Therion has got an upgrade.
The hero of the heavy-metal themed platformer Valfaris is back. Though this time, nestled in a flying mech suit, he’s the star of a side-scrolling shoot ’em up. But regardless of the genre shake up, Valfaris: Mecha Therion will still appeal to fans of the original. More of its key components return, after all.
Despite being rendered in 3D, allowing for some fancy camera work, it still has a retro look and feel, for example. Valfaris: Mecha Therion finds Therion up against a familiar threat, too, and many of the weapons and armaments from the first game can be used once more. More importantly, it has a rocking metal soundtrack that will undoubtedly make some players wish they were in a mosh pit.
Being a shoot ’em up, the gameplay of Valfaris: Mecha Therion is about what you’d expect. As the screen scrolls from left to right, you’re in control of moving a flying Therion around to avoid enemy projectiles and other hazards. Though of course, he isn’t a pacifist. A range of primary weapons can be employed to shoot down enemies, and well as auxiliary weapons such as bombs and homing swords.
While you start out with few offensive options, you’ll collect new weapons as you play. And using the Blood Metal you earn by effectively killing enemies, they can be upgraded to make them more potent. You need to be smart about using your weapons in Valfaris: Mecha Therion though, as they require energy to work at their best. Thankfully, you can recharge that energy by hitting enemies with melee attacks. They can be used to deflect certain enemy projectiles as well.
If you fancy trying Valfaris: Mecha Therion yourself, a demo is available now via Steam Next Fest. Jump in, and you’ll find a lengthy stage to complete, which encompasses multiple checkpoints to give you a fighting chance of survival, and enables you to change your loadout to try out the various weapons available.
You can give Therion’s new dash ability a go, too, which allows him to not only charge at and attack enemies, but also destroy obstacles in his path. Needless to say, if you’re a fan of Valfaris or old-school shoot ’em ups, this is very much a demo worth checking out.
Valfaris: Mecha Therion is coming to PC and consoles later this year. Give the demo a try now on Steam.
