Metroidvania-style games—those with large, interconnected maps—certainly have something to offer to players. You can practically explore an open world within a 2D-style setting, similar to both the Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night games, after which the genre is named. However, what’s great is how these developers are innovating within this open world, which is exactly what Discord Games is doing with Chasm.
The game, which features procedurally generated stages to explore and effective ways to defeat enemies that pop up throughout each cavern, is currently in development for PC and PlayStation 4. And although it doesn’t have a solid release date just yet, it’s definitely going to be worth the wait—especially for those who grew up in the era of the SNES/Sega Genesis adventure games.
Chasm puts players in the shoes of Daityn, a young soldier who’s been sent to the local mountain town of Karthas to investigate a mining community that’s fallen a little too quiet for its own good. While there, he learns that paranormal forces have moved in, marking the territory as their own and sealing off any form of contact from the outside world. As a result, Daityn becomes trapped himself and sets off to find the source of this mysterious evil—as well as what they could possibly want with such a small village.
Players will visit the six largely crafted worlds, each filled with more dangers than the last—whether it’s large, scaly earthworms hanging from the ceiling or dangerous monsters that lurk on the ground. As Daityn continues on his journey, he’ll come across new items to help him out, including weapons like throwing knives and a hunting blade that’s suitable for close-range attacks, as well as helpful utilities, such as a health pack or gems that can be used to purchase new goods. Players can change Daityn’s gear at any time, using a customization menu that allows them to place armor, weapons, and other gear onto him with the push of a button.
Smaller enemies don’t provide too much of a threat to our hero, but larger bosses eventually emerge in the game, forcing Daityn to use whatever strategy he can find to defeating them—a job easier said than done. However, bringing them down will eventually open up more parts of the game, and bring you that much closer to the ghostly truth that awaits.
Chasm possesses a retro-based art style, utilizing authentic pixel art that’s a strong reminder of the 16-bit days of old. It also has a sharp soundtrack, one that takes advantage of the adventuresome tone of the game—as you can hear in the trailer below.
And, of course, Chasm has something to offer to hardcore players as well. The game features various modes to try out, including the Normal story mode, an Arena set-up where you can face continuous chains of enemies, a Time Trial mode to beat the stages as quickly as possible, and a Hardcore mode where the ultimate challenge awaits. Those of you who don’t mind putting your skills to the test will also be able to record your best times through the online leaderboards.
Look for Chasm to make some waves in the indie gaming community in the months ahead. It’s certainly, ahem, deep.
Are you looking forward to Chasm? Let us know in the comments!
—
Image Source: Chasm Game