Iconoclasts (PC) Review

Gear-grinding action.

 What I like about indie games is that there's a sense of passion in most of them. Even with the small dev teams (sometimes a single developer!) and long development times they manage to pull through in delivering some charming experiences. Such is the case with Iconoclasts, the product of eight long years of work from indie developer Joakim "Konjak" Sandberg. A colorful 2D platformer married with Metroidvania elements, Iconoclasts follows a young mechanic who wants to save her dying planet from an oppressive religious group that wants her dead. I had my eye on Iconoclasts for a while since I'm a fan of  Metroidvania platformer games and seeing that it was recently on sale as part of Steam's summer sale, I had to pick it up. Surprisingly, It's already one of my favorite games of the year. 


Young mechanic Robin dreams of helping the people around her as well as the dying planet, whose highly valuable energy source known as "Ivory" is quickly depleting. However, only licensed mechanics are able to help and things take a turn for the worse when she's deemed a sinner by an oppressive religious group known as the "One Concern", lead by the graceful figure "Mother". Now on the run, Robin will meet and befriend a colorful cast of characters in her ultimate quest to fix the world. The narrative was an emotional rollercoaster as the plot quickly matures and I found myself really resonating with the characters' struggles. I wasn't expecting a cheerful-looking game like Iconoclasts to tackle religious themes of faith and cultural traditions behind its colorful exterior. They were handled well and towards the end of the journey, they really do strike a meaning. If you can look past some of the plot's overwhelming aspects such as its odd naming and characters being thrown in every now and then, you'll be glad to know that there's a deep experience to be had.

Naïve mechanic Robin must save the world,

though not without some help.

 Iconoclasts is a 2D platformer with emphasis on exploration. Accompanied by her stun-gun and trusty wrench, Robin will use them to fight enemies and solve many puzzles throughout the levels. Don't think you can blast through levels easily as the game will have you going all over the map collecting keys and solving some lengthy puzzles, most of them requiring quick timing. Most of the puzzles has you twisting and fixing things with the wrench and jumping on platforms. Later in the game, you can also electrically charge rails, which offers a quick boost as you latch onto them. The game also features Metroidvania elements. For those unaware, "Metroidvania" is a term thrown a lot to describe a game that blends Metroid's interconnected world with Castlevania's sense of exploration. Basically, there will be areas early on in the game that you can only access after you acquired a specific skill or weapon in later parts of the game, encouraging you to explore much of levels as you progress through the game.

Most of the puzzles require some careful timing,

though some tend to drag on.

 The game has crafting elements which has you searching the levels for treasure chests containing materials to make tweaks. Tweaks grant Robin special perks such as breathing underwater and spinning  her wrench longer. The game has some side-quests, which include Robin going back and forth running errands. I feel that the game's side quests could have used more polish as there's no hints of telling you where to go and there's no way for you to track them if you want to leave them for later. Along the way, Robin will meet and befriend some colorful friends, with some tagging along with you in levels and even help you out boss fights. There are times where you'll be constantly alternating between Robin and her pirate friend Mina to beat a boss. I liked this feature as it makes boss encounters fresh and involving, especially since the main selling point of the game is that there are over 20 of them to beat. Not all are created equal, however, as some are jokes by just button mashing them while others, especially towards the end of the game will have you grinding your gears.

The game has a lot of fast-paced and pattern-

memorizing boss fights.

 Iconoclasts is a strikingly charming game, thanks to its simplistic and colorful pixel artstyle. The character sprites and animations are well-made and bring out the charm of the characters as well. The levels and backgrounds themselves are full of detail and traversing them was a lot of fun. I honestly appreciate the huge amount of time and effort Kojak made to make Iconoclasts look this good. Conversely, I was a bit disappointed with the soundtrack. While it includes a lot of gear-sounding tracks, it didn't leave much of an impression on me and looking back now it was pretty forgettable as the only track I remember was menu select theme.

The game just looks so good that I sometimes

forgot it was made by one person.

 There's a lot to be admired in Iconoclasts despite its flaws. Not only it's a fun and snappy platformer, but it handles the mature themes of its narrative very well behind its surprisingly colorful aesthetic. Some Metroidvania fans might be a little disappointed with its focus on puzzles rather than the standard genre exploration, but the game compensates with solid gameplay mechanics. It's my favorite indie of the year so far and a huge congratulations is due for Konjak after 8 long years of hard work. If you're in the market for a different kind of Metroidvania, then Iconoclasts should easily be on your radar.