Released in the spring of 2015, Axiom Verge is an indie Metroidvania from the mind of a single developer, Thomas Happ. Happ would begin the project as a fan-made Metroid game for the Game Boy Advance before expanding the scope of the project. Axiom Verge’s initial reveal came about in 2012 as part of the Dream Build Play challenge. After several delays, the title was released into 1.0 on May 14, 2015. The first platforms to receive the title were PC, Linux, and Mac, with PlayStation 4 and PS Vita versions following shortly after. Xbox owners would also get their own version of Axiom Verge a year later. Following the game’s release on other platforms, Axiom Verge would arrive on the Nintendo Switch in 2017 as part of the special Multiverse Edition.
Initial hype and praise for early versions of Axiom Verge helped the game become a huge success upon release. In addition to some very strong critical praise and recognition as one of the year’s best indie games, Axiom Verge would go on to inspire a whole host of other indie developers to put their own mark on the Metroidvania genre. The title is renowned for being one of the few modern Metroidvania games that skews closer to the Metroid influence of the portmanteau in comparison to games like Hollow Knight, which borrow more heavily from the “Vania” half courtesy of the Castlevania franchise. While total sales across all versions remain a mystery, Axiom Verge has moved an impressive 267,000 units on Steam alone.
Axiom Verge Premise
©Axiom Verge gameplay screenshot – Original
The story of Axiom Verge puts players in the shoes of scientist Trace Eschenbrenner. Following an accident in his lab, Trace awakens in a strange alien world. He eventually learns, through communication with a helpful AI, that the world is known as Sudra. Years prior to Trace’s awakening, a human named Athetos used a bridge between dimensions known as the Breach to enter Sudra, and his attempts to use the Breach to return to Earth have caused chaos. In addition to potentially causing the fabric of reality to unravel by using multidimensional travel, Athetos also caused the genocide of the Rusalki race, leaving Sudra a strange and desolate place. Trace, a scientist and not a warrior, must carefully explore Sudra and uncover the secret to stopping Athetos and returning to Earth.
The gameplay in Axiom Verge will be very familiar to anyone who has ever played a Metroidvania. As Trace, players traverse a large, interconnected map separated into distinct biomes. Each biome contains its own unique enemies and boss encounters, along with upgrades and new abilities that unlock progression through subsequent areas of the map. One area where Axiom Verge differs from other Metroidvania games, though, is its incorporation of procedural generation. While exploring Sudra, players can uncover “Secret Worlds” that each contain special bonus items and weapons created through procedural generation. These worlds are different on each save file and vary in terms of difficulty and rewards. Additionally, Axiom Verge features a large selection of weapons for Trace to use, some of which have unique effects on enemies not common in the Metroidvania genre.
Axiom Verge Main Characters
©Axiom Verge gameplay screenshot – Original
Like most Metroidvanias, Axiom Verge centers around a singular player protagonist. In this case, the hero and main character of Axiom Verge is scientist Trace Eschenbrenner. Following an accident in his lab, Trace awakens in a strange alien world and must quickly discover a way to survive. Not long into his journey, he begins to hear a helpful voice guiding him along, eventually coming face-to-face with the benevolent AI Elsenova. Elsenova recounts the tragic fate of the world, Sudra, setting up the remainder of Trace’s journey to stop the evil Athetos from collapsing the multiverse. The main characters in Axiom Verge include:
- Trace: Trace Eschenbrenner is the player character and main protagonist of Axiom Verge. Following an accident in his lab where Trace and his colleague Hammond are working on an unspecified experiment, Trace awakens in the strange alien world Sudra. He comes into contact with a race of giant sentient machines (the Rusalki) who inform him of the world’s place as a sort of nexus between dimensions, prompting him to adventure further in search of answers.
- Elsenova: Elsenova is one of the Rusalki who inhabit Sudra and acts as Trace’s initial guide. She is a benevolent AI who regularly assists Trace and informs him of the danger facing Sudra.
- Athetos: Athetos is the main antagonist of Axiom Verge and the prime, or initial, clone of Trace following his arrival in Sudra. He seeks to find a way to return to Earth by manipulating the Breach, leaving all of Sudra hanging in the balance.
Games in the Axiom Verge Series
The original Axiom Verge‘s success positions it as one of the first in a new wave of games in the Metroidvania revival. Following the game’s initial release, solo developer Thomas Happ would continue supporting the game. In addition to multi-platform releases, Happ would develop several free content updates. Each of these new updates adds costumes and other bonus content. After years of supporting the original title, Happ would reveal the sequel, Axiom Verge 2, in 2019. Following a series of delays, Axiom Verge 2 was released in the fall of 2021 and stands as the final entry in the series, for now. Games in the Axiom Verge series include:
- Axiom Verge (PC, PS4, 2015)
- Axiom Verge 2 (PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, 2021)
Axiom Verge Cheats & Secrets
Regardless of which platform players experience Axiom Verge on, there are several passcodes players can use to alter gameplay. Each of these passcodes is entered in-game using the Passcode Tool. Players will naturally come across various passcodes by picking up the notes scattered around Sudran. You can enter and activate up to 5 passcodes at a time in Axiom Verge’s passcode system. To activate a new passcode, simply delete one or all of the existing codes. Entering each of these codes correctly will trigger a sound effect to indicate their activation.
Axiom Verge Passcodes
| Passcode | Effect | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AXIOXX-XXXXXX | Beginning of every Parametric Passcode. Activating cheats disables achievements/trophies | See the section below on Parametric Passcodes | See section below on Parametric Passcodes |
| CUTSCE-NE0001 | Replay in-game cutscenes | N/A | Values are 0001-0044. 0042 is the ending. 0043 and 0044 are bonus cutscenes. |
| DALKHU-SUBTUM | Reveals a door in the upper-left corner of the lowest-left room in Eribu, granting access to the Orbital Discharge weapon | Code is on the wall in the corner of the room | Using “Reveal Sudran” will allow players to translate this code while in the room |
| DINGER-GISBAR | Opens a wall in the room in Eribu where players acquire the FlameThrower | Proverb (Note) | – |
| IKKIBU-LABIRU | Opens a door in the upper-left part of Eribu leading to a Power Node fragment | Glitching the column in this room displays the code | Use the Address Disruptor or the “Reveal Sudran” passcode |
| ISKART-EHANZU | Opens a wall in the large lower middle room in E-Kur-Mah that leads to the Quantum Variegator | Glitch the Artichoker enemies in this room | Glitching the dark green moss-like Artichokers will cause them to spell out the code |
| JUSTIN-BAILEY | Changes Trace’s outfit to resemble Samus from Metroid | Metroid callback | Reference to the same code from the original NES Metroid with a similar effect |
| SEETHE-MATRIX | Changes Trace’s outfit to resemble Neo from The Matrix | Added as part of the Randomizer update | Reference to the classic action film |
| CALLIN-TRACEY | Changes Trace’s outfit to resemble Dick Tracy | Added as part of the Randomizer update | Reference to the classic detective comics |
| SECRET-JACKET | Changes Trace’s outfit to a cyan coat and white pants | Added as part of the Randomizer update | Reference to Trace’s appearance in the original trailer for Axiom Verge 2 |
| REVEAL-SUDRAN | Translates notes in the Sudran language | Sudran Translation (Note) | – |
| REVEAL-VYKHYA | Translates notes in the Vykhya language | Vykhya Translation (Note) | – |
| TRACK#-###### | Plays music from Axiom Verge | Player discovery | Values are 0-000000 to 0-000018 |
| SECRET-WINDOW | Grants access to the in-game Debug Menu | – | – |
Parametric Passcodes
Axiom Verge‘s Parametric Passcodes are special hexadecimal cheat codes that alter gameplay elements. Entering any of these passcodes results in a message informing players that achievements/trophies are turned off while active. Some of the properties that can be manipulated using these codes include:
- In-game gravity
- Projectile speed
- Velocity
- Enemy damage
- Amount and percentage of health drops
Some of the more useful Parametric Passcodes include:
| Passcode | Effect |
|---|---|
| AXIOJY-TSLSXC | Sets in-game gravity to “low”. Trace can clear previously unreachable distances in a single jump |
| AXIO8V-HDOTN6 | Can store 6 Address Bombs instead of 3 |
| AXIO8D-PKC64X | Dramatically increases the fire rate of the Bioflux Accelerator |
| AXIOGX-XJYCYA | Invincibility. Trace will take zero damage from enemies |
| AXIOMG-X02196 | Increases the size of weapon projectiles and drill area |
| AXIOP8-3NWXAL | Increases the power/damage of weapons and drill |
Achievements & Trophies
Nearly every version of Axiom Verge has the following achievements/trophies for players to unlock. The only platforms that do not feature achievements/trophies are the Nintendo Switch and Wii U releases. Note that the “PatternMind” achievement/trophy is exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita versions of Axiom Verge.
| Achievement/Trophy | Description | How to Unlock | PS Trophy Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| PatternMind | You have fulfilled your legacy | Collect all other Trophies (PS4/Vita exclusive) | Platinum |
| Athetos | Defeat Athetos | Complete the story | Gold |
| 100% Items | Acquire 100% of all weapons, tools, upgrades, and notes | Collect everything in the game (Secret World items do not count) | Gold |
| 100% Map | Uncover 100% of the map | Explore the entire map (Secret Worlds do not count) | Gold |
| Overclocked | Complete the entire game in under 4 hours | – | Gold |
| Mostly Invincible | Complete the game without dying (more than once) | Don’t die other than one specific story death | Gold |
| Speedrunner | Complete the game once in Speedrun mode | – | Gold |
| Hard | Complete the game on Hard difficulty | – | Gold |
| Low % | Complete the game with under 40% of the items | – | Gold |
| Xedur | Defeat the Xedur variant | Boss | Bronze |
| Telal | Defeat the Telal variant | Boss | Bronze |
| Uruku | Defeat the Uruku variant | Boss | Bronze |
| Gir-Tab | Defeat the Gir-Tab variant | Boss | Bronze |
| Hallucination | Be defeated by yourself | Boss | Bronze |
| Clone | Defeat one of Athetos’ aborted clones | Boss | Bronze |
| Ukhu | Defeat the Ukhu variant | Boss | Bronze |
| Sentinel | Defeat Sentinel | Boss | Bronze |
| 100% Weapons | Find 100% of the weapons in the game | Acquire all weapons (Secret Worlds/ Weapons do not count) | Bronze |
| 100% Tools | Find 100% of the tools/abilities in the game | – | Bronze |
| 100% Health | Find 100% of all Health Nodes | Collect all Health Nodes (Secret Worlds do not count) | Bronze |
| 100% Notes | Find 100% of all Notes in the game | – | Bronze |
| Hack | Glitch your first enemy | Story sequence | Bronze |
| Hacker | Glitch every enemy type at least once | – | Bronze |
| 100% Power | Find 100% of all Power Nodes | – | Bronze |
| Secret World | Discover your first Secret World | – | Bronze |
| Pacifist | Bypass Athetos’ aborted clone without damaging it | Don’t shoot the clone, letting it die on its own | Bronze |
| Bubble Breaker | Destroy 2000 regenerating blocks | Shoot Red Bubbleblocks | Bronze |
| Brick Breaker | Destroy 2000 bricks | Break bricks using the Drill | Bronze |
| Cryptologist | Use the Passcode Tool for the first time | – | Bronze |
| Mercy | Spare the Xedul Hur variant | Move past the boss without fighting it | Bronze |
Axiom Verge Cheat FAQs
What do the passcodes in Axiom Verge do?
Passcodes in Axiom Verge are in-game cheats that players discover by picking up notes around Sudra. Some cheats open up secret areas within the in-game map while others alter gameplay. Further, there are also cheats that allow players to listen to Axiom Verge‘s soundtrack or view different story cutscenes. There are both standard passcodes and parametric passcodes that players can enter using the Passcode Tool. The parametric codes skew closer to more traditional “cheat” codes.
What does the “Reveal Sudran” passcode do?
Using the “Reveal Sudran” passcode allows players to read and decipher notes scattered around Sudra. These notes are written in the alien Sudran language and are otherwise indecipherable.
How many secret worlds are there in Axiom Verge?
There are a total of 5 Secret Worlds that players can access in Axiom Verge per save file. Each Secret World contains both a primary and secondary item for Trace to collect. Further, each Secret World varies in terms of difficulty. There are 2 Easy and 2 Medium Secret Worlds per save file, with only 1 Hard Secret World. The Hard Secret Worlds are where players can obtain one of the game’s secret weapons.
How long to beat Axiom Verge?
As far as Metroidvania games go, Axiom Verge‘s length is fairly standard. Most players will spend between 10-12 hours on a single playthrough. Those hoping to see and do everything in Axiom Verge can expect to spend 15-20 hours for 100% completion.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Axiom Verge key art.