| Infernax | |
| Developer: | Berzerk Studio |
| Publisher: | The Arcade Crew |
| Director: | Étienne Jean |
| Producer: | Simon Lachance |
| Composer: | Jason Létourneau |
| Engine: | Unity[1] |
| Released: | February 14, 2022 |
| Genre: | Metroidvania Dark fantasy |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
Infernax is a Metroidvania video game developed by Berzerk Studio and published by The Arcade Crew. It was released on February 14, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game follows the young Duke Alcedor, who finds his village overrun by monsters upon returning from the Crusades. Infernax received generally favorable reviews. An update to the game, Deux or Die, was released on April 5, 2023, in which another player can join in as Cervul the Squire.
Infernax is a 2D Metroidvania game set in a dark fantasy world where the player controls the young Duke Alcedor, while the second player controls Cervul the Squire;[2] both of them find their village overrun by a sect of satanists and a lot of monsters upon returning from the Crusades. Alcedor wields a shield and a mace, while Cervul wields a throwing axe, a crossbow, a pavise (shield), and a banner, along with using bandages to keep himself and Alcedor healed up; all of these weapons and armor can be upgraded as the player progresses through the game. Players can also obtain a variety of magical spells, with some of which can be upgraded.[3] The players earn gold and experience points whenever they defeat an enemy. Gold is used to buy upgrades for equipment, while earning enough experience points allows players to increase their health, mana (Alcedor only), or attack power.[4]
In Infernax, villages are places where players can accept quests and buy items from shops. Villages and their residents are also affected by the choices that players make throughout the game. The goal of Infernax is to defeat the enemies within five different castles and destroy the gems inside of them. Once players destroy all five gems, the last castle – the Urzon ciradel – is unlocked, containing the final boss of the game. Infernax features multiple endings, with the actions of the players determining the ending they receive:
Tired of the constant fighting and bloodshed of the Crusades, the young duke Alcedor returns to his homeland of Upel. However, the ancient tome known as the Necronomicon, a book written by a madman rumored to hold great power, has been brought to Upel around a year before Alcedor’s return. As a result, hordes of monsters have been ravaging the duchy, with Alcedor having to help defend the town of Darsov from an attack upon his return. Alcedor and the town’s defenders successfully drive off the attackers, though one of the monsters manages to flee.
After tracking down and slaying the monster outside the Urzon Citadel, Alcedor finds that the way inside is blocked by a magical seal. Father Henry, a priest from Darsov, explains that Alcedor must track down and destroy five crystal orbs scattered across Upel that keep the seal in place by killing the elder demons that hold them. Once all five crystal orbs have been destroyed, the Urzon Citadel will be unlocked, allowing Alcedor to enter and encounter a powerful demon known as Belphegor.
Additionally, Alcedor will also encounter Robert, the leader of a demon-worshiping cult that seeks to take over the Duchy of Upel. Alcedor has the option of either joining Robert and the cult, or killing them. Joining the cult will change Alcedor’s weapon from a mace and shield to a greatsword, Cervul's axes to bombs, his crossbow to poisoned daggers, his banner to an eye-summoning monster (eyelord), with his shield becoming magic and capable of casting a large fire beam which can be recharged by collecting enemy projectiles with the shield's magic, letting them have an opportunity to join the attack on Darsov by the cult, slaying the town’s defenders along with Father Henry.
The game has multiple endings that depend upon the player’s choices throughout the story regarding the game’s morality system. The endings are as follows:
Infernax was developed by Canadian game studio Berzerk Studio. The game was originally designed as an online Flash game.[5] The game was crowdfunded through Kickstarter in 2015.[6] In January 2020, a game demo of Infernax was released at PAX South 2020, revealing the overall plot of the game.[7] Infernax was officially announced through a trailer on October 21, 2021, with a release date of Q1 2022 on PC and consoles.[8] [9] On January 11, 2022, The Arcade Crew released a trailer, revealing the game's release date of February 14, 2022.[10] On February 14, 2022, Infernax released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.[11] The game was also added to the Xbox Game Pass library on the same day.[12]
An update to the game, called Deux or Die, was released on April 5, 2023, in which a second player can control Cervul the Squire, who chooses to be loyal to Alcedor, right or wrong.[13]
Infernax was primarily influenced by and , but also took inspiration from the accounts of knights such as Jean de Joinville and historical accounts from the Battle of Agincourt. The team also drew inspiration from the heavy metal genre, influenced by bands such as Mercyful Fate to "fit the feeling we wanted for the game".
Infernax received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.
Hardcore Gamer
Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade praised the solid gameplay mechanics, and said that the fundamentals were "done properly". Musgrave recommended the game to those who enjoyed exploratory 2D platformers. Jordan Rudek from Nintendo World Report gave the game a 9/10, calling the game's pacing "excellent" and the gameplay "simple, but fun". However, Rudek criticized the initial difficulty curve of the game, and said that boss fights "seem much easier than some of the platforming". Game Informer
Destructoid reviewer Chris Moyse rated the game 8/10, praising the game's challenge, the chiptune score, and the visuals, describing them as "neat". Moyse criticized the slim cast of characters, and the game's story, calling it "relatively thin". Stuart Gipp of Nintendo Life lauded the game's challenge, the visuals, and the Metroidvania structure of the game. Gipp felt that familiarity let Infernax down, but wrote that it was done in a way that "you won't really care unless you're desperate for a completely fresh experience".