Review
Pleasure and frustration go hand in hand in origami platformer Hirogami
by Kevin Hofer
"Constance" tested: When "Hollow Knight" goes to the psychiatrist
29/11/2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Kevin Hofer
Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen. To avoid being lost in the crowd, a game has to offer something special. "Constance" does just that: it copies from the best and adds emotional depth.
When I start «Constance», I immediately think of «Hollow Knight». From the graphic style to the feel of the game, the inspiration from Team Cherry's masterpiece is unmistakable. Having recently devoured «Hollow Knight: Silksong», I immediately feel at home in the world of developer Blue Backpack Games.
Making a good Metroidvania is difficult these days. The competition is huge, and even excellent games run the risk of being forgotten in the shadow of the genre giants. But «Constance» does a hell of a lot right.
A game that gets under your skin
«Constance» deals with topics such as anxiety, depression and loneliness. The game world is a metaphor for the declining mental health of the eponymous protagonist.
Each biome is beautifully and colourfully designed - a sign of Constance's hope not to give up. At the same time, everything is fragile and decaying, just like her mental state. The aim is to collect four «tears», each waiting behind a boss fight. These tears unlock memories that show why Constance is down and out: Bullying at work or humiliation from a teacher during music lessons. The young woman is constantly told that she is not good enough.
This transparency in dealing with burnout and self-doubt is refreshing and important. It's a story that made me listen inside myself.
Brushes instead of sword strokes
The fluid platform passages in particular are reminiscent of «Hollow Knight». But «Constance» is not resting on its laurels. As the world is more or less a painting, the heroine has the ability to transform herself into colour. She fights with a brush instead of a sword.
About the time I see this, I turn purple and become invulnerable for a few frames. That's how I dart through enemies or spikes. I unlock these abilities bit by bit. When I come across a canvas in the game world, I paint it and gain a new skill. I learn to dive into walls as paint - the classic wall jump - or to use spikes and balloons as a trampoline. This allows me to reach previously unreachable areas, but I also have to use the skills against bosses.
Once I have unlocked all the skills, a wonderful flow unfolds. I feel powerful. Enemies that were annoying at first are suddenly no longer a problem and I literally fly through biomes. The moveset just feels good.
Boss fights: between ingenuity and frustration
The boss battles are consistently good and to a certain extent fantastic. There's a floating bat mage, for example, who attacks me with paper aeroplanes and hangs from the ceiling after a certain number of hits and regenerates his life energy there. To prevent this, I have to use a previously acquired ability - ingenious. The jester, on the other hand, is a playing card - the joker. It sends the other cards flying across the room and I have to dodge them. I can only damage him after several dodges. It's annoying until I have the moveset figured out.
In terms of appearance and gameplay elements, I like some of the fights even better than the role models from «Hollow Knight».
The fly in the ointment: the exploration
«Constance» is a fantastic game, but not a perfect one. The biggest shortcoming lies in the genre's showpiece discipline: exploration.
There are simply not enough exciting things to discover off the main paths. Most of the time, I only find upgrades for the health bar or crystals to improve buffs. The real secrets are missing - hidden bosses, new weapons or in-depth lore entries that reward me for my curiosity.
Every time I find a secret room, I am briefly euphoric, only to be disappointed to discover that there are only a few crystals there again. The hidden areas are visually monotonous.
«Constance» was released for PC on 24 November. The game was provided to me by btf for testing purposes for the PC.
In a nutshell
A must for genre fans
"Constance" is my latest insider tip for all Metroidvania fans. The inspiration from "Hollow Knight" is obvious, but the fresh ideas and colour theme make the game stand on its own two feet.
The story, which alternates between the real world and the fragile psyche of the protagonist, is particularly impressive. It's a sad but important story about depression, wrapped up in addictive gameplay and buttery smooth platforming. If you can overlook the weak exploration, you'll get an experience that will challenge your heart and controller in equal measure.
Pro
- emotional depth
- Creative gameplay
- cool presentation
- excellent playing feel
- Strong boss design
Contra
- Disappointing exploration
- monotonous rewards
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
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