Axiom Verge gets a free randomiser mode nearly six years after launch Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Axiom Verge gets a free randomiser mode nearly six years after launch It's not a race. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 15 Jan 2021 4 comments Axiom Verge is getting a free randomiser mode - nearly six years after the Metroidvania came out. In a post on the Axiom Verge blog, developer Thomas Happ said the update owes its existence to Axiom Verge's speedrunning community as well as the original mod developer, Pozzum. Together, they came up with an unofficial version that required a legal copy of the game to use, and since worked with Happ to incorporate it officially into the game. "They spent years working on this and refused any compensation I offered. It was a labour of love, and I'm hugely grateful to all of them," Happ said. Watch on YouTube Currently, the randomiser mode is only available on Steam and the Epic Games Store. But it will eventually be made available for free on consoles, too. To access the mode you need to play the beta version of Axiom Verge, which should appear in your library as a separate game. The randomiser mode randomises the items you get as you progress, as you'd expect, but "in a very sophisticated way", Happ said. "The randomiser is smart enough to know that in certain areas you need weapons with certain characteristics to progress." The randomiser mode was built for those who have already beaten the game, "ideally multiple times, and have explored the map very thoroughly." Thus, the different categories of progression logic you can choose for the system to use from the randomiser mode menu assume different things of the player. Beginner mode, for example, assumes you will be playing through the game in much the same way anyone would progress through it. Advanced mode assumes you'll play through the game the way a speedrunner familiar with exploiting certain glitches may go through it. And Masochist mode is similar to Advanced mode, except it assumes you'll be doing a low per cent speedrun. Happ said there are just four people in the world able to play Masochist mode. "If you don't know that you're one of them, you're probably not. This progression mode is included primarily because the aforementioned people who developed this mode include those masochists in question." New features planned for the future include a Saved State mode, which means the game can remember your exact state and let you practice running the same section over and over, and support for Crowd Control, which would let Twitch players interact with their fans (viewers can give or take away items, or transport the player to a different room). Happ is still working on Axiom Verge 2, which is due out during the first half of 2021. If randomiser mode for the first game goes down well, expect to see something similar for the sequel - and it won't take six years, Happ said. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store