It’s a roguelite loop that encourages experimentation. Every death makes the next run more winnable. Most Metroidvanias sprawl horizontally. Astalon builds up .
Here is why Astalon is a hidden gem that deserves a spot beside Hollow Knight and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night . The premise is deceptively simple. The Tower of Serpents has risen from the earth, plunging the world into drought. You control three unlikely heroes— Arioch the Swordsman, Algus the Wizard, and Elda the Thief —who make a pact with Death herself to ascend the tower and save their village. Astalon Tears of the Earth
PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One. It’s a roguelite loop that encourages experimentation
The level design is dense with . Using the three heroes’ abilities, nearly every single screen has a hidden room, a healing fountain, or a key. Do you switch to Algus to burn a wall? Crawl as Elda through a vent? Or climb as Arioch to reach a crumbling ceiling? Astalon builds up
Without spoiling: The “Tears of the Earth” are not just a macguffin. The game has multiple endings, and the true finale requires you to not just beat the tower, but to understand the tragic cycle of death and resurrection you’ve trapped yourself in. It’s a surprisingly melancholic tale wrapped in an action-platformer shell. Composer Takafumi Taniguchi (of Cathedral fame) delivers a chiptune soundtrack that punches far above its weight class. The main theme, “Tower of Serpents,” is a driving, percussive earworm that perfectly captures desperate adventure. The boss theme adds frantic arpeggios that sound like a NES overclocking itself.
This transforms the classic Metroidvania frustration of “I made it to the boss, died, and now have to trek 15 minutes back” into “I made it to the boss, died, and now I have enough Ore to buy the double jump upgrade before I try again.”
Astalon: Tears of the Earth is not a nostalgia trip. It is a conversation between the NES era and the modern indie renaissance. It respects your time, rewards your curiosity, and turns every death into a step forward. In a genre full of imitators, this serpent stands tall.