Beyond the aesthetics, it's really not that engaging. One can feel lost more easily than feel like on an adventure with a purpose and direction. Gameplay is competent, technical aspects subpar, but understandable for indie gaming. Looking forward to improvements on the sequel.

What kind of metroidvania doesn’t have a map? Very silly omission; one that makes an already frustrating game even more of a slog. The platforming is very loose; Beholgar will fall off the rock with the tiniest flick of the stick. Checkpoints are generous, but the game needed tightening up: enemies keep coming at you no matter how hard you hit ‘em, and there are several whose attack patterns are pretty much unavoidable. You will die needlessly, over and over again because the enemies are everywhere, relentless, and often it’s a matter of luck and not skill. Cardinal sin in a game like this. You cannot change your ranged weapon. If you’re stuck with the useless axe or boomerang, you can’t switch to the arrow or fireball. Lame. Again, how do you make a metroidvania and forget to include ranged weapon switching? R2 is just sitting there…The game needed serious tightening and more play-testing. There is almost a retro classic there, but even with gigantic nostalgia goggles on, Beholgar is just average and annoying. The test for these sorts of games, for me anyway, is how they would’ve been received had they come out in the 90s. Looking like an early Amiga or Euro Genesis game, I think most reviewers would’ve fallen in love with the graphics and music (both are a solid 9/10) but complained about the very unpolished hack n’ slash, poor platforming and lack of depth. I hope the next release from this publisher builds on the considerable talent of its programmer and finally delivers on the promise of a retro masterpiece along the lines of a Cyber Shadow, an Infernax, or even an Odallus.Huge wasted opportunity.