Vzerthos: The Heir of Thunder

I have a soft spot for the kind of game DarkDes Labs put together here: a solo developer reaching back to the isometric arcade shooters of the nineties and building something genuine out of that love. Vzerthos: The Heir of Thunder is a 2D top-down action game where you play as the son of a Thunder God, stripped of his powers at the outset and fighting his way through waves of enemies to reclaim them and rescue a kidnapped princess from the villainous Baron Vakhzon. That setup is deliberately pulpy, and the game leans into it without apology. The combat starts as something closer to a hack-and-slash brawler before opening up into a fuller top-down shooter feel as you progress through later levels. You eventually have three distinct gun types at your disposal alongside the thunder skills you recover along the way, so there is at least some mix-and-match satisfaction in how you approach each encounter. Enemies swarm in decent numbers, and the pace stays urgent. The isometric perspective is rendered through pre-baked low-poly models layered over hand-drawn visual elements, which gives the whole thing a particular texture you either find charming or dated, depending on your tolerance for GameMaker-era aesthetics. The chiptune soundtrack leans hard into that retro atmosphere, and honestly it works. This is a game that knows what it sounds like and commits. The story is delivered entirely through comic-panel cutscenes between levels, a choice that feels both deliberate and budget-conscious at once. It is not deep worldbuilding, but the panels carry enough personality that the format fits the tone rather than feeling like a shortcut. The developer also built in some surprisingly thoughtful quality-of-life touches: a fully customizable interface via a plain text file, optional auto-play comic transitions, and open localization files you can edit yourself. For a 2017 single-developer indie, that level of tinkering support stands out. Post-launch patches as recently as 2024 have addressed bug fixes in specific locations like the Catacombs, which suggests the developer is still paying attention. The honest caution here is that Steam user sentiment sits in mixed territory, around two-thirds positive from a small sample. The criticisms tend to orbit the game's brevity, its linear structure, and a difficulty curve that can feel uneven rather than intentional. This is not a game that hides its rough edges. If you come in expecting a polished mid-budget release, you will bounce off it quickly. If you come in expecting a handcrafted micro-adventure with a genuine retro soul, a driving chiptune score, and the quiet satisfaction of a game that knows exactly how long it wants to be, the ceiling is noticeably higher than its mixed score suggests.

Kai · Scout Team

Indie & narrative

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