Odallus: The Dark Call

You really can't throw a stick without hitting Metroid-styled indie games these days. This, of course, is a good thing. Odallus falls into this camp, with some differences. It's more akin to Dracula X with the alternate stage paths, and Metroid with the permanent upgrades. The ever-classic Demon's Crest is a good example as well. While taking the role of Haggis, you'll come across the usual abilities: double-jump, float, dash, and so forth. This makes it necessary to revisit previously completed stages to suss out all their secrets. Some are quite the bit tricky to find. Combat takes a bit to get used to. Your initial sword swing is pretty fast, but there's a significant recovery period after, which leaves you open to attacks. Combat in the early going, in particular, can be fast and brutal. If you can track down the health and armor upgrades, things get easier, but they never get too simple. Haggis controls well, for the most part, although some of the physics don't feel completely right, much like JoyMasher's previous title, Oniken. Still, it's nothing that really gets in the way of enjoying the game. Levels are pretty varied, although fielding so many underwater areas is a bold move. It lends to the atmosphere of exploration, but your movement rate is pretty slow there. The graphics are quite excellent, with good spritework and a feel that approximates the NES, although the larger sprites and multiple layers of parallax scrolling will have you thinking TurboGrafx-16 instead. The soundtrack is solid, as well. The plot is pretty dark, but it's really not overly important to this type of game, much like NES games of the time. It's the exploration and upgrading that proves addictive. There are a few slick-looking cutscenes along the way, done in the style of Ninja Gaiden, and they are much appreciated. Really, if you're looking for a solid, NES-style action-platformer, it's hard to go wrong with Odallus.

Unfortunately it's not native to Linux but runs well under Wine, does not work with XInput controllers but if you have a Logitech F310 you can use use your favorite Linux utility to convert Direct Input to keystrokes and it'll work. (Tested on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS 64 bit and Wine 1.6.2) Trying to use the controller on Xinput makes the game crash.

Retro styled games are all the rage today but you instantly feel that this one was made with love. The color palette gives a really dark tone to the game and the gameplay even if ultra classic is top notch. It is a true pleasure to travel between the different levels of the game trying to uncover all their secrets. If you like games like Castlevania or Ghouls'n'Ghosts then you must give this one a try. The only bad point is that I experienced some game crashs without any apparent reasons.

I needed to write a review about this game because... oh boy it sure is great. Oke, this game sure has great atmosphere. Everything is detailed and you can tell the developers wanted to put a lot of life to this world. Its the little things like how he put's his sword back in the seath with every slash and how characters are broken and sick of the world. It's the little things like how the shopkeeper has a dragon helmet and one of the horns is broken. I love it. You can feel the sick depressing world these people live in. in one word: its amazing. I love it that your armor and sword changes ingame with every upgrade. The gameplay is your classic castlevania-metroid and...shatterhand. You have a world map, beat the boss, look for secrets. You know, the good stuff. its classic. The music is very good and sets the mood for the world you're about to enter. Oniken was great but this is a must buy. 10/10