Infernax

''Infernax'' is a Metroidvania video game developed by Berzerk Studio and published by The Arcade Crew. It was released on February 14, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game follows the young Duke Alcedor, who finds his village overrun by monsters upon returning from the Crusades. ''Infernax'' received generally favorable reviews. An update to the game, ''Deux or Die'', was released on April 5, 2023, in which another player can join in as Cervul the Squire.

Gameplay

''Infernax'' is a 2D Metroidvania game set in a dark fantasy world where the player controls the young Duke Alcedor, while the second player controls Cervul the Squire; both of them find their village overrun by a sect of satanists and a lot of monsters upon returning from the Crusades. Alcedor wields a shield and a mace, while Cervul wields a throwing axe, a crossbow, a pavise (shield), and a banner, along with using bandages to keep himself and Alcedor healed up; all of these weapons and armor can be upgraded as the player progresses through the game. Players can also obtain a variety of magical spells, with some of which can be upgraded. The players earn gold and experience points whenever they defeat an enemy. Gold is used to buy upgrades for equipment, while earning enough experience points allows players to increase their health, mana (Alcedor only), or attack power.

In ''Infernax,'' villages are places where players can accept quests and buy items from shops. Villages and their residents are also affected by the choices that players make throughout the game. The goal of ''Infernax'' is to defeat the enemies within five different castles and destroy the gems inside of them. Once players destroy all five gems, the last castle – the Urzon citadel – is unlocked, containing the final boss of the game. ''Infernax'' features multiple endings, with the actions of the players determining the ending they receive:

Plot

Tired of the constant fighting and bloodshed of the Crusades, the young duke Alcedor returns to his homeland of Upel. However, the ancient tome known as the Necronomicon, a book written by a madman rumored to hold great power, has been brought to Upel around a year before Alcedor’s return. As a result, hordes of monsters have been ravaging the duchy, with Alcedor having to help defend the town of Darsov from an attack upon his return. Alcedor and the town’s defenders successfully drive off the attackers, though one of the monsters manages to flee.

After tracking down and slaying the monster outside the Urzon Citadel, Alcedor finds that the way inside is blocked by a magical seal. Father Henry, a priest from Darsov, explains that Alcedor must track down and destroy five crystal orbs scattered across Upel that keep the seal in place by killing the elder demons that hold them. Once all five crystal orbs have been destroyed, the Urzon Citadel will be unlocked, allowing Alcedor to enter and encounter a powerful demon known as Belphegor.

Additionally, Alcedor will also encounter Robert, the leader of a demon-worshiping cult that seeks to take over the duchy of Upel. Alcedor has the option of either joining Robert and the cult, or killing them. Joining the cult will change Alcedor’s weapon from a mace and shield to a greatsword, Cervul's axes to bombs, his crossbow to poisoned daggers, his banner to an eye-summoning monster (eyelord), with his shield becoming magic and capable of casting a large fire beam which can be recharged by collecting enemy projectiles with the shield's magic. Additionally, joining the cult gives Alcedor the opportunity to join the cult's attack on Darsov, slaying the town’s defenders along with Father Henry.

The game has multiple endings that depend upon the player’s choices throughout the story regarding the game’s morality system. The endings are as follows:

* If Alcedor enters the Urzon Citadel with a positive morality but does ''not'' possess the Necronomicon, then he will engage in battle with Belphegor. Alcedor defeats Belphegor, but succumbs to his wounds. A statue of Alcedor is then erected in the town of Darsov as the people come to remember their fallen leader. This ending is known as The Path of the Martyr.
* If Alcedor enters the Urzon Citadel with a negative morality but does ''not'' possess the Necronomicon, then he will engage in battle with Belphegor. Alcedor defeats Belphegor and survives the battle, but turns into a zombie hunted by the people of Upel. This ending is known as The Path of the Wretch.
* If Alcedor starts off with a negative morality but shifts to a positive morality before entering the Urzon Citadel and does ''not'' possess the Necronomicon, then he will engage in battle with Belphegor. Alcedor defeats Belphegor, but succumbs to his wounds. The people of Upel will regard that while there was evil in Alcedor’s heart, his selfless sacrifice saved the land. This ending is known as The Path of Redemption.
* If Alcedor enters the Urzon Citadel with a positive morality and possesses the Necronomicon, he will use the Necronomicon to open a portal to Hell when a giant hand reaches through the portal and crushes Belphegor’s head, dragging him through as Alcedor follows. Alcedor then fights a giant demon known as Baphomet and slays him, ending the demonic invasion. After burning the Necronomicon with the help of Father Henry, Alcedor gathers an army of knights and sets out to cleanse the monster threat once and for all. This ending is known as The Path of the Righteous.
* If Alcedor joins the cult and agrees to submit to Robert after laying siege to Darsov, he will become Robert’s right hand man as the cult takes over the duchy of Upel, subjugating the populace. This ending is known as The Path of Submission.
* If Alcedor joins the cult and refuses to submit to Robert after laying siege to Darsov, he will kill Robert and take the Necronomicon for himself, becoming the cult’s new leader. He then enters the Urzon Citadel and uses the Necronomicon to open a portal to Hell when a pair of tentacles grab Belphegor and drag him through. Alcedor then assumes a demon form and flies through the portal, fighting a powerful demon named Abbadon. After defeating him, Alcedor uses the Necronomicon’s power to bend the world to his will. Having mastered the Necronomicon, he becomes a nightmarish dark lord with demon powers and founds an empire feared throughout the kingdoms of both Earth and Hell. This ending is known as The Path of Evil.
* If Alcedor possesses the Necronomicon and brings it to a priest named Gregor while also having at least 95% of the game’s demonology filled out (which requires completing any path that ends in a battle with Belphegor, the Path of the Righteous and the Path of Evil, and also defeat almost any enemy type in order to earn demonology entries), Gregor will send Alcedor to an apocalyptic future where the descendants of Gregor’s order will give Alcedor a machine gun. Alcedor takes the gun and fights through a horde of cybernetically-enhanced monsters, culminating in a battle against a massive cyborg. After defeating Azazel, Alcedor stays in the future and sets off on a motorcycle. This ending is known as The Path of the Future. This ending is also a reference to the ''Contra'' franchise.
* If Alcedor kills the first monster after landing on the shores of Upel but heads back to the boat, the sailor will ask if Alcedor wants to leave. If Alcedor agrees, the game will end. This ending is known as The Path of the Coward.
* If Alcedor choses to sleep at an inn five times in a row, a cutscene will play showing Alcedor sleeping peacefully while demons attack in the background as the credits roll. This ending is known as The Path of Drowsiness. This ending is also a reference to the ending of '' Super Mario Bros. 2''.

Development

''Infernax'' was developed by Canadian game studio Berzerk Studio. The game was originally designed as an online Flash game. The game was crowdfunded through Kickstarter in 2015. In January 2020, a game demo of ''Infernax'' was released at PAX South 2020, revealing the overall plot of the game. ''Infernax'' was officially announced through a trailer on October 21, 2021, with a release date of Q1 2022 on PC and consoles. On January 11, 2022, The Arcade Crew released a trailer, revealing the game's release date of February 14, 2022. On February 14, 2022, ''Infernax'' released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game was also added to the Xbox Game Pass library on the same day.

An update to the game, called ''Deux or Die'', was released on April 5, 2023, in which a second player can control Cervul the Squire, who chooses to be loyal to Alcedor, right or wrong.

''Infernax'' was primarily influenced by '' Zelda II: The Adventure of Link'' and '' Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'', but also took inspiration from the accounts of knights such as Jean de Joinville and historical accounts from the Battle of Agincourt. The team also drew inspiration from the heavy metal genre, influenced by bands such as Mercyful Fate to "fit the feeling we wanted for the game".

Reception

''Infernax'' received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.

''Hardcore Gamer'''s James Cunningham described ''Infernax'' as a "fantastic throwback to 8-bit gaming". Cunningham stated that the difficulty of the game was appealing, writing that ''Infernax'' "knows when to go hard and when to back off".

Shaun Musgrave of ''TouchArcade'' praised the solid gameplay mechanics, and said that the fundamentals were "done properly". Musgrave recommended the game to those who enjoyed exploratory 2D platformers. Jordan Rudek from ''Nintendo World Report'' gave the game a 9/10, calling the game's pacing "excellent" and the gameplay "simple, but fun". However, Rudek criticized the initial difficulty curve of the game, and said that boss fights "seem much easier than some of the platforming". ''Game Informer'''s Wesley LeBlanc scored the game an 8/10, commending the uniqueness of the bosses, the challenging gameplay, describing it as a "fun Castlevania-inspired design". However, LeBlanc felt that the layout of some of the dungeons was frustrating.

''Destructoid'' reviewer Chris Moyse rated the game 8/10, praising the game's challenge, the chiptune score, and the visuals, describing them as "neat". Moyse criticized the slim cast of characters, and the game's story, calling it "relatively thin". Stuart Gipp of ''Nintendo Life'' lauded the game's challenge, the visuals, and the Metroidvania structure of the game. Gipp felt that familiarity let ''Infernax'' down, but wrote that it was done in a way that "you won't really care unless you're desperate for a completely fresh experience".

References

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External links

Official website

2022 video games
The Arcade Crew games
Berzerk Studio games
Metroidvania games
Dark fantasy video games
Historical fantasy video games
Video games about spirit possession
Indie games
Kickstarter-funded video games
Fiction about time travel
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Nintendo Switch games
PlayStation 4 games
Retro-style video games
Video games developed in Canada
Windows games
Xbox Cloud Gaming games
Xbox One games
Xbox Series X and Series S games
Side-scrolling video games