Review of Rebel Transmute for Xbox Series
“Metroidvania” is the name given to this subgenre of video games that encompasses all those 2D or 2.5D side-scrolling titles with platforming storylines and a non-linear structure. The word is the union of the name of the first two games to appear on the market with this style: Metroid Yes Castlevania. Both pioneered this formula in the 90s, and over the years it has been developed in better and worse ways. Now the independent developer Evan Leibmanin collaboration with the Spanish distributor JanduSoftthey bring back memories of 1994 with Rebel Transmutation. A sci-fi adventure that exudes that magic that classics like Super Metroid of the SNES.
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Hostile planet
Rebel Transmutation tells us the story of Officer Mikono. Luna’s mother, Wendy, was a well-known researcher on the planet Earth 6, but a great cataclysm has made this world an inhospitable place. At that point, Luna will transition from scrapper to space adventurer and embark on a dangerous mission to Terra 6 to discover the true fate of her missing mother.
Survive on Terra 6
Accomplishing our mission, as you can imagine, will not be an easy task. To begin with, the landing on the planet was forced. Our exosuit is equipped with the basics to survive: a laser cannon and a cure. With this we will have to explore a huge planet which results in a gigantic map divided into zones. Exploring will allow us discover new upgrades, relevant characters in the story and unlock moves that help us access more locations
The gameplay of Rebel Transmute is very smooth and precise. It’s something that’s noticeable as soon as you take control. This results in very responsive movements in and out of combat. The fact that the control is so careful is greatly appreciated, especially considering that this is a game with a good dose of platforming. Most of the jumps are very tight and difficult. At the slightest miscalculation, we will fall into the void and pray that there are no spikes below. The combat is well balanced, with a good variety of enemies present to keep you on your toes throughout the game. Furthermore, the action of shooting causes a certain recoil effect in our character, we will therefore have to calculate the distances well if we do not want to fall from a platform without realizing it.
Increased power
Like any good metroidvania worthy of the name, In Rebel Transmute, you will have to carefully explore every corner of the map to find upgrades or key items to keep moving forward and reach new areas. These Increasesas the game calls them, are the same as the Amulets of Hollow Knight. That is, they are passive abilities that we can equip and carry at the same time in different slots of our spacesuit. Different aspects will improve like life, amount of healing, crystals we will keep when we die, etc. We can change them whenever we want in the restoration capsules that we find. These will also work as checkpoints, they will heal our life and we will respawn there once we die.
Besides the increases, also we can improve our costume. These improvements will concern the movement and combat systems. We can learn skills as hyphen in the air or different weapons for our laser cannon which are more effective against certain enemies. Notably, If we die, we will leave a certain number of crystals at the place of our death and we will appear in the last capsule we found. Here we will have two options: return to this place and recover them, but with one less life point, or lose them and resurrect with full life. It’s up to us to decide how much risk we want to take.
Retro Alien Art
On an artistic level, Rebel Transmute simulates the classic 16-bit pixel-art style of the 90s. But this is not a negative thing, quite the contrary. Its aesthetic is modern enough to stand out as an updated version of the visual formula. The art direction works well with all the character portraits and elf
When it comes to sound, where and when the music should play is carefully chosen, and it almost always hits the mark appropriately throughout the game. However, even though the title has a great ambiance created by its soundtrack, it doesn’t vary too much. For each region, there is default roaming music, monster music, and then boss music. The first will be the one you hear most of the time. Although it is well composed and sets the tone appropriately, listening to the same track over and over ends up messing with your head.
It should be noted that the works contains texts translated into Spanishalthough with some errors from time to time.
Eventually
Rebel Transmute is a metroidvania like those of yesteryear, but with a good facelift in terms of playability. Its careful and well-maintained controls make the experience of controlling our character very pleasant, especially if we take into account that it is not an easy game. Although it’s a solo developer project, it’s a title polished down to the essentials. Evan Leibman manages to put love and care into both the pixel-art design and the music. Overall, Rebel Transmute plays too safe as a metroidvania, but it’s still a very good option for anyone who loves the genre.
Rebel Transmutation
$19.99
Benefits
- Very careful orders
- Refined pixel art
- Wide variety of enemies
- The map is huge
The inconvenients
- Don’t risk too much like metroidvania
- There is only one music for all areas of the map
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