Nintendo Switch Adds Acclaimed Metroidvania-Style Game This Summer

Update: A spokesperson for BadLand Games confirmed to GameSpot that the publisher also has plans to release a Standard Edition of Axiom Verge for Switch and PS4. Unlike the Multiverse Edition detailed in our original post, the Standard release will only include a copy of the game and "will bring the price down significantly." More details will be announced at a later time. Additionally, a digital version of the game will be released on the Switch eShop for $20.

Original story: The acclaimed Metroidvania title Axiom Verge is coming to Nintendo Switch, publisher BadLand Games announced today. The game is scheduled to launch this August.

Originally released in 2015 for PS4 (and subsequently ported to PC, PS Vita, Xbox One, and Wii U), Axiom Verge is a side-scrolling action-adventure game in the vein of the original Metroid. Players explore a labyrinthine alien world, using the power-ups you gradually acquire to battle bosses and delve deeper into the planet.

The game was previously only available as a digital title, but the upcoming Switch release will be the physical Multiverse Edition, which is also coming to PS4, Vita, and Wii U. Along with a copy of the game, the Multiverse Edition includes a booklet with art and commentary, a double-sided poster of the game's world map and items, and a documentary about the game's creation by 2 Player Productions.

Axiom Verge: Multiverse Edition retails for €30/$30, though as was the case with Rime, the Switch version will be slightly more expensive at €40/$40. To offset the price difference, the Switch release also includes a soundtrack CD, which is available as a preorder incentive for the other versions. We called Axiom Verge "an excellent example of inspired game design" in our review and awarded it 8/10.