of multiple enemies), the Wolf Light (slowly cooks its target until they
burst, releasing spirit wolf heads that attack other enemies), and the Jelly
Whip (a fleshy weapon made for flagellation).
2. The soundtrack! Also, headbanging!
It can’t be heavy metal without a heavy metal soundtrack, right!? Valfaris obliges with an original score composed by former Celtic Frost guitarist, Curt Victor Bryant. Having previously worked on the Slain: Back From Hell soundtrack (the first game from Valfaris developer, Steel Mantis), Curt returns with 20 rad tracks, including “Torture March,” “Abysmal Souls,” “Birth of a New Death,” and “Lost in Time” (which you can hear in the trailer at the top of the page).
And you can’t have heavy metal without a little headbanging, right!? Valfaris delivers on that front as well – every time you collect a new weapon, Therion, the game’s long-haired hero, performs a celebratory headbang!
Bonus fun fact: There’s a weapon in Valfaris called Hellhammer, which also happens to be what Celtic Frost was originally called when they first formed.
3. You fight a bio-mechanical snake called Hell Cobra that lives in a toxic swamp and breathes fire (and it’s only a mini-boss!!!)
The fact the cybernetic pyromaniac Hello Cobra only holds the rank of mini-boss gives you an idea of how excessively metal a foe needs to be in order to qualify as a proper big boss in Valfaris. For example, Itnan – the big boss of The Tombs level – is armed with a ridiculously over-sized railgun, lives in a coffin, wears skull boots, and can transform into a swarm of bugs.
Then there’s Furrok, a big boss and warrior hulk that’s clad in gold and black armor who attacks with a pair of enormous flaming hammers that are mighty enough to give Thor an inferiority complex. In total, there are over 70 different types of enemy (spread across basic, elite, mini-bosses, and bosses) to terminate with extreme prejudice.
4. You get to stomp about in a skull-headed
mech
Nothing screams heavy metal quite like trampling
over hapless enemies in a literal hunk of, erm, heavy metal. Piloting an Exterminator
Mech is a lot of cathartic fun. The mechanical colossus is fully weaponised and
capable of causing maximum carnage.
The Exterminator is equipped with a triple-whammy of deadly weapons. There’s a head-mounted Soulwraith gun that can blast enemies into itty-bits in an instant, a Star Fist melee weapon ideal for reducing hostiles to mucky puddles of guts, and a plasma incendiary called Soul Thrower that’s a fun way to flambé foes.
5. Full Metal Mode is on the way with
even more metal
If you’ve got the mettle to complete Valfaris then buckle-up for an even bigger challenge! Developer Steel Mantis is currently working on a New Game+ mode called, appropriately enough, Full Metal mode. It will be released as a free update in the not-too-distant future and will be automatically unlocked if you’ve got a Game Clear save file.
In Full Metal mode, enemies and bosses are tougher and more aggressive, and you take more damage when hit. However, to help even the odds, all your weapons, upgrades, and upgrade items are carried over, which means you’re beefed up right from the outset. You also get a devastating new Destroyer class weapon to play with. But make no mistake about it, Full Metal mode is going to be hardcore!
Valfaris is available to download now for Xbox One via the Microsoft Store. Good luck and keep it metal!
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