Jeremy Gallen's Game Reviews

The Alloy of Law

The Czech Republic (uncommonly called Czechia) is a relatively young country in Europe, half of the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, and, surprisingly, a marginal contributor to the world’s videogame industry culminating in the annual Czech Game of the Year Awards. One Czech developer most gamers are very likely unfamiliar with is the two-person Attu Games, whose first title was the puzzle platformer Toby: The Secret of the Mine. Their second game was the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night-inspired Feudal Alloy, which is surprisingly good for an RPG developed by only two people.

Feudal Alloy follows the journey of a robot named after the game’s developer, Attu, who searches throughout an interconnected world for ten medals owned by the antediluvian robots at the retirement facility where he works. The plot isn’t elaborate and doesn’t receive a conclusion until the player finishes the game, with the locket collection subquest a surefire missed opportunity for further narrative development. While the game’s unique robotic medieval setting shows promise, it goes unfulfilled, seeming an afterthought, perhaps a drawback of the minimalist development team.

Fortunately, the gameplay serves Feudal Alloy well, the player outfitting Attu with stat-increasing robot parts and a sword, only initially able to execute a forward or upward slash with his weapon. However, the player ultimately receives new abilities that allow him to perform actions such as a dash that can send him safely to the back side of an enemy, shoot electromagnetic pulses in different directions (necessary to down some barriers), and so forth. Attu has two primary stats: oil, serving as his life, and temperature, which dictates how many times he can attack without overheating and being temporarily unable to act.

Attu can gather parts from defeated enemies for money to purchase bombs necessary to break some barriers and make certain foes vulnerable to standard attacks, oil vials to restore his health, coolant to allow him temporary infinite use of commands, and equipment. He can also acquire experience for sporadic leveling, where the player can purchase abilities from one of three skill trees allowing increased attack power, heightened defense, or an improved cooling system, the last tree having a magnetic ability letting the robot collect parts from downed enemies.

One quirk of Feudal Alloy is that there are only two genuine boss fights throughout the game. However, several points abound necessary to advance where Attu must battle enemies that spawn from retracting chambers for several rounds. The game is friendly to players when they die, with Attu respawning at the last save point with no experience or money lost. These account for a satisfying battle system, with only minor shortcomings like Attu's inability to slash his sword when kneeling (although he does get the ability to release an electromagnetic pulse in said position).

The game looks absolutely wonderful in motion.

Control is smooth, with players in each subsection acquiring maps showing Attu’s current location, and while the game has an inventory limit, I never reached it in my playthrough. As in the RPG Castlevanias, skills can assist exploration of the massive, interconnected world, with some barriers, for example, downed by electromagnetic pulses. Granted, one can get lost in the gameplay zones, and a minimap would have been welcome since the in-game maps aren’t detailed. Other absent quality-of-life features include a suspend save and sortable items. Glitches in the Steam version with the rumble feature exist also, and the game could have interacted better with players.

The music is one of the much better efforts for a Western RPG, unsurprising given Europe was home to many an excellent classical composer. The soundtrack includes riveting Celtic medieval tracks that rarely give way to silent moments, but more variety would have been welcome. The sound effects are believable, and Feudal Alloy’s aurals well accompany the gameplay experience.

The hand-drawn visuals are also pleasing, looking much better in motion than YouTube videos would have one believe, with new equipment, for instance, affecting Attu’s looks, alongside a nice variety of enemy robot designs. While some foes look similar, they aren’t mere palette swaps, the framerate additionally staying consistent, with little to no slowdown or choppiness. There are some oddities, including the instant disappearance of uncollectible monster parts at times, but otherwise, Feudal Alloy is a visual treat.

Finally, akin to other Metroidvanias, the game is generally short, from eight to sixteen hours, depending upon whether the player wishes to unlock all achievements. However, there isn’t much lasting appeal afterward, and finding every elusive treasure chest to achieve all can be frustrating, given the lack of in-game tracking on how many unopened are in each area.

Overall, Feudal Alloy, considering its development by only two people, is surprisingly good, given its great Metroidvania gameplay, the fitting soundtrack, and the fluid visual style. Granted, those unfamiliar with its subgenre might find it easy to get lost in the large, interconnected world, the narrative is lackluster, and there aren’t nearly enough reasons to play on well after completing the game and most achievements. However, fans of the niche videogame genre will likely find plenty to celebrate in what this reviewer considers one of the first good releases in 2019.

This review is based on a playthrough of a digital copy downloaded to the reviewer's Steam Deck to the canon conclusion, with all but one achievement earned.