When comparing Axiom Verge vs Ghost of a Tale, the Slant community recommends Axiom Verge for most people. In the question“What are the best indie games on Steam?” Axiom Verge is ranked 45th while Ghost of a Tale is ranked 68th.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Great soundtrack
Pro Retro feel with a modern spin
Provides a good change of pace to what many modern titles offer. Axiom Verge is a well crafted combination of the original Metroid 2D platformer style, with unique game mechanics that make it refreshing.
Pro Somewhat complex story
While maybe not necessarily mind-blowing, it does have some interesting twists that one usually is more likely to find in movies rather than games. Also multiple endings.
Pro Tons of power ups to collect
In addition to having lots of things to find, the power ups give you diverse abilities that allow you to interact with the world in new unique ways.
Pro Beautiful art and environments
Pro Exploration and tactical gameplay
Even though the game world isn't huge, the game does do a good job of keeping you busy. There's a lot of collectibles to search and find. In doing so, you'll need to pass by enemies. The game gives you the option to either knock them out, distract them & slip by, simply try to sneak by them, hoping they don't turn around and see you... or you can just run straight past them since you're faster and try to hide in a barrel or cupboard when they briefly lose sight of you. You can also make enemies follow you inside a room with a lever controlled door, run outside and close the door with the enemies trapped inside.
Pro Adorable story-based game
You play as a mouse who needs to escape jail and venture into the world to try and find your wife and son. The mouse, Tilo, is a minstrel who wears a little lute on his back and has a little hat with a bell on. You meet a lot of interesting characters along the way with their own stories. This game was made by a former Dreamworks animator and the level of detail is one of the game's biggest strengths. This translates into a well done animations, including idle, and overall high standard of graphics in the game that are spot-on in terms of creating the right atmosphere.
Cons
Con Poor weapon design
There are a ton of weapons, but most of them lack purpose. You end up sticking with just a few.
Con Not modern enough
It's intentionally retro style makes the world monotonous and dead compared to modern Metroidvania's.
Con Soundtrack can feel repetitive
While the soundtrack has some great electronic music, it can start feeling repetitive over long play sessions, especially when you find yourself just wandering around, looking for items or the next destination.
Con Too short
And no reason to replay.
Con Not a lot of action
This game does not have a combat system, so you can't kill any enemies. It's about not getting caught as you try to collect things and progress to find your family (as well as the atmosphere and story). So if you really hate sneaking, running away and hiding, then it's probably not for you.