2020 in preview: Axiom Verge 2 has us expecting the unexpected Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. 2020 in preview: Axiom Verge 2 has us expecting the unexpected Into the Breach. Feature by Matthew Reynolds Managing Editor Updated on 10 Jan 2020 19 comments Now that 2020 is here we're having a little look ahead at some of the year's new games that have us intrigued. I finally got round to playing Axiom Verge over the Christmas break, and it was such a pleasant surprise. This is a game which at first, like many other Metroidvanias, feels like a direct and blatant homage to Super Metroid, but piece by piece, pulls away and becomes its own thing. What I loved most was the tone, and how things gradually unravelled. It was somehow more alien than Metroid; it was much dirtier and darker, more mysterious and disgusting. There are gross, pulsating walls made of bright pink flesh, huge caverns piled with greyed out corpses, and bizarre structures hanging above vast plains like Christmas tree decorations, all displayed in 16-bit splendor. The story plays out in much the same way, and though you see its central twist coming a mile off, nothing ever fully slots into place. Without spoiling specifics, even if you digested all its lore and seen its secret ending, you're not really sure where you are, who truly were your allies, and what was real and what was not. Axiom Verge 2 looks so interesting is because it doesn't appear to answer anything. The first trailer, revealed at the close of last year, was the perfect tease because it feels alien in its own way - not disconcerting like the original was, but because it's not what you'd expect from a possible sequel. Watch on YouTube Yes, there's the tease of more monstrous bosses and the fuzzy expanse of the Breach. But I'm honest, it all looks quite pleasant, with beige, snow-covered temples instead of nightmarish biomechanical corridors, and the comforting return of the drone, a faithful companion which allows you to scuttle through tight spaces. Even traversal - another thing the original game was renowned for - looks pared back this time round. But based on the trailer, I have no idea who we'll play as, when or where things are set, and whether things will spiral out from beneath us again. There might not even be any real connection to what we know at all. Such was the power of the original's underlying horror and mystery, and I can only hope to be as surprised a second time round. Want to hear our 2020 predictions and a preview of the year ahead? Give our podcast a listen through iTunes, Spotify, RSS, and SoundCloud: To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings 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 Features 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. 12 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 34 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 60 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 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