[Review] Cathedral - Nintendo Switch

Developed By: Elden Pixels
Published By: Decemberborn AB
Categories: Retro, Metroidvania
Release Date: 02.18.21

What’s this, an 8-Bit Metroidvania-type game? Don’t mind if I do. If this sounds up your alley, Cathedral will be a good time.

At first, I wasn’t too impressed. It seems small in scale. Sure it was fun, but I was almost convinced that the starting area was all there was. Not too soon later, I was proven wrong. The game opens up, you find reason for the money you collect, and you meet a nice group of NPCs before truly going on an adventure. The adventure to defeat the evil Ardur.

You just start with your sword. Slash, and pogo off of enemies. This works just fine for the most part, but you’re gonna get road blocked eventually, but if you’re the adventurous type, you’ll stumble into what you need. Need it be a shield, arrows for long range attacks, or even a spirit with a variety of powers to assist you, just to name some you get early on. Slashing at enemies is rather basic, and at times is an easy way to get hit, but the pogo attack is fun to use and can lead to great damage on the bosses and enemies that give you trouble, on top of propelling you to higher areas.

You’re gonna get lost eventually. It’s just the nature of Metroidvanias. Part of the fun in my opinion is getting lost and finding your way with new powers, hidden or just gained by progressing normally. The game has a lot of checkpoints, so if you happen to die, the biggest hurdle is losing your money. Though I’ll admit to just restarting the game to not lose my money like a casual. You’ll stumble into the occasional portal, these are your fast travel spots, and the easiest way to get into the Hub area, a village. Heal, buy upgrades, go to the bank to keep your money safe. It’s a safe haven and is close to most other areas in the game.

With looks, I wasn’t much impressed while in the first area. It was just a castle like area, the character and enemy sprites were nice, but the backgrounds were boring. This again, changed as soon as the world opens up to you more. It gets much more colorful and varied. It’s almost safe to say that the game doesn’t really shine as a whole until a good twenty minutes in. Except in the music, which I found enjoyable, if not a tad repetitive if you get lost, the entire time.

If you like retro games and Metroidvanias, you’re gonna love Cathedral. Give it a little time and it grows into a fun experience. I really am enjoying these authentic retro throwbacks lately.