The metroidvania obsession: why 'aeterna noctis' finally breaks the silksong spell

The digital void after finishing a truly exceptional game can be a desolate place. You’ve scaled the heights, conquered the challenges, and now… silence. The quest for a successor, something that captures even a fraction of the magic, often ends in disappointment. For many, myself included, the benchmark has been set impossibly high by Silksong, leaving a frustrating dearth of comparably captivating metroidvania experiences. But after a long search, I’ve found a game that's finally beginning to scratch that itch: Aeterna Noctis.

A familiar feeling, a fresh perspective

The frustrating cycle is familiar to anyone who’s been consumed by games like Slay the Spire or Hades. Once you’ve reached the pinnacle, finding something to match that addictive quality, that sense of progression and discovery, becomes a Sisyphean task. Silksong, with its masterful blend of difficulty, world-building, and character design, has only exacerbated this problem. I’ve dutifully explored other metroidvania titles released in its wake, finding fleeting enjoyment but ultimately falling short of that elusive feeling of complete immersion.

MIO: Memories in Orbit, for instance, offered glimpses of brilliance but ultimately felt underdeveloped. Constance, similarly, possessed admirable production values and a compelling narrative, yet lacked that certain spark. The problem isn’t that these games are bad—far from it—but that they pale in comparison to the monumental achievement that is Silksong. The post-game emptiness becomes a nagging anxiety: will I ever find something that rivals the experience I just had?

Rediscovering a hidden gem

The answer, it turns out, was lurking in plain sight. I’d initially played Aeterna Noctis shortly after its December 2021 release, around the same time my family welcomed our second child. Sleep deprivation, as any parent can attest, has a peculiar effect on memory. The details of those initial hours were hazy, reduced to a vague recollection of enjoying the game. I returned to it this weekend with the intention of a casual session, but found myself utterly captivated.

The response from the online community was immediate and telling: many asserted that if Aeterna Noctis had been developed outside of Spain, it would be lauded as an instant classic. There's a certain understated quality to its brilliance, a quiet confidence that belies its potential.

A clever exploitation of genre conventions

Aeterna Noctis isn’t merely a good metroidvania; it’s an intelligent one. It understands the genre's strengths and weaknesses, and leverages those nuances to craft a compelling narrative. The game operates on a cyclical system, with each cycle governed by either the King of Darkness or the Queen of Light. The losing monarch must then embark on a quest to reclaim their power, enduring the scorn and derision of their former subjects. The protagonist, the humbled King of Darkness, is a wonderfully flawed and relatable figure—a fallen ruler forced to confront his own arrogance and limitations.

But it's the gameplay that truly elevates Aeterna Noctis. Like Silksong, it boasts an exceptional variety of situations, seamlessly blending precise platforming, intense combat encounters, and challenging boss battles. The game rarely allows for monotony; each moment feels distinct and engaging. Both Aeterna Noctis and Silksong understand that the true power of a metroidvania lies not in its interconnected world, but in its ability to deliver a constantly evolving, dynamic adventure – a shift away from simple exploration to a comprehensive and unpredictable experience.

This is achieved through the extraordinary flexibility afforded by the genre. The ability to grant the player character increasingly bizarre and powerful abilities, and then allow them to experiment with those abilities in both combat and traversal, is what sets metroidvanias apart. Aeterna Noctis fully embraces this potential, creating a gameplay loop that feels both familiar and refreshingly innovative.

A polish and a promise

Since its initial release, the developers have evidently refined the narrative pacing, guidance, and overall balance. My hazy memories of the initial playthrough have been replaced by a newfound appreciation for the game’s meticulous design. Aeterna Noctis is available on PC and consoles, though the Switch version suffers from some performance issues. Even on Steam Deck, where the experience is generally positive, I've had to tweak resolutions and frame rates to achieve optimal performance. The character model’s scale can occasionally make reading the scene difficult, a minor but noticeable quirk.

Despite these minor caveats, Aeterna Noctis has delivered precisely what I’d been searching for – a worthy successor to Silksong. It is a testament to the ingenuity and passion of Spanish game development, and a compelling reason to revisit a hidden gem. The sequel, Aeterna Lucis, is on the horizon, and now, more than ever, feels worth anticipating.