If you are ancient and decrepit like myself, you remember the days of the NES and Mighty and Immortal Commodore 64 dominating the gaming landscape. The games were simple, easy to learn, yet difficult to master. Alwa's Awakening sits right in the midst of that style gameplay.
Leaning on such classics as Legacy of the Wizard, Metroid, and Castlevania, AL has some great 8 bit style graphics and music, coupled with solid controls and a dose of that simple, easy to learn gameplay that marked the best of the 8 bit era of gaming. It's more of a late-08's/early 90's NES Metroidvania style (and there's even a limited edition NES port being made), hitting that peak 8 bit goodness.
You play as Zoe, a young woman summoned to the land of Alwa to break Hulk Hoga- er save the land from evil. To do this, you run, jump, and slap the snot out of enemies with your big stick. Along the way, you gain new powers for your staff, which help you to solve the mild puzzles you'll face and reach new areas.
It's a fun throwback to a simpler time, and Alwa's Legacy proves that you don't need top notch 3D graphics and thousands of things going on to make a great game. It's well worth the purchase price, and unlike a increasingly large chunk of GOG titles; it actually works! No crashes, no spending hours trying to find a support thread that will get you to playing, just install and play. I didn't even have to set up my Logitech F310; it defaulted settings perfectly. Just for that, I suggest supporting the dev.
