The Axis Unseenis the first indie project by Nate Purkeypile and his studio Just Purkey Games. A veteran game designer who worked onFallout 76,Skyrim, and BloodRayne 2,he wanted to bring his creative vision to life with a new indie venture. The result wasThe Axis Unseen, which blends heavy metal, horror, and hunting. After experiencing the unknown world, I can thoroughly say that The Axis Unseenis a knockout indie entry in gaming.
Experience a New Kind of Hunt inThe Axis Unseen
The main premise ofThe Axis Unseenis you're a hunter following in the footsteps of those who came before you. Hunt down creatures and collect journal entries to learn about hunters and the world around you as you journey toward the Mountain. A world between worlds, this unknown place is not where you originally came from, and the Mountain is the way back to the real world.
It took me around 25 hours to complete my first playthrough where I gathered all the powers, magic, and arrow types. I played on average difficulty, but you can choose harder ones, even permadeath. Once you make it through the Portal at the top of the Mountain, you can embark on new game+, start a new playthrough, or keep playing the game to earn different achievements.
The creatures you hunt aren't your ordinary deer, quail, or bear, however. They're what legends are often told of. Cryptids and beasts from folklore that somehow slipped into our world from this place. This is where a chunk of the horror present in the game comes into play.
Not only are these creatures startling in appearance, with giant bone growths or lacking skin, but they also make incredibly creepy sounds. There are creatures so large they shake the earth when they walk, while others scream if you get too close to them. Even during the day, these can ambush you with fatal consequences.
While your prey may be scary to look at or hear, the world ofThe Axis Unseenis filled with giant human skeletons, horned creature skeletons, and an abyss filled with fleshy tissue. Everywhere you look there are bones, altars, and abandoned structures. It sets the scene for all the tension that builds as you hunt, and are hunted, across the regions.
Heavy Metal Instrumentals
Throughout the game, the music enhances all encounters. The Forest is melancholic, the Darkness puts you on edge. Like other titles, the music changes as you encounter stronger enemies. What makes it the perfect fit forThe Axis Unseenis the genre of music, metal.
If it was classical or electronic, the music wouldn't fit as well. It wouldn't enhance all interactions in the game like metal does. Entering a new region brings new music. Combined with creature sounds, new visuals, and potential attacks, it heightens the tension substantially. At one point, the music had amped me up so much that I almost jumped off my chair when I got attacked by a new creature.
The genius behind the heavy metal isClifford Meyer, a former member ofRed Sparowes. His band experience and musical talent allowed him to craft instrumental music that elicits a variety of emotions from triumph to sadness to fury. Without this aspect ofThe Axis Unseen, it wouldn't be as fun to play as it currently is.
It's Not All Hunting Trophies
There are a lot of good things aboutThe Axis Unseen, but there are a couple of issues with the game as well. While there's an intricate story laced throughout the game, it involves finding the scattered journal pages. This isn't necessarily hard since most are found near Portals, magic altars, or energy hotspots. The real downside is the pages and pages of reading you have to do to learn about the story.
Now, I don't mind reading a bit of lore to understand a story. However, it's about 150 pages of reading that you need to go through to get the big picture. On top of having to read a lot of words, you can be attacked while getting through the journal entries. Unless you're sure there are no creatures around, learning lore can be a bottom-of-the-list task.
In addition to large-scale reading, there are some areas you can fall through the map. Don't jump off any ledges, as you may get stuck at the bottom of a cliff and have to end your hunt, sacrificing any unlocked energy you've collected.
Sometimes, an arrow type you're looking for gets skipped over when changing arrows. This can disrupt your timing for explosions, getting in a kill, or being able to see in the dark. This is a minor inconvenience and doesn't happen all the time, but often enough that it should be mentioned.
All in all,The Axis Unseenis a solid solo game produced byNate Purkeypile. It combines horror, hunting and shooting, with heavy metal music to carve out a place among competing titles. For players looking for something new, want to experience their favorite music genre in a different way, or just want to check out a great indie title,The Axis Unseenshould be on the list.
The Axis Unseenwas reviewed on PC with a copy provided by the publisher over the course of 30 hours of gameplay - all screenshots were taken during the process of review.