In handsome metroidvania Alruna And The Necro-Industrialists you are a dryad fighting the corpse of capitalism

Alruna And The Necro-Industrialists kicks off with quotes from T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland and Mad Max: Fury Road, blending influences that might be considered too fancy and obvious for the Creative Writing Club, but the game itself looks impressive beyond the epigraph.

Described as “a compact and high-density Metroidvania, with a focus on sequence-breaking and playing things out of order”, the game features a square aspect display ratio that will resonate with Game Boy enthusiasts. It consists of 200 single-screen rooms that fit into the larger puzzle-box world. Players take on the role of a thorn witch resembling a mix of 1950s Tinkerbell and Betty Boop. Check out the trailer below.

Here’s a snippet of the game’s premise:

Alruna is a dryad in a dying world – a spirit of life in the land of the dead. The earth is sucked dry. There is only The Sprawl. Poor, bedraggled skele-men dot the Wasteland of the Necro-Industrialists and shuffle endlessly back and forth in a toiling mockery of life. But are they the real enemy? Or do the skeletons suffer just as much as the dryads under the domination of the Necro-Industrialists?

And salvation? Is it possible? Dead men yearn for Heaven. But the dead can only dig…

After trying out the Steam demo, it’s evident that this is a well-crafted game. Players have access to a chargeable jump, a dash move, and a slide, along with various weapons and items found throughout the world. The game includes four temples and hints at a secret fifth temple, not so secret as it’s mentioned on the Steam page.

The music sets the tone nicely, and players will encounter familiar puzzle mechanics like flipping switches to manipulate platforms. Power-ups range from exploding mushrooms to magic vines and electro-plants. With platform-puzzle challenges, hidden minigames, a romantic subplot, and multiple endings, the game offers an anti-capitalist theme without being overly preachy. One character critiques “endless progress and infinite growth” in the game, adding depth to the narrative.

The full game is set to release on 26th September by developers Neckbolt, known for their previous titles like Yono And The Celestial Elephants and Belladona. Their upcoming game, October Panic, and past releases show promise for this studio.

If you enjoy the game’s aesthetic but prefer less combat, consider trying Everdeep Aurora or Void Stranger.