Iconoclasts is an indie action platformer in which you play as Robin, a mechanic who lives in a world under the control of a religion known as the One Concern. As an unlicensed mechanic just trying to help people, Robin eventually attracts unwanted attention from the powers that be and needs to escape from them if she wants to stay alive.
The gameplay in Iconoclasts is very strong and while it doesn’t include platforming like in Super Meat Boy or Celeste, Robin is still a fun character to control. All we need to say is that there’s a lot of satisfaction to be had from smashing enemies to bits with a giant spanner!
With a decent variety of combat sections, puzzles, and power-ups, the gameplay remains interesting and balanced. As you progress, the weapons, abilities, and tweaks result in entertaining ways to traverse the world, fight enemies, and solve puzzles.
There could be more exploration and a little less hand-holding with most of the key objectives indicated on your map in a way reminiscent of Metroid Fusion. However, this does mean you won’t be looking online for solutions or tearing your hair out trying to find an unfairly hidden passage.
Visually, the game is spectacular and it’s hard to believe this is the work of just one person, Joakim Sandberg. Production of the game took seven years and we definitely think it was worth the wait!
The story is delivered through text but it is supported through some impressive character animation. The story itself isn’t a timeless masterpiece but it does tie the game together nicely.
There’s a combination of save points and checkpoints to ensure that death comes at a price but not to an extent that it’ll make you want to just give up and play something else. Thankfully, the game checkpoints at really important parts so that you won’t have to run back through corridors of scrubs just because a boss absolutely destroyed you.
In terms of difficulty, we found the normal setting to provide an enjoyable experience without making us want to put the controller through the screen. For those interested in a challenge, there is a Harder Mode and for those wanting just the story, the Relaxed Mode should do the trick!
Purists might think being to change these on the fly is a bit cheap but we like the idea of increasing the difficulty if you want a challenge and reducing it if you’re struggling. Games are to be enjoyed, after all.
The game should take you around 12 hours to complete and we imagine that you’ll enjoy almost every hour spent with this game. That said, there are some tricky platforming parts and puzzles that got us a little frustrated and a few bosses that took several attempts to figure out.
Finally, once you beat the game, you have the option to enjoy it again with the New Game + mode or test your mettle in the Boss Rush mode.
Iconoclasts is available on Steam, GOG, PS4 and Vita, and Nintendo Switch.
Indie Bandits 