Aggelos Review

From the start of the game, Aggelos is a glaring homage to classic action RPGs like The Adventures of Link: Legend of Zelda 2 and the Monster Boy series. It’s a classic side-scrolling 2D hack’n’slash adventure that will see you crossing a magical land, fighting monsters and solving puzzles like it’s going out of style.

The premise of the game is to gather four elements to stop the dark portal from opening. Once you have met with the king, you are on your way to adventure! Your first step is the recovery of the Earth Crystal. In the dungeon, you get access to magic. The first magic you get is to turn the glowing white balls into platforms. You charge up your magic by hitting enemies. As you have sword and later on a magic attack, combat is simplistic. Avoid getting hit by the enemies and swing your sword. Boss fights are much harder as you have to dodge multiple attacks at once.

There are several different locations to visit, each with their own puzzles. For Example: In one kingdom, you need to get a coupon from someone on the second floor, but you have no way of reaching them. Once you notice the window on the second floor, the answer is obvious. That quest then sets you up for an item that allows you to speak with people you were not able to understand before. A very useful item.

Controlling the character feels smooth, but at times it felt like I was moving on ice while jumping from platform to platform. The combat was swift and clean with a variety of monsters to fight, each with their own challenges, although using magic skills took some time to learn.

One of the biggest offenders to the game was the music, as I felt it was grating and repetitive. What made the matter worst is that there was no foreseeable way to change the volume, leaving you stuck with it.

The game is entertaining with a rich story and a great homage to the classics. The nostalgia the game provides is great. Struggling to learn boss patterns, solve puzzles, and save the kingdom, you get a real sense of accomplishment playing Aggelos. There are a few downsides though. One being the music. As stated before, you cannot lower the volume in game and it does get grating after some time. The other issue would be the “slippery” movement when platforming.

I enjoyed playing Aggelos and would recommend playing it to enjoy a great homage to the past.