This is Keeping Score, a series about games and their soundtracks. As always, you may click on images to view larger versions.
I bought Alwa’s Awakening after reading a recommendation over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun, but I never got around to playing it. Now it already has a sequel, Alwa’s Legacy, so I decided it was time to take a look at the first game.
Alwa’s Awakening is an unashamedly retro-styled metroidvania platformer that doesn’t really have any particular standout feature. Players will guide protagonist Zoe (Alwa is actually the name of the land in which the game is set, not the name of the protagonist) as she explores an interconnected world, finds new magical powers that let her access previously inaccessible areas, and eventually challenges the nefarious Protectors and their overlord, the evil Vicar. All of this is familiar from countless other games. These days, indie platformers usually have some kind of hook, like an imaginative core mechanic or a particularly striking art style. Alwa’s Awakening does not; instead it it simply very good at traditional platforming, proving that sometimes great execution is all that’s needed to make a great game.