Axiom Verge is the next free game on the Epic Games Store

You’ll be able to get a free Metroidvania fix next month when 2D action romp Axiom Verge temporarily sheds its price on the Epic Games Store. It follows the Jackbox Party Pack, available until February 7, and will be free from February 6.

I’m far too impatient for games like Axiom Verge, which I hear is pretty tricky, labyrinthine and full of death at the hands of alien nasties. Take a gander at the trailer below.

Andy’s Axiom Verge review should tell you everything else you need to know. It’s very good, he reckons, so maybe I’ve been missing out.

Axiom Verge joins the superb Shovel Knight as a game that doesn’t just borrow the aesthetic of retro games, but understands why they worked so well as games too. It’s one of the purest expressions of the ‘Metroidvania’ genre on PC, focusing on tight design, minimal story, and addictive, rewarding exploration. Be warned, though: another way it pays homage to the past is with its stiff difficulty. You’ll need the reliable precision of a good D-pad to get past some of its huge, bullet-spewing bosses.

It will be available from February 6 until February 21.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.