The Metroidvania sub-genre is one that I have a lot of time for, and I have played a fair few of them over the years. Developer and publisher, QUByte Interactive have decided to add to the many Metroidvania titles that are already on the market with Mars 2120.

“Metroidvania with a mix of melee and ranged combats inspired by classics like Super Metroid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Guacamelee! Help Anna “Thirteen” Charlotte battle her way through the secrets of Mars.”

Name-checking great games like Super Metroid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Guacamelee! in your marketing blurb is a bold thing to do, as that tells me that the devs think they have a game just as good. In the case of Mars 2120, that is most definitely not true at all. Don’t get me wrong, this is far from being a bad game – but it is just as far from being a great one. The main trouble with Mars 2120, is that it’s just too mediocre. It doesn’t have the polished gameplay of Super Metroid, it doesn’t have the oozing style of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and it doesn’t have the cheeky fun and humour of Guacamelee!

If you have ever played a Metroidvania game before, then you know exactly what you are getting here with Mars 2120. This hits all the tropes of the genre, and never does anything new or interesting with them. Explore the map, defeat bosses, get new a weapon/upgrade, and use that weapon/upgrade to explore more of the map. The story is generic and the gameplay is… well it’s fine. This is the main issue, Mars 2120 is fine. There have been some great Metroidvania titles over the last few years and to stand out, you need to do something to make your game stand out in the crowd. The likes of the two Ori titles or Hollow Knight (sequel coming soon) have been so popular as they melded the classic Metroidvania gameplay with a level of uniqueness. Mars 2120 has nothing unique about it and it is destined to be forgotten about while other titles in the sub-genre flourish.

Outside of the very generic set-up and gameplay, Mars 2120 has a few niggles too. The controls feel a bit to light and floaty, especially with the double jump. Navigation is a pain and the map doesn’t correctly display your next objective. I had the game crash and hard reset my Xbox several times. Overall, this feels like it has been released a month or two too early. Mars 2120 needed a bit more time in the oven to be fully cooked and it felt like I was playing an early access game that the devs were waiting for feedback on to get it finished.

Priced at around £16, Mars 2120 is in no way a bad game, it’s just a very okay one. There are some great boss fights, but everything in between those boss fights is very middle of the road. I get the retro-inspired style and all, but this one just needs a bit more to give it a lift and some finishing polish. If Mars 2120 had been released 10 years ago, I’d be singing its praises a lot more. The issue is that we have had some corking Metroidvania titles over the last few years, and they have raised the bar too. Unfortunately, Mars 2120 slides under that bar instead of trying to get over it.