Time for another Dave Corn review. Developer Today’s Games and publisher Module16 offer up a bit of Metroidvania platforming-action with ReSetna.

“SYSTEMS IMPROVED! ReSetna is a combat oriented action-platformer. Battle Signal-hacked robots called Optigens, test your skill in epic boss fights and explore seven challenging zones! Customize your playstyle with a Tetris-inspired upgrade system to create powerful abilities.”

Trends in games are nothing new, things that become considered “retro” inspire a warm fuzzy feeling of the games we played when we were children. For me it was the golden age of Sega, from the Master System and Game Gear, right through to the Dreamcast. This was the early 90s and your choice of games was limited by the technology of the day – to say that it was the age of 2D platformers would be an understatement, giving us Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario World, Metroid and Castlevania.

It’s the last two games mentioned there, that have been mushed together to make a new modern sub-genre – the Metroidvania. An action-platformer, mostly 2D but sometimes 2.5D (enemies and characters usually move in semi-3D environments). But most importantly, Metroidvanias are notoriously difficult. Several examples of this are Dead Cells, Dark Light and Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown, to name a few more famed titles.

So now we get to ReSetna, from developer Todays Games, A Metroidvania in its purest form. This is a 2.5D action-platformer that sees you play as a robot awakened by A.I in a world where all organic matter has died, to investigate a mysterious signal that could end the sentient machines existence. Graphically the game is lovely to look at, there’s definitely the 2.5D feel of the original Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee. You have seven zones to explore, each with their own set of enemies, and with background animations and NPCS to interact with. All the usual stuff.

The combat in ReSetna is fast and it features a great parry system. Throw in upgradable weapons and numerous abilities, and there’s plenty to experiment with in terms of character development and loadout. The soundtrack is pretty minimal and in some places, it cuts out altogether in a way of the 90s PS1 games when the CD track had played for that level and you are left with the usual sound FX. It leaves nothing memorable in this area which is a shame with a modern game – the soundtracks are crucial to action games and builds the intensity to big combat. Hopefully this is just a loading bug that will be patched pretty quickly.

Gameplay is fun, but it can quickly become repetitive. ReSetna doesn’t hold you in the same way as something like Metroid Dread, which uses specific enemies repeated to scare you, each encounter fills you with the titular Dread and this keeps the game moving. ReSetna doesn’t have this, each zone’s enemies repeat way too often for you to care about what type they are and they soon become more of an annoyance.

For fans of the Metroidvania sub-genre, this game offers nothing new – but that’s not to say that it offers nothing. When I started playing ReSetna, I thought I’d give it a quick 30 minutes just to get a feel for the game. Before I knew it, I’d been playing for three hours. Exploring the zones and solving the puzzles was as compelling as wit the last Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown, the combat (albeit slightly repetitive) is still rewarding and offers more options and variables than Metroid Dread.

The graphics are a very shiny PS1 game standard 2.5D. Nice to look at, but not ground-breaking in any way. I should also note that I’m playing the PC version and not the Switch (I can’t imagine it looking as good in anyway). The game is retailing for around £17, with a solo campaign lasting around 20 hours, I’d rather pay half of that, so I’d wait for a sale before trying this one but unlike several of my other reviews, I didn’t dislike ReSetna, which is nice and all – but hardly a shining endorsement of a game.

I should also note that this Croatian dev studio doesn’t have a team anywhere near the size of those that worked on some of the other titles I’ve mentioned, but if you are charging that for a digital release, you want your moneys’ worth and at full price, this isn’t there. That’s not to say that ReSetna wont be improved with patches and DLC or a price drop in the future.

Graphics 7/10- Very reminiscent of PS1 games like Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee.
Gameplay- 6/10- Good exploration and level design with rewarding combat, let down by repetitive enemies with little personality.
Soundtrack- 2/10- Forgettable and cuts outs constantly , only to be left with icky FX noises as you traverse the levels.
Value-5/10- I’d wait for a 50% off offer and a few patches under its belt. 20 hours gameplay is eked out with repetitive enemies.