60
Cathedral is basically 10 to 15 hours of decent exploration, with some decent upgrades to find, which will help you fight some decent boss fights, while enjoying the decent retro audio-visuals. Sadly, that's the best thing this has to offer: a decent time. In a sea of similar games, there's little reason to spend any time in here, unless a collector of all things metroidvania.
70
Cathedral's real sin is that there's not much to make it distinct from other Metroidvanias on the system. It nails the retro look and the need for exploration. The lack of handholding is refreshing, and the combat is rather good, especially for the boss fights. It doesn't have anything else to pull in players, aside from the fact that the world you traverse is absolutely huge. If you're a genre fan who wants something new yet familiar to work with, Cathedral is the right game.
80
Cathedral is a game that packs a lot of exploration in its action and platforming design, as well as many metroidvania elements and a healthy mix of adventure, combat and puzzles. Along with the quality of its level design and visual presentation, this is a game that will provide an involving experience for many players looking for a tough and demanding experience.
8
A well-executed Metroid-like, although it doesn't bring anything new to the genre. Some of the bosses are a little over the top in terms of difficulty.
7
Cathedral is a decent metroidvania with some small, but not insignificant problems. The majority of the game is pretty fun - it has nice movement, the combat isn't bad, and the exploration is just what you'd expect from the genre. Where the game falls down primarily, for me, is it's boss design. Most of the bosses are just way too aggressive and, and give you very little opportunity to deal damage back, or in some cases, to even avoid being hit. I had to resort to buying a health boost to even have a chance of making it through a few of them. And look - I know bosses are supposed to be harder than the rest of the enemies, and I actually enjoy a good soulslike - when I'm playing one. But when I'm playing a metroidvania that suddenly becomes a souls like for 3 minutes out of nowhere? That I don't enjoy so much. The difficulty spike for the bosses just feels WAY too extreme. It feels jarring, and really takes a lot of the fun out of the experience for me. If you like metroidvania and enjoy a good challenge, you'll probably like Cathedral. But if you don't want to have to fight a boss 20 times before you can progress, save yourself the frustration and give this one a miss.
5
I think it is my first Metroidvania I do not recommend it. Pros. Collectibles. Intuitive design. Final boss. Cons. Imbalanced. Banner mechanic. You have to waste a lot of time switching them. Some locations are OP. Music and sounds. Level design. Not my thing. It is not a game for me, but if you like this style you may love it. Also, the game seemed very similar to Alwa's Awakening (even those hooded ghosts). It is not a cons, it is rather a suggestion for those who love this type of game. Me - I don't.
Played on PC though. Can't choose PC for some reason :(
Cathedral (2019)
Released On:
Feb 18, 2021
Metascore
Mixed or Average
71
User score
Mixed or Average
6.6
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
71
40% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
60% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Mar 24, 2021
85
A pure metroidvania which doesn’t get bogged down with superfluous mechanics, instead choosing to explore and push every facet of gameplay to its limit.
Mar 12, 2021
80
A typical but well made metroidvania game, with a very large map and elevated difficulty that will appeal to all fans of the genre.
User score
Mixed or Average
6.6
61% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
22% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
17% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Mar 26, 2021
10
Tight controls, massive map, great music, challenging. Anyone that loves metroidvanias is gonna love this one. Probably a few that don't love them will love it aswell. Ive played every metroidvania worth its salt and i still got 37 hours out of this one for a single playthrough. I didnt go completionist on it neither. Worth every penny.
Mar 7, 2021
10
I feel like it is important to state from the outset, that although this game has received positive reviews overall, there is a kind of error in the assessment. The general thrust of the reviews is that this is a good Metroidvania, but that it fails to bring 'anything new' to the genre - and as such does not arrant a very high review score. This is not correct, and in my opinion, there is something new and fresh feeling in this excellent game. of course, as a Metroidvania, there is something formulaic - but the presentation and delivery of this title does not feel imitative or repetitive. For an indie title with a very small team, this game (the map) is also pretty massive, and it takes way longer to clear than the typical indy Metroidvania does (length wise, it took me a bit longer to complete this than it took to complete Ritual of the Night (35 hours approx), and i have complete Momodora: RutM (a great game) 4 times on all settings and that has clocked less time than 1 Cathedral playthrough). Reading some professional reviews, you can tell they did not actually play through the whole game because some give a completion time of 15-20 hours. I suppose they just extrapolated from the typical lengthier Metroidvania, but there is no way someone is doing a 15-20 hour clear on first playthrough unless they are sitting with a playthrough and boss guide, and racing through the game like that. Average competent gamer is looking at a 32-38 completion time. There are good 100% challenges there for those who like 100%ing a game - which, without a guide, i can see taking 40-45 hours. One worry for this type of game though, is that it is easy to overlook such a title because of the influx of 8-bit style platform type scrolling games that start to look similar. DO NOT miss this title because it looks like just another 8-bit indy game. If you enjoy Metroidvanias (and hard ones at that), then i cannot imagine you would dislike this game or find it average. It is extremely challenging at times, even to the point of extreme frustration, but not to the point that it is insanely impossible or anything. The items that are acquired are interesting and feel satisfactory when found. Of course the obligatory double jump and dash items are there, but with the other more unique items, they really make for challenging and fun platforming sections and puzzle solving. The chiptune music is excellent, and so is the map design in general. I really, really recommend this for someone looking for a new, lengthy Metroidvania, that overall feels fresh and a bit new. You probably wont find a better value for money Metroidvania on the market given the length. No way in this world this game deserves a 6/10. It is full of charm and made with heart, passion, intelligence and dedication. For me this game is a 10/10.
Feb 24, 2021
80
As a simple and intuitive retro-style Metroidvania, Cathedral does a great job of presenting an enjoyable game world to explore.
Apr 4, 2021
70
Cathedral is a nice tribute to the 8 Bit era. It does not innovate at all and it can do something boring but in general it is a well executed product.
Mar 3, 2021
70
Cathedral is a fine Metroid-like in terms of level design, but I just can’t shake the feeling that it doesn’t hit the balance between exploration and combat—the latter so often gets in the way of simply enjoying the former. If you’re a big fan of the genre and are itching for a fresh take, Cathedral is a fine choice that, for the most part, gets it right. Just expect to get tired of fighting your way through every room.
Nov 2, 2022
60
Cathedral is basically 10 to 15 hours of decent exploration, with some decent upgrades to find, which will help you fight some decent boss fights, while enjoying the decent retro audio-visuals. Sadly, that's the best thing this has to offer: a decent time. In a sea of similar games, there's little reason to spend any time in here, unless a collector of all things metroidvania.
Mar 17, 2021
50
Cathedral lacks vision where it counts. The title is focused on appealing to the hardcore with its retro presentation and difficulty that borders on irritating. The visuals and audio are certainly reminiscent of titles from the past, however, they lack that special polish that would elevate them beyond the superficial way they ape how games looked and sounded back then. Level design lacked care in checkpoint placement and enemy locations as well as quality of life features, which stacked tedium upon tedium. Overall, I have trouble recommending Cathedral; though it certainly has a niche appeal, its faults made the experience less than satisfactory.
Apr 3, 2023
9
As someone who enjoys playing 2D games, this game is excellent! I recently finished it and wanted to give my two cents. In general, this game is more challenging than most 2D games. Most people might expect a level of difficulty closer to Shovel Knight (because oh look, it's a knight! ), but this surpasses it for sure. The enemies are numerous at times, the platforming can be tricky, and the bosses are usually a test of patience and skill, but it never feels unfair for the following reasons · There are several power-ups to purchase · There are several upgrades/weapons you find as you run around · There's a bank system that protects your gold (deaths remove gold, so having this makes death almost meaningless) · Potions get refilled on death · While bosses can be difficult, there are observable patterns in their attacks and you will eventually succeed if you carefully examine them and take your time · You can double your health for a small fee in most towns · Most enemies have a pattern as well so you can learn to best deal with them My only small complaint is that I wish there was more lore to the Knight. While there is a story going on and most characters have a purpose and name, the Knight is just " the knight that fell from the sky". Sure it's mysterious, but some hints of who they are would have been nice. Besides that, I really enjoyed the game. It's well polished, it's challenging, it's fair and it's just fun. 9/10!
Sep 28, 2024
7
Cathedral is a decent metroidvania with some small, but not insignificant problems. The majority of the game is pretty fun - it has nice movement, the combat isn't bad, and the exploration is just what you'd expect from the genre. Where the game falls down primarily, for me, is it's boss design. Most of the bosses are just way too aggressive and, and give you very little opportunity to deal damage back, or in some cases, to even avoid being hit. I had to resort to buying a health boost to even have a chance of making it through a few of them. And look - I know bosses are supposed to be harder than the rest of the enemies, and I actually enjoy a good soulslike - when I'm playing one. But when I'm playing a metroidvania that suddenly becomes a souls like for 3 minutes out of nowhere? That I don't enjoy so much. The difficulty spike for the bosses just feels WAY too extreme. It feels jarring, and really takes a lot of the fun out of the experience for me. If you like metroidvania and enjoy a good challenge, you'll probably like Cathedral. But if you don't want to have to fight a boss 20 times before you can progress, save yourself the frustration and give this one a miss.
Dec 23, 2021
6
Too long and too laborious. Bigger maps and longer playthrough arent necessarily better games. Had they had made this game a bit smaller and tighter, focusing a more on improving the 8-bit graphics, audio and execution it would have been an overall better experience. This game got worse the longer I played **** started as an 8-9 and went down to a 6... Positives
+ some nice variety of areas, enemies
+ plenty of little secrets to uncover
+ OK pixel art and audio
+ some smart boss fights to figure out Negatives
- too much time wasting traversing due to map design and time wasting on some puzzles
- drags on and on
- random difficulty spikes in places In all, metroidvanias should be fun explorative journeys that know when to call it time out...
Jul 29, 2024
5
I think it is my first Metroidvania I do not recommend it. Pros. Collectibles. Intuitive design. Final boss. Cons. Imbalanced. Banner mechanic. You have to waste a lot of time switching them. Some locations are OP. Music and sounds. Level design. Not my thing. It is not a game for me, but if you like this style you may love it. Also, the game seemed very similar to Alwa's Awakening (even those hooded ghosts). It is not a cons, it is rather a suggestion for those who love this type of game. Me - I don't.
Played on PC though. Can't choose PC for some reason :(
Jun 8, 2021
0
This is one of the most insane difficult games I played in the last years. It is beyond frustration already on the level of madness. At first I thought it is a good idea to revive some old school 16-bit game style on my switch but when playing this one I got so annoyed and pissed off that I was close to dump the Nintendo switch console into the garbage. There is a reason why Nintendo is so successful with its games because they are on a playable level. This one is not. Never again I will buy a game from this company. Save yourself the worries.
SummaryMake your way through more than 600 rooms, and unravel the secrets of your past by finding the five elemental orbs. Cathedral features a vast world, meant for exploring!
Rated E +10for Everyone +10
Platforms:
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- PC
Initial Release Date:Feb 18, 2021
Developer:
Publisher:
