I finally got to try the cyberpunk Metroidvania I've been following for years: its Steam Next Fest demo is a little bit of Mega Man, a little bit of Star Wars, and more of an RPG than I expected

I've had my eye on a cyberpunk Metroidvania called Altered Alma for over a year now, so I was excited to give its demo a play in this week's Steam Next Fest. After clearing a few areas and getting some upgrades, I'm pleased to report that it is indeed good. I am also surprised to report that it's taken a page or two from Cyberpunk 2077, not just in its RPG elements, but also in some very sexy romance scenes that caught me off guard in the latest trailer.

A problem I often have with action game progression systems is how the early sections may suffer from limited gameplay options. You get tons of cool stuff later, but the opening minutes or hours – arguably the most important part of a game – are extremely one-dimensional because all the cool stuff is backloaded. Altered Alma has this problem, but only for about 10 minutes. If the game feels a little slow and difficult at the start, that's because it is, but stick with it and you'll soon find a fast and responsive platformer with delightfully violent combat.

Altered Alma stars an android (I think) girl named Jack and her robot companion Vera, who are on the run in a cyberpunk, Star Wars-y spin on Barcelona after refusing to kill a bunch of space babies for the military or something. I'm shrugging it off a bit, but this game was written by Resident Evil and Dead Space veteran Antony Johnston and Still Wakes the Deep's Emma Beeby, and it shows. Jack is quippy but not grating, and the character interactions I've had have been a mix of sweet and serious. For a limited demo, I'm remarkably invested.

Movement and combat are the real stars, though. Jack controls a bit like Mega Man, albeit with more slashing, parrying, and blood. But as soon as you discover the teleporting dagger that the entire game is built around, the whole vibe changes.

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You start executing enemies with finishers that are as lavishly animated as the rest of this gorgeous game. You fly through and around walls and enemies, chaining parries and combos together to maximize your damage and the amount of health energy you regenerate (not unlike Soul for healing in Hollow Knight). It isn't perfect – the parry is wimpy, and the ledge grab is far too slow – but Jack is a fun heroine even with many upgrades missing.

The RPG influences called out by developer 2Awesome really pop up in the screen for those and other upgrades – with Metroidvania-style discoveries flanked by new moves and gear tied to resources – and in the companion system. I've only met one friend so far and it's clear from the trailer that he's very romanceable. That trailer also makes it abundantly obvious that Jack is playing for both teams here, so if you like the look of anyone in the cast, there's some good news for you RPG romantics.

It's hard to judge deep systems like this from a free sample, but the demo for Altered Alma certainly didn't disappoint me. It made me want more of a game that's been on my radar for a while, which is about all I could ask for.

A fantasy Fallout opening pushes me right into one of the most promising RPGs I've played in ages, and it's by far the best Steam Next Fest demo I've tried.