{"id":103979,"date":"2019-11-18T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-18T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/?p=129050"},"modified":"2019-11-18T22:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-11-18T22:00:00","slug":"valfaris-5-reasons-its-the-heaviest-metaliest-game-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/11\/18\/valfaris-5-reasons-its-the-heaviest-metaliest-game-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Valfaris: 5 Reasons It\u2019s the Heaviest Metaliest Game of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/Titled-Key-Art-Valfaris.jpg?resize=1200%2C675\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- .entry-social --> <\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-main entry-main--post entry-main--post-with-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-xbox-summary\">\n<h3>Summary<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Set in a far corner of space, <em>Valfaris<\/em> is a heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer and the next game from the team behind <em>Slain: Back From Hell <\/em><\/li>\n<li>Explore a diverse range of tainted environments as you venture ever deeper into the dark world of Valfaris<\/li>\n<li>Full of brutal combat, deadly enemies, stunning pixel art, and a savage soundtrack<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you like your gaming experiences loud and over-the-top (and excellent), then you\u2019re in luck \u2013 <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/p\/valfaris\/9nddsfpb5w56?activetab=pivot:overviewtab\">Valfaris<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, the heavy metal action-platformer, is available to download today for Xbox One on the Microsoft Store. <\/p>\n<p>With its heady mix of relentless<br \/>\nrun-and-gun thrills and rowdy ear-blistering riffs, here are five reasons why <em>Valfaris<\/em><br \/>\nis the heaviest metaliest game of the year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. There\u2019s a gun that fires tormented<br \/>\nsouls (and 18 other extremely metal weapons to play with) <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sure, bullets are fine and everything, but shooting<br \/>\ntormented souls at your enemies? That\u2019s metal. And the Hellwraith, one of<br \/>\nValfaris\u2019 Destroyer-class heavy weapons, does exactly that. In addition to<br \/>\nspitting tortured spirits at foes, the Hellwraith \u2013 which is a rapid-fire<br \/>\nGatling gun style killamajig \u2013 also drips blood from its sizzling-hot muzzle.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/Valfaris_XboxWire01.jpg?w=940\" alt=\"Valfaris\" class=\"wp-image-129053\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>And the fun doesn\u2019t stop with the Hellwraith.<br \/>\nA total of 19 outlandish weapons are waiting to be played with, including the<br \/>\nBringer of Mayhem (fires a plasma beam capable of combusting the internal<br \/>\norgans of multiple enemies), the Wolf Light (slowly cooks its target until they<br \/>\nburst, releasing spirit wolf heads that attack other enemies), and the Jelly<br \/>\nWhip (a fleshy weapon made for flagellation). <\/p>\n<p><strong>2. The soundtrack! Also, headbanging!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It can\u2019t be heavy metal without a heavy metal soundtrack, right!? Valfaris obliges with an original score composed by former Celtic Frost guitarist, Curt Victor Bryant. Having previously worked on the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/p\/slain-back-from-hell\/brb2xn908f4k#activetab=pivot:overviewtab\">Slain: Back From Hell<\/a><\/em> soundtrack (the first game from Valfaris developer, Steel Mantis), Curt returns with 20 rad tracks, including \u201cTorture March,\u201d \u201cAbysmal Souls,\u201d \u201cBirth of a New Death,\u201d and \u201cLost in Time\u201d (which you can hear in the trailer at the top of the page).<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/Valfaris_XboxWire02.jpg?w=940\" alt=\"Valfaris\" class=\"wp-image-129054\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>And you can\u2019t have heavy metal without a little headbanging, right!? <em>Valfaris<\/em> delivers on that front as well \u2013 every time you collect a new weapon, Therion, the game\u2019s long-haired hero, performs a celebratory headbang!<\/p>\n<p>Bonus fun fact: There\u2019s a weapon in <em>Valfaris<\/em> called Hellhammer, which also happens to be what Celtic Frost was originally called when they first formed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. You fight a bio-mechanical snake called Hell Cobra that lives in a toxic swamp and breathes fire (and it\u2019s only a mini-boss!!!)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The fact the cybernetic pyromaniac Hello Cobra only holds the rank of mini-boss gives you an idea of how excessively metal a foe needs to be in order to qualify as a proper big boss in <em>Valfaris<\/em>. For example, Itnan \u2013 the big boss of The Tombs level \u2013 is armed with a ridiculously over-sized railgun, lives in a coffin, wears skull boots, and can transform into a swarm of bugs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/Valfaris_XboxWire03.jpg?w=940\" alt=\"Valfaris\" class=\"wp-image-129055\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Then there\u2019s Furrok, a big boss and warrior hulk that\u2019s clad in gold and black armor who attacks with a pair of enormous flaming hammers that are mighty enough to give Thor an inferiority complex. In total, there are over 70 different types of enemy (spread across basic, elite, mini-bosses, and bosses) to terminate with extreme prejudice. <\/p>\n<p><strong>4. You get to stomp about in a skull-headed<br \/>\nmech <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nothing screams heavy metal quite like trampling<br \/>\nover hapless enemies in a literal hunk of, erm, heavy metal. Piloting an Exterminator<br \/>\nMech is a lot of cathartic fun. The mechanical colossus is fully weaponised and<br \/>\ncapable of causing maximum carnage.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/Valfaris_XboxWire04.jpg?w=940\" alt=\"Valfaris\" class=\"wp-image-129056\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Exterminator is equipped with a triple-whammy of deadly weapons. There\u2019s a head-mounted Soulwraith gun that can blast enemies into itty-bits in an instant, a Star Fist melee weapon ideal for reducing hostiles to mucky puddles of guts, and a plasma incendiary called Soul Thrower that\u2019s a fun way to flamb\u00e9 foes. <\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Full Metal Mode is on the way with<br \/>\neven more metal<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve got the mettle to complete <em>Valfaris<\/em> then buckle-up for an even bigger challenge! Developer Steel Mantis is currently working on a New Game+ mode called, appropriately enough, Full Metal mode. It will be released as a free update in the not-too-distant future and will be automatically unlocked if you\u2019ve got a Game Clear save file.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/Valfaris_XboxWire05.jpg?w=940\" alt=\"Valfaris\" class=\"wp-image-129057\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In Full Metal mode, enemies and bosses are tougher and more aggressive, and you take more damage when hit. However, to help even the odds, all your weapons, upgrades, and upgrade items are carried over, which means you\u2019re beefed up right from the outset. You also get a devastating new Destroyer class weapon to play with. But make no mistake about it, Full Metal mode is going to be hardcore!<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/p\/valfaris\/9nddsfpb5w56?activetab=pivot:overviewtab\">Valfaris<\/a><\/em><\/strong> is available to download now for Xbox One via the Microsoft Store. Good luck and keep it metal!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .main-content --> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary Set in a far corner of space, Valfaris is a heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer and the next game from the team behind Slain: Back From Hell Explore a diverse range of tainted environments as you venture ever deeper into the dark world of Valfaris Full of brutal combat, deadly enemies, stunning pixel art, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-xbox-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103979\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}