As someone who enjoys playing a lot of 2D Indie games, one of the genres I’ve enjoyed the most probably has to be Metroidvania games. When I got to know that I was gonna get to review BIOTA a 2D Platformer, I was immediately very excited to check it out. But, is it really any good?
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Developed by an Indie Studio, Small Bros and published by Retrovibe, BIOTA is a 2D Metroidvania game. The game is set in a mining colony infected by an alien plague. The player commands a group of mercenaries on a quest to investigate the mining colony. Players can choose from a variety of characters with different sets of weapons, depending upon their play style.
Gameplay
Starting off with the gameplay, it simply feels like any other Metroidvania game. The controls are pretty simple and while they’re very easy to learn, mastering them could take a lot of time, so good luck with that! Players have the options for different characters and each one of them also has different weapons so the player has the option to choose accordingly.
With that said, one of the things I didn’t like about the game was that it can be pretty tough at times. There are no difficulty options too, so a lot of areas can be very tough for those new to platformers. Exploration is rewarded, but it can be painful as the enemies you encounter are not very forgiving. Boss fights can be pretty difficult at first, however, planning your attacks well make them much easier.
One of the best things about the game is that whenever there are no enemies on the screen, the player is allowed to save which is a lifesaver, considering you’ll be respawning a LOT. The same goes for the fast travel feature, which allows you to quickly travel back to your base. Once you’re there, you could simply heal up, change your character and more. The only downside is that you will need to start from the beginning of the area.
Visuals and Music
Moving onto the visuals and music, this is probably one of my favourite parts of the game. Right from the start, Biota feels like a retro-styled game, the 8-bit graphics add a nice touch overall. There are two graphic settings in the game, Lo-fi and Hi-Fi, while the Hi-Fi graphic setting may look a tad better, the 8-bit graphics fit in really well with the default Lo-Fi setting of the game.
Not only that but the colours in the game feel very fresh, making the overall experience amazing. The game is super customisable too, there are various colour schemes one can choose right from the start of a new game. There are over 54 different unlockable colour palettes, which players can swap at any point to change up their preferred 8-bit layout. These are added to the game as you explore and make your way through.
Talking about the soundtracks that the game has to offer, they’re very impressive. There are multiple tracks in the game and while each and every level may have similar music, they’re pretty intense which overall adds a lot of fun to the game. The music that plays between the boss fights is probably one of the best I’ve heard in this game so far.
Verdict
In the end, all I can say is that Biota is a pretty good game. Even though I do feel like there are a few small things that could be improved, the game is super addictive. Right from the start, the game feels very nice and the level design is so good that it makes exploration feel very rewarding too! As someone who enjoys Metroidvania games, Biota is probably one the most fun games I’ve played to date.
A copy of this game was provided to us by the publisher for this review.
Biota is an extremely good platformer. There are a few minor things I didn't like about the game, but even with that, the game can be very fun and addictive. The 8-bit graphics look unique and the soundtracks overall add a whole other vibe to the game.
