ITORAH - Steam Game

Itorah is a beautiful 2.5D Metroidvania-like game. The artwork and music is amazing, and it runs smoothly without any frame drops. The 2.5D models and the world is crafted with care. I usually avoid 2.5D games because the art in these games tends to disappoint me, but this game is beautiful. It has proven to me that 2.5D can look good. In my opinion, the main characters in 2.5D are never as spry as their 2D pixel art counterparts, but the controls were responsive enough for me in this game. Save points are plentiful. The game's bosses can be beaten in the first encounter by Metroidvania veterans, especially if they've increased their healing abilities. Itorah gains abilities throughout her journey. The game's map is broken into sections with a main hub that connects to dungeons. There is no ability to fast travel to different parts of Itorah's world, so it is best that each section is fully explored before moving on. Somewhere in the dungeons there will be special items that provide the ability to increase your health and stamina meter, increase the number of times that you can heal and the amount healed. The stamina meter decreases while doing special attacks or running, so you'll need to extend the stamina meter along with your health bar. The game's enemies will be easy for Metroidvania veterans, but traveling through Itorah's world will require learning how to string along Itorah's abilities that she gains during the game like air dashing and double jumping after wall jumping to avoid falling into a pit. The platforming increases in difficulty as the game progresses, and there is only one annoying chase scene where the game seemed to be requiring more platforming perfection than the game's controls would allow. The game's art direction continually impressed me with its cinematography, color schemes, and varied locations. The story was a mystery that was slowly explained through the course of the game. Players that want an extra challenge can forgo increasing their health. I was able to pretty much max out everything by just searching through every nook and cranny in each section of the game before leaving it. The game's map will readily show all the paths near you in Metroidvania fashion, including slightly hidden ones.

A lot of people seem to really hate this game, its not great but its not at all as bad as people seem to think it is if you can get it very cheap its worth a play if you like metroidvanias

ITORAH is a light game. The BGM is good, and the control is intuitive. It's recommended for those who love combat and adventure.

A 6-8 hour long platformer. The presentation is beautiful (the characters and animations look great, the locations are consistently stunning, the music is also nice), but the gameplay itself is mediocre: it appears to be a metroidvania at first but is very linear and doesn't offer meaningful or rewarding exploration; the combat and jump puzzles are very simple too. Still, it might make a good game for a beginner player. Wait for a good discount if you plan on getting it.