14 DAY TRIAL // 
There’s a spear skeleton up ahead, which means I need to carefully plan a jump in order to avoid his attack and close the distance. A hatchet thrower is behind him, which complicates matters. And to make it safely to the next screen I will also have to move through some environmental hazards and dodge some floating eyes. I will probably have to fight a mini boss to get the key I need, and I look forward to seeing his design and moves. There's nothing Alcedor cannot handle, as long as I keep my cool and remember their attack patterns and moves.
Infernax is developed by Berzerk Studio and published by The Arcade Crew. I played on the PC using Steam, but gamers can also pick it up on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 4, the Xbox Series X and S, and the Xbox One. The game offers a retro take on side-scrolling action, with some very welcomed improvements.
Prepare to become Alcedor, a capable knight who returns from the Crusades to find that his homeland is not filled with demons. There are multiple bosses to take down and a world filled with secret areas and shortcuts. So far, so classic. But the world also offers side-quests, many centered around optional but capable bosses. And there are also choices, some of which open up intriguing possibilities (take a look at the achievements). There’s not a ton of writing in Infernax but it is well-executed, with funny moments from time to time.
Gameplay is centered on side-scrolling combat. Alcedor moves from screen to screen, avoiding attacks, taking down monsters, avoiding environmental dangers. Players need to watch opponent patterns to learn how to best approach them. After a while, magic enters the picture, offering an extra tool to deal with groups. Health is limited and precious. All bosses seem very hard before they reveal their routines. When death comes players are sent back to their most recent save-capable altar.
As gamers take down normal and boss enemies, they gather both experience and money. The first can be used to upgrade attack, health, and mana stats, while the second gets spent on better equipment, potions, spells, and more. An improved character is not a substitute for good reflexes and a good approach, but armor and more magic do help.
Outside of combat, Infernax asks players to navigate a pretty open and fun world. The night brings different enemies. There are secrets and shortcuts to find. But enemies re-populate screens, which means that there’s always danger, so plan carefully (there’s plenty of backtracking that’s baked into the actual quests).
One of the best aspects of Infernax is its handling of difficulty. The developers clearly want gamers to use Classic difficulty and master the mechanics to make progress. But they give them the option to drop down to Casual, which conserves some gold and experience after death. In the Options menu, players can also find something called Master Controls if they want to get even more help when they are unable to make progress.
I am not the best Castlevania player and tend to abandon this kind of title quickly. But Infernax, even without dropping the difficulty, manages to walk the fine line between challenging and satisfying. It is easy to die because you’re not paying attention or because you’re thinking of the coming boss rather than the screen you actually have to clear. Focus and at least a little planning is important, as are quick-thinking and good reflexes.
I would have liked for the bigger dungeons to have less environmental threats. Fighting enemies is never dull while avoiding spikes sometimes feels annoying. Make sure to never get past an altar without saving to avoid a lot of potential frustration.
Infernax uses a retro-pixel look to great effect. It’s clearly designed to tug at the heartstrings of anyone who has played a classic Castlevania, with its medieval feel and its focus on making pixel graphics look as good as possible. The big added element is the level of gore, which might turn some potential players off, but looks pretty good (skip the death sequences when they become repetitive). The soundtrack is also spectacular, filled with cool themes that kick in at the right time and tracks that I now listen to outside of the game.
The Good
- Combat mechanics
- Unique enemy designs
- Ways to mitigate difficulty
The Bad
- Big difficulty spikes
- Limited story appeal
- Gore can become annoying
Conclusion
The game could use more info for the on-screen map and maybe a little more in the way of a narrative hook. But for anyone who has played and enjoyed its inspiration Infernax is a great experience and Berzerk should expand on it while keeping between this kind of balance between old and new.
Review code provided by the publisher.
