From developer CreSpirit and published Neverland Entertainment comes TEVI, a bullet hell Metroidvania thatβs remarkably intriguing. Playing as TEVI, players will embark on an adventure taking on a range of foes and spectacular boss battles.
Does the game live up to itβs claims of being an epic action-adventure? And is it worth checking out?
TEVI
30 years ago, a certain event takes place which has shaped the world. Fast forward to the present though and players will take on the role of TEVI, a bunny thatβs been imprisoned by the βGolden Handsβ. After a very brief indtroductory sequence where youβre intimidated in your jail cell, players will then take control of TEVIand subsequently make their escape. Our little rabbit heroine is seemingly a lot more capable than she lets on and the game slowly but surely builds up her personality as you go along.
The story of TEVI involves the world of Az, which is filled with a lot background lore that youβll soon learn about. Without spoiling too much, the story of TEVI is quite captivating at first to be quite honest. Thanks to the visual novel-esque storytelling interspersed between action sequences, the game gets you into a steady rhythm quite quickly. Once you start TEVI, chances are youβll be hooked. It features a colourful cast of characters which are fully voiced too, which is always great to see.
The story does however start to decline towards the midway point though and itβs a bit unfortunate to see this unfold. However, this doesnβt detract from the gameplay which remains really fun throughout.
TEVIis quite a long game and will take you upwards of 30 hours to complete and thatβs just for the first playthrough. Multiple playthroughs are encouraged with randomization involved with the Sigils you obtain. Sigils are effectively power-ups in the world of TEVI and each one imparts a different effect upon you. Choosing which Sigils to use becomes an essential part of the gameβs combat the further you progress and itβs great because no two runs through the game will be the same.
Combat in TEVI is fairly straightforward with players being to jump, attack and dodge. The complicated gameplay comes into effect when you have a lot more Sigils to work with. The sheer number of status effects and the various perks involved with Sigils means that things really do get a bit intense despite the combat involving some button-bashing and dodging at its core. Enemies can also be a tad difficult to deal with when they enter their βdominantβ state.
Itβs all about timing and playing safe at some points and some gamers might find this frustrating. Especially when you have to pull off both ground and air combos against some foes.
Thankfully though, the game does feature a lot of difficulty options including one that makes things extremely easy and allows your health to regenerate. This is great for more casual gamers who just want to experience the story of TEVI.
Self-describing itself as a Metroidvania might be a bit too ambitious since TEVI is fairly linear throughout. There is a level of interconnectedness between areas but for the most part, this title is quite linear.
Graphically, TEVI is a gorgeous title. The pixel art style looks great with flashy effects and the visual novel-esque character portraits all look fantastic throughout. The game also features some beautiful scene artwork that is used in its storytelling segments to further enhance its narrative with more detailed visuals.
The soundtrack used in TEVIΒ is excellent with a few tracks that will definitely get stuck in your head after spending hours playing this game. The real star of the show here however are the voice actors. CreSpirit managed to get some seasoned veteran anime voice actors onboard for TEVI and theyβve done a fantastic job here. We even have Rie Kugimiya here as Vena and Yoko Hikasa as Celia which is amazing for a game developed by a small studio.
Final Verdict
TEVI is a solid action-adventure platformer bullet hell button bashing metroidvania-like game. It features a tonne of customization via the Sigil system and a lot of fast-paced action. The game isnβt as open as it should be and is rather linear instead but that doesnβt mean that itβs bad. Itβs definitely worth picking up and playing through and chances are that youβll have a blast in doing so. CreSpirit have done a great job here and I hope to see them developing even better titles in the future!
TEVI Trailer
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