Infernax Review – 8-Bit Blood On My Hands

Infernax’s first 10 minutes, I was faced with a decision: kill or save someone who requested to die. I chose to kill them, and without a moment’s hesitation, my character’s mace crushed through their skull. Their faces were twisted, and their eyes popped out from the sides. The mace also destroyed all their belongings between their noses and the cowlick at the back of the head. It is a brutal introduction to the “kill or spare” choice system that presents itself a handful of times throughout Infernax, and it was only a taste of the carnage that’d soon color my crusader’s journey to defeat evil once and for all. 

Infernax’s quick and beautiful prologue is reminiscent of Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, which this game seems to be heavily inspired by. It plays right after you begin a new game, setting up what’s in store for you. Infernax is one part an homage to those retro games of old – sometimes to a fault if the punishing difficulty of the NES era is not something you enjoy – and another part Berzerk Studio’s crack at creating something new. It faithfully recreates the experiences of that era. 

Infernax is your return to the homeland as a crusader. But you don’t lose your desire to continue your crusade. Darsov is overrun by mysterious creatures that appear to be controlled and controlled by a devil-like entity. To remind you of the fact that once sacred lands have been infested by demons, pentagrams, and other satanic imagery and relics, there are now scattered around. Alcedor, however, has both the power to pray and a deadly mace. Over the next 10 hours, I’d defeat hundreds of monsters, decide the fate of evildoers and the unlucky, complete quests, and cheekily solve problems, all while attempting to track down and destroy five orbs that protect the big demonic baddie haunting the lands. Through it all I was constantly curious about what the next dungeon was hiding or what mischievous plot a strange citizen might be planning. While the combat was sufficient to keep me moving forward, I found Berzerk’s world equally interesting. 

The game’s Castlevania II inspiration is present throughout Darsov and its neighboring areas, and Berzerk skillfully raises the stakes by using troubled citizens like cursed husbands or nightmare-ridden children to revel in the misery that drapes the land. From the start, I bought into Berzerk’s narrative that a devilish figure was bringing dark magic to this otherwise normal and holy place, and not once did it fall short of selling that premise. 

Infernax features some light Metroid and Castlevania-style elements that bring new life, entrances, and secrets to places you’ve explored dozens of times. After you acquire an ability to lift you into the air, you can reach a previously inaccessible house within seconds. A spell can be purchased that allows you to teleport from one shrine or another. Another spell can help you find a sunken castle. A constant day-and night cycle, in addition to subtle changes in the world, keeps you alert. There are more enemies during the day, but they’re easier to kill than the battle-hardened ones that only appear at night. 

I began Infernax with a simple weapon but quickly learned the Shield spell, which saved my life more than once by decreasing the amount of damage I’d take. After the credits had rolled I was armed with multiple weapons and pieces of armor as well as potion flasks and more than half a dozen spells. Many of these were indispensable to me, including a potion which restored my mana and allowed me once again to use the Drain Life spell. This spell sucks health out of nearby enemies to restore my own, and it was essential in reaching the deepest depths of Infernax’s many dungeons. Watching my arsenal grow was great, but I was disappointed that weapons and armor didn’t really change my approach to combat in any way. When I purchased a new mace, it felt exactly the same as the one I was previously using – it just hits harder. I was thrilled to discover that Infernax had four weapons slots when I started it up. Sadly, the combat doesn’t evolve much over the course of the game, except for spells, which do greatly affect your approach to battles.

While I used spells to increase my health and boost my defense, offensive magic like the ability to infuse my weapon with holy lights that can be cast at distant enemies, was more common. 

Although some spells are helpful in exploring, Infernax should be clearer about the times when you will need to use a particular spell to get through certain areas. Your hero can shoot into the air by unlocking an ability. Soon after you get this ability, it allows you to run left- or right-handedly through the air. I was faced with a gap where I could not move fast enough to jump right. I then had to launch myself immediately up by using these skills. This maneuver was impossible for me. Instead I missed a spell that allows you to summon a crow, which can then fly up to the lever that unveils a bridge. It was an amazing spell that allowed me to move forward. Unfortunately, Infernax doesn’t always clearly telegraph which abilities you need to progress past certain obstacles, which lead to a few of these moments of frustration. 

These minor issues are not major nitpicks. Infernax spent less than one hour dealing with these problems in my 10 hours of working with them. A few dungeon layouts are frustrating, and if you lose all of your lives, you’ll be sent right back to your last save. To avoid being sent back to my last save, I was constantly reminded to stop by the shrine just outside the dungeon. Thankfully, Infernax’s difficulty feels fair, and I almost always felt that it was my fault that I died and not an element out of my control. 

If you play on classic mode, you’re sent back to your last save point when you expend all of your lives. You can’t save automatically so if you spend an hour playing on classic mode, you could lose an entire hour. The casual mode saves money, and you have the option to switch off classic whenever you want. The annoying progress resets were annoying, but I continued to use Classic throughout my journey. While Casual mode seemed a bit more user-friendly, Classic is no longer available. 

My time with Infernax was colored by wonderful “ahh ha!” moments of discovery, a challenging gameplay loop, unique bosses, and plenty of gorgeous 8-bit blood and guts. I only hope that a sequel (which I’d love to see happen) cleans up and tweaks some of the smaller frustrations that tainted this otherwise fun and retro romp. 

From the moment you step onto these demon-infested lands to the moment you deal the killing blow to the game’s final boss, you’ll experience plenty of surprises – the Konami Code does something really cool, for example. Infernax’s retro soundtrack that rips from start to finish, beautiful art, challenging gameplay, and a fun Castlevania-inspired design, make it worth the price of admission. 

This is a review of Infernax for the Switch. You can also get the game on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 4. Xbox One is also supported.