Indie Metroidvania Constance has been tucked somewhere in my mind for the better part of a year, and as its developer joined in with all the Hollow Knight: Silksong fever, it's slowly come to the front of my mind. The new Steam Next Fest demo for Constance has confirmed what its trailers have long suggested: this game has the juice, and it's going right on my list of must-play games for November.
Constance is a 2D action platformer Metroidvania about an artist exploring an inner world that represents her "declining mental health," as developer btf explains, wading into subjects like "personal struggle, creativity, work-life-balance, and inner purpose." It's a good thing the game looks and sounds so lovely; imagine how awkward it would be for a game about artist introspection to fumble the art.
It's more platforming-focused than the likes of Hollow Knight or Silksong, almost to a Celeste degree judging from some later levels shown in trailers, not to mention a vicious optional section I found in the demo. There's still plenty of combat and boss fights though, complete with a slick painterly dodge that would feel right at home in Splatoon. On the dodge and beyond, the sound design is so good that I actively noticed it. I love the punchy swish of your brush weapon swinging through the air, and the satisfying thunk of hitting metal walls or enemies in the demo level.
Immediately, Constance feels great to play. It activates my neurons to slide under an enemy in a puddle of paint, bounce out with a high (or low) jump, and combo into a downward paint stab to make baddies vulnerable to some follow-up brush strikes. Paint fuels your special attacks and moves, and as long as you don't spend it all (and briefly enter a vulnerable corrupted state), you have a lot to play with. Paint regenerates quickly, and you'll use it regularly for combat, platforming, and puzzle challenges.
Upgrading your maximum paint, alongside your already plentiful health, starts to rough out the Metroidvania-standard progression. From the trailer, it's clear that the demo – lined with amusing yellow tape corralling the player in a carefully limited space – is missing tons of movement abilities, too. There are also Charm-like upgrades called Inspirations that socket into a grid, suggesting stronger upgrades will take up more space and you'll have to Tetris things together for maximum efficiency. What a wonderful verb that's become: Tetris.
I spent 20 minutes clearing the Constance demo, and this is one Steam Next Fest demo that I'm not uninstalling immediately after beating it. At one point, I hit a platforming section that killed me enough times that I figured I should come back later, if only for the sake of not spending more work time headbutting this wall. After accidentally beating the demo final boss on my first try – a terrifying, malicious, belligerent cube – I still have a bone to pick with that section.
Constance felt great 20 seconds in and after 20 minutes I wanted more. That's about the best Steam Next Fest experience I can hope for. The game is out November 24, and it's officially a top three pick for the month for me, joining fellow Metroidvania Possessor(s) and Moonlighter 2. Oh, wait, I just remembered the tactics RPG Demonschool was delayed to November. Alright, top four.
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