Enlarge / The boss fights stand out as easily the best sequences.

None of that uncertainty applies to the game’s look and feel, though. Iconoclasts is set in a lovely, colorful dystopia, with expressive sprites and bombastic effects to match. Traversing the splashy jungles, caves, seascapes, and sci-fi fortresses feels just right, too—no pixel feels wasted; no jump or attack too unwieldy. There’s a sense of meticulous technical perfection to Iconoclasts that likely reflects its 10-year production by solo developer Joakim “konjak” Sandberg.

As Robin, the unlicensed mechanic player-character, you begin with just a wrench and a rapid-fire stun gun, but slowly, inevitably, gather new tools like bombs and an electric overcharge for melee attacks. These unlock new areas and upgrades in the finest Metroid/Castlevania style, though the find-items-to-progress concept is stretched a bit thinner here than in, say, last year’s Metroid: Samus Returns. New equipment is few and far between, and entire multi-hour zones center more or less on a single item.