Minoria
Minoria
Game
Game2023
Vernal Edge
Developer Hello Penguin Team LLC
Vernal Edge is a 2D action-packed Metroidvania featuring an intense combat system, tight platforming sequences and a powerful story of rivalry, revenge and growth. From the Steam store page
258 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
71
Fresh
141 positive · 59 negative
95% range 64–76%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 141 | 59 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 26 | 2 | 26 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
391 of 500 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
70% recommend · 138 yes, 59 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 197 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (523 of 693 positive).
Players praise the combat and movement but note it can feel imprecise or repetitive. [1][2][3] The art style and music are widely appreciated, though some find the art inconsistent. [4][5][6] Many reviewers find the game frustratingly close to great, with rough edges that hinder the experience. [1][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [14]
Disgusting... Platforming has nothing interesting to it, enemies have a ton of health and combat takes years of your life. Also the combat encourages using charge attacks to break stance and the combat loop becomes: charge attack -> run away to charge next attack -> charge attack. The best spell is time bomb, which guess what... requires you too wait again. 10/10 combat experience. You'll never need another combat …
- [1]
This game sits right at the edge of being amazing and just being "kinda okay." There are a lot of things it gets right but will have one little thing that keeps it from being perfect. The movement abilities and skills you get through the game are really cool and fun and unique, but sometimes they feel a little imprecise and some platforming sections get a little awkward for it. The character designs are great and …
- [7]
This game is frustratingly close to being great. For what it is, it's worth a discounted price. tldr; 6/10. Game's fun, but rough edges make it a chore to play sometimes. Get it on sale. I have a number of small gripes about the game that add up, but I'll start with the good. Artwork looks great. I really like the fantasy-steampunk setting, and all the sprites look solid. Music's pretty good. Can't complain. Combat …
- [8]
I wish there was an option on steam reviews for a "maybe/meh" to give a game. I want to start off with something very important; this is a well made game. The art direction is superb, the sprites look wonderful, the movement is very crisp and momentum focused, and the music is pretty much top notch. That being said. The combat is just....okay? It feels like 90% of the time I'm not dealing a lot of damage, even with …
- [2]
Cool combat loop, but it gets old after 3 hours or so. Cool art style, but not very interesting characters. Cool setting, but remembering which floating island is which seems impossible combined with the metroidvania ability unlocks. I'm mixed on this, but I'm giving a thumbs up because I think it's well made and worth trying. Someone with more thirst for adventure might really fall in love with this game.
Summarised from 34 of the 255 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
70% of the 197 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Vernal Edge. The complaint that keeps coming up: combat can feel clunky and enemies are damage sponges. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 258 · most liked firstwarmup doodle of Vernal from the hit 2D action game Vernal Edge
neutral · AI labelView post →Day 6 - Vernal from Vernal Edge Vernal Edge is a dynamic combat metroidvania type game a friend of mine made. You should give it a look when you have the chance! For this character illustration, I just used the three colors of ballpoint pens I had on hand. #art #illustration #ballpointpenart
positive · AI labelView post →It was a really short time we worked on this, I think we both consider ourselves pretty lucky This was my first real 3d project coming off Vernal Edge and I took the time here to transfer my 2d level experience into 3d ones. This game catapulted my skills forward, I wouldn't be where I am without it
positive · AI labelView post →Sigolem Source: Golem Vernal Edge (PC and various platforms) by Hello Penguin Team LLC #SigmaPosting #VernalEdge #PC
neutral · AI labelView post →Yo Vernal Edge is cool as hell, why aren't more people talking about this game?
positive · AI labelView post →One day there will be a Vernal Edge successor, only because I need another game for myself with character action juggling and real platforming mechanics.
positive · AI labelView post →Imperfect, but the good stuff is REALLY good and I feel like this is the kind of game where its rough edges give it character rather than making me wish for death. If the dev is reading this, you have something really special on your hands. Keep pushing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yet again, another game on Steam makes me wish for a mixed option. Vernal Edge is a mediocre metroidvania that fails to incorporate certain metroidvania mechanics into the game, leading to a frustrating experience for players. However, it’s not entirely a bad game since there are many redeeming aspects. The art style reminds me of the DS games, but it’s inconsistent in many areas, mainly for character sprites and the lack of animation for enemies. While it mainly looks good, some characters…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alex was a key mind behind Vernal Edge please wishlist his game.
neutral · AI labelView post →I've personally released DEMON DUST on steam and have access to revenue reports for another game I worked on, Vernal Edge. Both of them have performed in entirely different brackets of revenue, but I would not describe either of those brackets as "viral success" or "bad day at a garage sale" 1/2
neutral · AI labelView post →Disgusting... Platforming has nothing interesting to it, enemies have a ton of health and combat takes years of your life. Also the combat encourages using charge attacks to break stance and the combat loop becomes: charge attack -> run away to charge next attack -> charge attack. The best spell is time bomb, which guess what... requires you too wait again. 10/10 combat experience. You'll never need another combat experience because the combat in this game never ends. Also how is this a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The combat is insanely trash. I don't understand how you can pour THIS MUCH love and care and attention into a game, and then wind up with a combat system THIS MUCH WORSE than those terrible quarter eaters from the 80s. No, I don't mean Street Fighter, because THAT game had even the tiniest, most REMOTE response to ANYTHING you did in combat. I can't believe how bad the combat system is. Why? Why is it so disappointing? Even when you win, you're just happy that aggravation is OVER, and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Weekend PC Game Deals: Freebies from Ubisoft, massive charity bundles, and a lot more. Big Deals - Xenonauts 2 – $29.99 on Steam - Old World – $29.99 on Steam - Terra Invicta – $27.99 on Steam - ICARUS – $23.44 on Steam - Eternights – $20.09 on Steam - Evil West – $19.99 on Humble Store - Jurassic World Evolution 2 – $17.99 on Steam - Terra Nil – $17.49 on Steam - Gunsmith Simulator – $15.79 on Steam - The Planet Crafter – $14.99 on Steam - Volcanoids – $13.99 on Steam - Car Mechanic Simulator…
neutral · AI labelView post →This game sits right at the edge of being amazing and just being "kinda okay." There are a lot of things it gets right but will have one little thing that keeps it from being perfect. The movement abilities and skills you get through the game are really cool and fun and unique, but sometimes they feel a little imprecise and some platforming sections get a little awkward for it. The character designs are great and the story has an interesting setup, but a lot of those characters don't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cool combat loop, but it gets old after 3 hours or so. Cool art style, but not very interesting characters. Cool setting, but remembering which floating island is which seems impossible combined with the metroidvania ability unlocks. I'm mixed on this, but I'm giving a thumbs up because I think it's well made and worth trying. Someone with more thirst for adventure might really fall in love with this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had high hopes at the start of this game. It looks great, for one thing. A little Skies of Arcadia but doing its own thing. Neat. Too bad I'll never bother seeing the rest of it. Just getting started is a bit of a chore since you can go to several islands right from the start, but either the island has nothing much on it, or you can't get very far until you come back with other abilities. So right off the bat, you're hitting multiple brick walls on progress. You just want the game to START,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd recommend it, though I have one negative remark about this game, and a gripe about negativity, in order. First I'll say the OST is amazing, and does a lot of heavy lifting with the combat early on. The game is not a breeze when going in blind, you'll have to learn how combat works. I mention this due to a decent number of negative reviews are because of how bad the combat is. I never felt the sword was too weak, and some skills like sticky bomb compliment your basic combos nicely and go…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →there's a sharp difficulty spike at some point in the game. not sure how close to the end because I can't get past it. none of your upgrades signifcantly improve your attack power, or defense. Just more spells that all suck in a different kind of way. and there's no difficulty setting. Also, the main character is a whiny idiot (she is literally illiterate) on an idiotic revenge quest in an incredible world filled with soul engineering/robotics and dimensional manipulation. You get an…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vernal Edge caught me off guard--I wasn't initially impressed with it. The art didn't immediately stand out to me, and the combat felt a little clunky. I was mistaken. As I got through the game and the environments grew in complexity, so did the complexity of my combos--more abilities and skills made for more unique fighting decisions, and ultimately, I felt quite competent by the end of it--and it's fun! Let's talk about the highlights. The music--I really enjoy the atmospheric ambience of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is frustratingly close to being great. For what it is, it's worth a discounted price. tldr; 6/10. Game's fun, but rough edges make it a chore to play sometimes. Get it on sale. I have a number of small gripes about the game that add up, but I'll start with the good. Artwork looks great. I really like the fantasy-steampunk setting, and all the sprites look solid. Music's pretty good. Can't complain. Combat is pretty cool even if I suck at it. It's a very dynamic system, with lots of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've only played the first few islands and i think that's enough for me to uninstall and never look back. For a game that emphasizes movement and combat not delivering in any of these two mechanics is disappointing to say the least. I tried writing a thorough review but i realized pinpointing everything out whether they are good or bad would take longer than my playtime or the effort i put into the actual game. The only part that actually hooked me was the ship traveling to islands idea for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really great, challenging and rewarding metroidvania, with a focus on exploration and brutal combat and boss fights. Amazing, well-crafted music - practically every track is great - although it's mixed criminally low; you have to jack up the volume and have music at 100% and sfx at like, 30% to actually hear it. A shame. A *massive* misstep, mixing that audio so low. I must point out that exploration is one of the better parts of this game, it does not give you quest markers to follow. If you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This isn't a bad game per se, but I do not recommend it. While the Metroidvania aspect is there, the levels are isolated so you have very little world to explore at once. The traversal in the game is a bit weird as you fall to ground super fast like the gravity is way too high. In my 90 minutes with the game I fought 4 monsters of varying colors and they all take a weirdly high number of hits to kill. Like 30 hits high. I got to a section where I had to find a bunch of switches with no…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Where the ♥♥♥♥ am I? Where the ♥♥♥♥ am I going? Where are the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ maps?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun design on paper, but fails in overall execution. Character has a good variety of spells and combat moves, and the overworld islands are fun to explore, reminds me of Starbound which is one of my favourite games. But, the finnicky combat and being constantly overwhelmed by 5+ samey enemies in a locked room over and over in gladiator arena is a huge detractor. Really needs proper balancing and combat variety.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have been summoned to shill Magenta Horizons is a 3D Ninja Gaiden stuffed into a brutal but beautiful 2D game Vernal Edge is a well polished Metroidvania with KH/Smash inspired combat Pseudoregalia is an exceptional 3D platformer with a small but dense map to explore and lovely low poly visuals
neutral · AI labelView post →great visuals and combat has a lot of good ideas but the overall game feels half baked
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have pondered a lot on Vernal Edge in the past days, it’s a game that left me with many feelings and thoughts. I’ll give a detailed review below, but if you are interested in a very particular metroidvania where exploration it’s his strongest quality, with a flashy combat accompanied by an ethereal soundtrack and a somewhat lukewarm story, I recommend it. Let’s start from the best merits of this obscure gem; the pixel art is gorgeous, vivid and nostalgic for the lost era of PS1 games, it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The combat is so prevalent and poor that it overwhelms any of the good things I would like to say about the game. It is nearly unchanged from the first 5 minutes, and the number of different enemies feels like it could almost be counted on 1 hand. If you are curious enough to buy this anyway, I recommend playing on easy to minimize how much combat you have to deal with.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For an indie studio's first game, I thought Vernal Edge was quite well done. The art style does vary widely; from literal MS paint doodles, to sophisticated sprites, but the game itself is otherwise reasonably polished. The story is a generic YA 'time to kill my father' emofest. I thought it could have done a better job of incorporating the different islands (there are perhaps 3 with real plot significance), and that the dialogue in general could have done a better job of pointing out which…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I actually like the combat and art style but there is a big problem that bring me down. Giving player a freedom to choose the next island to go next sound good but it is a nightmare when I actually have to play the game. I don't fine any clue or direction about where I need to go next other than just randomly check every island that available.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Moderator @gbmento.bsky.social has a new entry in their "Indie Game of the Week" feature on Giant Bomb and this one looks at Vernal Edge! Read why they enjoyed its small touched but not so much its combat. User Blog: www.giantbomb.com/vernal-edge/... #games #gmaing #indiegame #indiedev #vernaledge
neutral · AI labelView post →Solid game, good music, good combat, good movement, good exploration. Very hard on Vicious (which you can - but probably shouldn't - play on first with an in-game code), but it's a shame that the difficulty achievements don't stack.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not enough direction - no markers of any kind, maps are mostly useless, there isn't even a clear game objective. Fun until it wasn't.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Arena-based combat where you're stuck in a room with waves of enemies. Has corridors in between them to pretend it's a metroidvania. Unresponsive, finicky controls and a stun-based system where interacting with enemies when they aren't all completely stunned can ruin a fight. Combat in this game is over-designed trash. I liked the story though.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have to admit I don't see the vision for Vernal Edge. It's a metroidvania cut into a bunch of smaller maps that eventually start to interlock a bit. The combat, with its...well, not unique, but atypical stun gauge, is kind of interesting, the maps are generally well built, the movement abilities are eventually pretty cool, and the character writing is okay, but...I dunno. It lands a little shallow for me. Not very saucy. I'd recommend just about any other metroidvania I've played before…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game play has a weird hit box and combo animation it takes getting used to but the game is fun. Really nice flow to progression, I got it for pennies so I recommend it with a good discount
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →gonna ramble about something in a thread for a bit. A common point in Vernal Edge reviews are comments that say the game feels old school in some way. Positive reviews bring this up as a compliment. Negative reviews frame it as a negative, using words like "archaic" or "clunky"....
neutral · AI labelView post →after playing through all of vernal edge and 100% completing it on normal difficulty, i can say i really liked the game. Combat feels pretty nice with the combo-centric systems and the pretty fast paced movements, even though there is some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ enemies and attacks. some of the bosses are decently tough and really force you to learn attack patterns and patience to strike at the right moments. Platforming can be a bit annoying at time, especially in the beginning when you really need to come…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played a lot of platformers before. This one seems lacking in every aspect: 1) the story is really very poor, I actually thought there would be some kind of twist but no. 2) 90% of spells are no use in combat at all, i would at least make the damage higher for the impact or make it some kind of 'build', like a caster 3) u need pretty coordinated acrobatics there to use combos as well, otherwise - just hack and slash and dash. 4) The confusion of 'where to go' doesn't make the game better…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Full cleared the game on normal, with all the collectible rescources and secret bosses yadda yadda- I really wanted to recomend this game but: hear me out- Summary: The collectibles are fun. The maps are fun. The variety of spells and attacks are fun. The abilities for mobility felt creative especially how they tied back into the combat. Cast is silly and lovable. Music is enjoyable. Poise being too high and not visible at enemy spawn sucks, telegraphing isn't long enough for most attacks. Try…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#games #promosky Once again Happy Birthday to me and while my gf bought me Bubsy 4D (lovely game, do recommend), my bff bought me a more low-profile and older Vernal Edge metroidvania. …I saw that game takes place on flying islands and has airships and I really can't resist such settings😭
positive · AI labelView post →So I just found out that this absolute banger of a game is on sale for just over 3 bucks for the next two weeks. Play Vernal Edge. I got literally 100+ hours of fun out of exploring this combat system and I still get cravings for more. #Metroidvania #Action #Indiegame youtu.be/Y7d_XymPYlA?...
positive · AI labelView post →After beating the game, I will say I enjoyed what I played A solid platformer with neat and an array of movement options uncommon to most metroidvanias (no I'm not just talking about dash and airdash) that come together nicely for exploration and jump puzzle sections A metroidvania with no conventional double jump is definitely an eyebrow raiser, but it works Unlike a majority of metroidvanias out there, Vernal Edge decides to split their worlds and zones into floating islands, where you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 TLDR: Not much of a metroidvania, the whole world isn’t interconnected, you travel to worlds via ship, similar to Kingdom Hearts system without the gummi ship combat. Combo-heavy game play is incredibly fun. Story is missing a lot, and leaves a lot to be desired. Boss designs need work. Despite its shortcomings, its still a really fun game to pick up on sale. I’ve played maybe one other metroidvania style of game, so this is still fresh to me. Sometimes the controls feel loose and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alright, not much to say here. Due to this being tagged as a metroidvainia game, I went into this expecting there'd be an emphasis on exploration. Unfortunately that's not the case. From what little I played of the game, it liked to interrupt my exploration with a forced arena fight every other room or so - kinda like Guacamelee, if you've ever played that game. I personally prefer to play metroidvainias for the exploration first, so this was a huge turn-off for me. Plus the combat…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish there was an option on steam reviews for a "maybe/meh" to give a game. I want to start off with something very important; this is a well made game. The art direction is superb, the sprites look wonderful, the movement is very crisp and momentum focused, and the music is pretty much top notch. That being said. The combat is just....okay? It feels like 90% of the time I'm not dealing a lot of damage, even with offensive stance and critical heavy attacks equipped. The only thing that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vernal edge is what you get when you combine the combat of devil may cry with the movement of hollow knight and the sequence breaking of old school metroid games. It may not be everyone's cup of tea as map design and enemy sponge health seem to be the common critique among a good handful of first time players, however as someone who extensively enjoys DMC combat and get very much into the depth of it, i thoroughly enjoyed this game and all it had to offer! Not only is the combat and control of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR Decent Metroidvania with really good base of room-based combat and schmovement, but probably more for the niche who want to feel like they’re making a DMC/KH combo MAD As a foreword before I dive into specifics, I remember buying this like a year ago on sale out of spite due to some of the worst user reviews I’ve seen uploaded attempting to analyze the game without actually understanding it. So finally after wrapping up 100% (at least for Steam achievements), I can finally ramble about…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Horrendous map. This is what kills the game for me. The combat is also just not that great. Normal attacks deal no damage, only spending meter does. So most of the fighting just has you tickle the enemy until you can press the "mildly awesome" button. Relatively quickly enemies start having stagger bars; how do you deal damage to it? Do your charge attack over and over or you're not allowed to deal damage. You don't even fight that much in the game. For some reason areas are huge and wide and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vernal Edge - What do you MEAN it's been three years since this game came out? twitch.tv/ashthemaus
neutral · AI labelView post →Way too many copy paste enemies even the ones from the very beginning, they just get super armor to make them tougher. There's like a dozen types of enemies in the whole game. It also goes out of its way to be annoying, often sending you back to your ship before you can collect things, like the map to the area, making you have to go back the full length of a zone to find it. What really cements this as a negative review is most of the final bosses have a horrible mix of unblockable and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Summary: Solid metroidvania with some good pseudo-fighting game/beat-em-up combo mechanics that take time to get used to and appreciate. Do not brush off this game after an hour of playtime. It takes a good couple hours of fumbling though and getting a real feel for the game. At some point, it clicks, and you begin the journey to GIT GUD land. The games mechanics open up the more you play and unlock both fighting and movement abilities. Also, unless you are a masochist, don't be like me...…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here’s a game I stumbled upon that initially seemed quite promising and interesting. The graphics reminded me of that era in the ’90s when consoles weren’t powerful enough for true 3D, but pixel art filled in beautifully — a classic example would be Donkey Kong Country or Mario RPG. So I was already intrigued, and a spark of passion was kindled. However, everything fell flat within the first few seconds of gameplay. The mechanics feel strange, and the controls are awkward — you practically…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of those "If this looks interesting buy it and try it yourself" games. I love it. To me it's like that one PSX game you have that you like but no one else around you likes as much as you, but you grow up with really fond memories of. Fun movement, fun combat. Level design is actually more hit than miss which I really value in the genre. Some good tracks too. One of the standout games in the 2D action genre. I l adore Vernal but its (endearing) jankiness may not be for everyone. I'd love…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vernal Edge feels like a fast food burger ad. The trailer makes the game look like a flashy, fast-paced 2D character action game with some awesome combos to pull off. In reality, Vernal Edge is a game with a good idea, but plays nothing like what you saw in the ad. This game is so unbelievably frustrating in all the wrong ways. Combat rewards boring and safe play, certain movement abilities feel unresponsive at times, and the exploration is miserable. I played it far past the point where I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vernal Edge is a difficult experience to judge. I genuinely think this game is absolutely brimming with fresh ideas and a sense of authenticity; however, for every moment of brilliance, there is a rough edge (or 10) to diminish the shine. Ultimately, I do think the game is worth trying, if for no other reason than its novelty, as there's nothing else really like it in the genre. However, there are definitely some polarizing design choices, and a glaring lack of polish pervades pretty much every…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Utter trash... 0 direction and crap mapping, unless you like running around and wasting time. Better metroidvania and games out there dont waste your time with this garbage
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 Vernal Edge is a solid Metroidvania experience. it presents a solid challenge while never crossing the line into annoying. The combat and movement both feel pretty fluid for the most part with only some things lacking sufficient player feedback. The visuals and music both compliment the game nicely. The story, while ultimately very basic, provides a nice setting for the game and never feels forced. The characters come across as fairly genuine and never say or do anything that would hinder…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I guess we were obviously drawn to make the type of game we grew up with, but I feel like Vernal Edge was more committal to its 00's action game roots than players were comfortable with.
neutral · AI labelView post →
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