Tevi Review – ANIME, BULLETS & METROID, OH MY!

November has been a relatively quiet month for releases. Considering that the rest of 2023 was absolutely jam-packed with epic remakes, AAA blockbusters and indie bangers for days, this month has seemed like a casual Sunday in comparison. So when I received a request in my inbox to review Tevi, an anime-inspired Metroidvania with in-depth RPG mechanics, I was more than a little intrigued, to say the least.

Crafting a Niche

In the indie scene, there have been many an attempt to create the ideal Metroidvania. Sometimes, even better than the original Nintendo and Konami devs themselves. However, Tevi has managed to bring its own unique spin on the formula, all while holding true to the genre’s established staples and modernisations. If you’re a fan of Devil May Cry’s combat or Kingdom Hearts’ ability modifiers, you’ll be right at home here especially.

It’s pretty hype comboing and juggling enemies, Dante style, as the game actively encourages players to vary up their movesets to access certain skills, all while carefully dancing and prancing around projectiles to stay alive. Normal difficulty is no joke, folks. Even though you’re fighting on a 2D plane, it still takes considerable effort and reflexes to recognise boss battle patterns and react in time (if you even can). Kudos to the developers for implementing several changeable difficulty options that not only alter the damage output of enemies, but also switch up their patterns/movesets and the scale of their assaults as well. More projectiles to manoeuvre around, extra slashes to dodge, dynamic stage hazards to deal with and so on.

Even if the game can be punishingly difficult at times, Tevi has a whole range of options to strategise against her opponents. Some abilities give her a temporary damage buff after certain conditions are met, whereas others are very situational but can turn the tide with skilful play. Tevi also has two floating orbitars permanently equipped that can shoot charged bullets above 100MP, as well as fire different shot types/angles and a temporary reflection shield that stops most projectiles from touching Tevi. Most players will stick to one or two types of shots in general, but it’s great how much complexity can be found in this game’s mechanics. Tevi can even button-dodge major projectiles mid-combat and dispel her opponent’s positive status effects with some precise + shaped bomb placement.

Familiar Beats

It’s quite cool how status effects can impact the experience too. For example, Tevi can become Paralyzed which periodically damages and stops her movement—something you don’t want happening over a bottomless cliff. Whereas Confusion completely reverses the player’s inputs and makes tight platforming exponentially more difficult, highlighting the need to not take enemies lightly. The irony is, Tevi’s EXP is solely gained from exploring the map and fighting bosses to keep things balanced. However, that doesn’t mean players can just casually fluff about and intentionally avoid enemies. If they start ganging up on Tevi, she’ll have all manner of hell to pay.

The Metroidvania elements are also very well-implemented, gradually granting players new capabilities like thrown bombs, an aerial dash, a quick-slide (morph ball roll), the handy dandy double jump and a few more that I won’t reveal for fear of spoilers. It all adds up to some nifty platforming that rewards careful observation of the environment; revealing plenty of hidden upgrades and dollarydoos for the taking. Admittedly, just like countless other Metroidvanias out there, some of the optional items are in ridiculously obscure places that only the purest of pixel-hunting fanatics would enjoy discovering. I know people like dropping bombs on every corner of the map to find collectibles, though you can’t help but say “Wait, WHAT?!” whenever a random piece of geometry is torched by a stray bomb.

Even though the story feels very lore-dumpy, which makes it hard to become attached to the narrative, the character interactions are brilliantly written. And holy smokes! The artwork can look really good at times, keeping to a consistently high frame throughout. The music is also very well constructed with a variety of different styles and genres on display, containing only a few tracks that aren’t quite as memorable as the others. But ultimately, the majority of them well and truly nail the tone and timbre of Tevi.

Decision

Tevi is one of the best Metroidvanias of the year. Not only does it bring its own superb, anime-inspired aesthetic and RPG mechanics to the forefront, but Tevi also features some of the most lovingly crafted exploration and platforming segments we’ve ever seen from this genre. The combat is also extremely approachable, yet highly in-depth at the same time; Devil May Cry fans, in particular, will feel like an 8-bit Dante on the loose. However, even if a major emphasis on world-building does take the sting out of the game’s big-time scenes, Tevi’s character writing and dynamics are certainly worth sticking around for. Don’t let the silly bunny ears and fanficy presentation dissuade you, it’s awesome.

By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on PC

Excellent

If you can get past the unrestrained otaku nonsense about anime waifus and… other lewd things, you’ll find a simple, yet action-packed DMC-style combat system in Tevi. It features intense bullet hell-themed bosses, extensive RPG mechanics and labyrinthian levels full of unique gimmicks that are great at keeping the exploration fresh and the controls straightforward.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by Jesús Fabre. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.