At first, Sundered seems like one of the many attempts by modern developers to recreate and reiterate upon the classic 2D Metroidvania formula. It closely follows in the lineage of its forbearers, but in doing so, it manages to take its best parts and mold them into a surprisingly fresh and involved experience that stands apart from its contemporaries. Itīs a tense and atmospheric adventure ripe with exploration and a combat system thatīs as fulfilling as it is flashy. Sudden difficulty spikes can bring it down sometimes, but its brilliant combat and progression systems elevate Sundered above its momentary annoyances.You play as Eshe, a wanderer of a ruined world who discovers an ancient monument that sucks her into a vast, otherworldly cavern. Stuck within this realm, youīre forced to journey forward under the guidance of a malevolent entity known as the Shining Trapezohedron to find a means of escape.Sunderedīs story is bare bones and mostly exists in the periphery, often relying on you to scour the world for special rooms filled with bits of lore. When you do stumble upon such mythology, the Shining Trapezohedron offers you vague, ambivalent accounts of the cavernīs former inhabitants and the war that caused them to perish. Its unreliable narration is unnerving, as you`re never quite sure what to make of the machinations that brought the world to its knees, and whether or not it remains a threat. While you spend time deciphering the cavern`s history, you hear next to nothing about Eshe`s feelings about the predicament; she`s a silent protagonist that rarely reacts to the events at hand. But like her, you are an outsider exploring Sunderedīs strange and gruesome world. What you discover is as morbid as it is fascinating, and it imbues your travels with a strong sense of unease.Due to a rift in reality caused by the conflict between the ancient races that inhabited the cavern, the world is physically unstable; justification for Sundered`s procedurally generated ...
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