Fred Sousa

I finished Constance, and here is my review: -The game is a metroidvania that takes you through a vast interconnected world made up of distinct and beautifully crafted regions. As you progress, you unlock new brush abilities that gradually open up previously inaccessible areas, allowing you to delve deeper into the world and its secrets -What will immediately stand out to anyone playing this game is the wonderful hand-drawn art style that is among the most beautiful things I’ve seen in 2025 -Alongside the gorgeous art style, the game features a beautiful soundtrack that perfectly fits every moment -With your abilities, you can move through the world at incredible speed, for example diving into the ground through paint to evade enemies in a way that’s reminiscent of Splatoon -Everything feels incredibly smooth, and the controls are so precise that the platforming sections become a true joy to play -The game also features great puzzle segments that add a nice change of pace to the overall experience. In general, the balance between exploration, combat, and platforming challenges is very well executed. You really get into a flow, and the hours just fly by -A charm system gives you additional gameplay-altering abilities. You place them in a manual, which has limited space, and just like in Tetris, they need to be arranged carefully -The menu is nice and snappy -Almost every ability enhances the gameplay and alters how you approach the game -The game features a fantastic map that can be displayed on screen in a small window at the press of a button - simply perfect for exploring the world -Additionally, much like in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, you can take screenshots of the game world, which then appear directly on the map -A cast of wonderfully quirky characters -A challenging escape sequence reminiscent of Ori -Pogo jump is in the game -The game features fantastic, challenging boss fights that had me retrying multiple times and that’s saying something, since I’ve earned the Platinum in Silksong -There are helpful accessibility options that allow you to adjust the difficulty, such as modifying the damage you take -The checkpoints are well placed, although reaching certain boss fights involves a bit of runback -Should you die, the game gives you the choice to either revive immediately, which makes the enemies stronger, or return to the checkpoint -The story is deeply emotional and tackles serious themes such as mental health, personal struggle, creativity, and work-life balance in an extremely respectful way, leaving a lasting impression that stays with you for a long time -The story isn’t just a simple side note and is reflected throughout the game world, in enemies and other elements -The game is on the shorter side for a metroidvania. If you only follow the story, a playtime of around 6 hours sounds right. However, if you hunt for secrets and tackle the numerous side quests, you can easily add several more hours -There are speedrun trophies -The game runs flawlessly and looks fantastic even on the Steam Deck -Throughout my entire playtime, I didn’t encounter a single glitch or bug, which speaks volumes about the game’s incredible polish -I would have liked to find more secrets, such as hidden bosses. From my perspective, hidden rooms didn’t feel particularly rewarding -Certain moves and attacks consume paint, which significantly limits your options. I would have liked a bit more freedom, or simply a larger paint capacity from the start -I also would have appreciated the addition of a few more enemy types With their first game, the developers have crafted something truly exceptional. Constance is yet another indie title that demonstrates indie games deserve the spotlight. The game is a stunning painting that tells a deep, moving story which resonates and stays with you long after the credits roll. Verdict: 9/10 #Constance @ConstanceGame