Axiom Verge Dated for PlayStation 4 Release, Cross-Buy Confirmed

One-man band developer Tom Happ has revealed the release date of his gorgeous, Metroid-esque title, Axiom Verge, for PlayStation 4.

Thomas Happ has announced the release date of Axiom Verge on the PlayStation Blog, as well as a bunch of other details for the upcoming, retro-style shooter. Happ works part time at Petroglyph Games (which is working on Grey Goo), but his main focus is on this impressive platformer that seems to take the things we loved about Samus Aran's original 8-bit adventure and give it all a unique twist. Axiom Verge replicates NES-like visuals, including random flickering sprites in the background that look like they shouldn't be doing that. Anyone who is used to dealing with twitchy Atari and Nintendo games back in the day should instantly recognize them.

Axiom Verge has you playing as Trace, a scientist lost in a hostile alien world. You need to use a variety of weaponry to explore this Metroidvania adventure. Your first basic weapon is the Nova, which fires similarly to a standard platformer projectile, but it also has an alternate fire that allows you to detonate its slow-moving shot and have it fragment into six different pieces, giving you the ability to hit targets outside of your character's direct line of sight. You get a drill weapon after beating the first boss, which allows you to traverse through specific rocks and walls in your way. The Address Disruptor is a type of "glitch ray" that can alter every enemy in a way that seems to reprogram the game itself, offering a ton of experimentation to be done in regards to this weapon's features.

Axiom Verge will digitally launch on March 31 for PlayStation 4. It costs $19.99 and will be cross-buy for its PS Vita version, whose release date is still pending, as is its PC counterpart.