I’ve been a fan of Infernax since it was released in early 2022. While I’m not quite old enough to remember games such as Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest or Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, I have a lot of respect for them for how ambitious they were despite how limited gaming hardware was at the time. The attempted combination of exploration RPG and tough-as-nails action game was a genius concept but was obviously held back by the inherent limitations of the time. Yet as time moved on, game design became more and more complex and accessible, moving away from these original ideas and the intents that were originally conceived. That is, until Infernax came along and proved that those original ideas can be the groundwork for a modern throwback that remains accessible and just as brutal as the 8-bit days.
Infernax sees players take on the role of Duke Alcedor, who returns from a recent crusade to find his home overrun by the forces of darkness. Infernax boasts a Castlevania-inspired Medieval setting that transports players to another era of time using absolutely beautiful 8-bit artwork. Borrowing inspiration from Simon’s Quest, players are forced to go back and forth from place to place and actually learn the layout of Alcedor’s world. While most 8-bit throwbacks that are released nowadays are linear affairs, I love how Infernax allows its players to get involved in its world and locations despite its limited graphical power. A lot of this is thanks to exceptional art and creature design that features an assortment of ghouls and gore that wouldn’t look out of place on a death metal album cover. Bosses in the game are straight up hellish demons inspired by real demonology.
Infernax is not afraid to lean into the gore or satanism and honestly? I’m entirely here for it. In fact, I wish more games would commit so completely to the bit.
One of my favorite aspects of Infernax is the implementation of a morality system that affects the world around you. One early choice in the game presented me with the option of helping a sick villager or putting him out of his misery. In a foolish attempt to play a 100% good run I decided to help him, only for him to turn into a grotesque monstrosity and brutally murder me in a one-on-one fight. Making the alternate choice, I was able to smash his head in with a mace before he transformed; but a villager witnessed me do this and ran away in fright. Choices in Infernax at times feel like a zero sum game but I was always fascinated with the options presented to me and was always curious to what every choice led to. All this in an 8-bit style retro game, which absolutely rocks because most modern games don’t have a morality system as cool as this.
When Alcedor dies in the game (and he will), players will have to load their last save, losing every bit of gold and XP they’ve collected since then. Infernax also offers a restart option that lets you keep some of that gold and XP for players that seem daunted by this proposition, which is great from an accessibility standpoint. Often old-school games have a reputation for being “Nintendo hard” and a lot of this chalks up to bad game design and lack of accessibility options. Infernax keeps all the difficulty of those old games but instead provides players with options in how they want to experience it, which is never a bad thing. I always used the restart option that took away my gold and XP and still walked away from every play session immensely satisfied with what I had accomplished; without feeling like I needed to bash my head against the wall in frustration. Infernax has received a great amount of unlockable characters that range from a Conan inspired barbarian, to Army of Darkness inspired shotgun wielder, and even a character that turns the game into a Contra-style shooter. With all of these options available to me I was eager to jump right back into a new playthrough. It doesn’t do much new but what it does, it does exceptionally well.
Which brings up to Infernax’s newest update titled Deux or Die. In it players are introduced to Cervul the Squire and the new gameplay addition he adds to the experience: couch co-op. That’s right, the entire Infernax can now be played entirely in co-op (or one player controlling both characters by switching off) and let me tell you this absolutely rips. The developers have even gone out of their way to entirely rebalance the game around two characters and things can get pretty intense and hectic. If I had to compare it to anything I would say it reminds me of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, right down to each character having their own unique arsenal and abilities. I had an absolute blast battling the forces of Hell with a buddy and also found solo character swapping to add a whole new layer of challenge that I recommend to players who know the game inside and out. One last insanely cool bit about the co-op: the Contra-clone mode is also available in two-player mode and straight up feels like we got a brand new Contra game in 2023. It’s a love letter to Konami’s golden age inside and out.
At the end of the day, Infernax is the real deal. While not the most original game on the market, it’s such a refined experience that put a grin on my face the entire time I was playing it. It successfully updates outdated game design in smart ways and is packed to the brim with extras, and Deux or Die now makes this a must play for fans of couch co-op games. In a gaming landscape often overcrowded with retro throwbacks of sometimes dubious quality, Infernax stands apart from the pack by being polished to a bright sheen. Don’t skip this game.
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