Review: B.I.O.T.A.

Ever wondered what would happen if Mega Man and Metroid had a baby? Well, probably something along the lines of B.I.O.T.A. A sci-fi 2D Metroidvania-inspired shooter set on an asteroid mining facility overrun by a mysterious organic lifeform able to manipulate and control organisms it comes in contact with. Featuring glorious 8-bit visuals and an upbeat chiptunes soundtrack, B.I.O.T.A. is a love letter to adventure games of the past. Want to know more? Let’s dive in.

Small Bros

What makes B.I.O.T.A. impressive is that it’s being developed by Small Bros, a one-person development team. He even states that he’s not superman but Small Bros. But when you look at the level of detail in B.I.O.T.A., we must applaud Small Bros for the game he developed – and it’s his second game since starting with his studio. Luckily there are still publishers that believe in one-man-development studios like Small Bros. Retrovibe handled the publishing part, which is formed by a small team of experienced industry specialists who believe in the beauty and simplicity of old-school gaming. They work hand-in-hand with indie developers to bring the best new retro games to life on modern platforms by ensuring the developers’ only focus is their game. By being partners and supporters and not a soulless corporation, the passionate developers they work with can bring their ideas to life with confidence.

 

B.I.O.T.A.

Small Bros described his game as you vs. the monsters. And I couldn’t have picked a better catchphrase. As I stated before, B.I.O.T.A. is a 2D Metroidvania action platformer in which you command a team of mercenaries and investigate a mining colony infected by an alien plague. But then, it’s time to explore a pixel art world packed with mutant monsters and deadly traps. As a good Metroidvania deems, you must try to survive using many guns and various crafts, including a mech, a sub, and a starship in arcade-style level. This helps keep the game fresh and challenging since there is a lot of competition out there.

 

 

Upgrades and other nifty items can be bought by trading currency the aliens drop to the local workers, who are not looking too sane when you talk to them. But, of course, who would be when you’re mining on a colony infested with aliens. The plot reminded me of ‘Sterrenlichaam’ a book by writer and friend Roderick Leeuwenhart, who is currently working on a Chinese translation of his book. The book features a space colony closely resembling the one featured in B.I.O.T.A., which is mined for its resources (and goes wrong).

 

Visual Walkman

And it’s this setting combined with the visual style that makes B.I.O.T.A. stand out from the rest of the Metrodvania’s that pollute this world. B.I.O.T.A. has a total of 54 unique 4-color palettes to unlock. Swap them anytime during your play to completely change the game’s 8-bit visuals. Another aspect that makes B.I.O.T.A. great at what it does is that it mixes the charm of retro games (including two-pixel breathing animations) with the modern-day convenience of full controller support (and I highly advise you play it with said controller). It helps out and the option to save anywhere – which can be handy when the game bugs out on your playthrough. I fell through the level a few times, making my game freeze. Luckily I saved a lot, in the beginning to figure out which way I should take, so not a lot was lost. Oh, and a soundtrack so chippy that you’ll want to record a cassette mixtape and listen to it on your Walkman. Oh, sorry, that was a thing when I was young—A mobile Phone—there, fixed.

 

Conclusion

So, to conclude! B.I.O.T.A. offers a fresh take on the Metroidvania genre and proves you don’t need a whole team on crunch mode to achieve something pretty darn impressive. With a visual style that gives several 8-bit competitors a run for its money, B.I.O.T.A. shows that Metroidvania still has a lot of exciting paths it can take to stay on a fresh run. I highly recommend you check this one for yourself!

8.5/10

Tested on Steam (Windows P.C.)