Constance Review

Before Christmas, I had made a list of games I wanted Santa to bring me. I obviously didn't get all of them, so when I see those games pop up for purchase, I get excited. This is exactly what happened with Constance. I had it on my Steam wishlist, but when I saw it was now available on the Xbox Series X|S, I finally pulled the trigger.

With the abundance of metroidvania titles available, this game must offer something unique to distinguish itself from the rest. The story in Constance is about an artist trying to escape a colourful inner world that, because of her declining mental health, is beginning to disintegrate. 

Since our protagonist is an artist, her attacks are performed using her paintbrush. She has four attacks available to her: Paint Stab, Paint Dive, Paint Stroke, and Paint Clone. They not only hurt enemies, but they can also break barriers that stand in your way. I love that the developer incorporated this unique method of gameplay; you don’t get to use a brush as a weapon very often. It also matches the look of the game very well. 

Constance reminds me a lot of Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hollow Knight. Even though the titles have similar stories, I personally connected more with the tale being told here. I don’t want to spoil the whole thing, in case you want to check it out for yourself. Our protagonists’ story is told through mini-games that show scenes that feel all too familiar to those who have ever had creative jobs. I never expected a 2D metroidvania title to be so relatable.

I have to say that the visuals in Constance are stunning. It feels like a piece of art that has come to life, with everything having a hand-drawn look and brilliant lighting effects like glowing orbs that slowly fall across the screen, giving it an ethereal feel. There are dark objects like vines and rocks in the foreground that can obstruct your view, making you feel like you are really there, since you need to move to look past the obstacle. I actually wrote a whole article on the look of Constance, so check it out here.

As you progress in the game, you will travel through a variety of unique biomes. It’s not just castles, caves, fire areas, etc. Instead, you get to go through a glasshouse that is full of paintings and sculptures, a massive library, a carnival in the clouds, and an urban market. Each has a great look and music that really gives the game its own personality.

In some of the areas you visit, you will find blank canvases that you can paint using some of the purple paint from Constance’s hair. She will paint a picture of a new technique that you have unlocked; the first is the Paint Dive. This move lets her transform into paint that they can move quickly over short horizontal distances. All the moves performed with the brush consume paint, so you won’t be able to use the moves nonstop. This makes you plan out the moves you want to do to make sure you don’t run out; patience is required here while you wait for the bar to fill. There is a crazy twist here: if you fully deplete the bar, Constance’s hair will turn black and become corrupted. When this happens, you can use any abilities you want, but if you continue to use paint, it will cause self-damage.

The controls in Constance are great and feel very fluid. All the abilities that you learn are fun to use and allow you to wall jump, aerial dash, pogo stick, and use homing attacks to hit the enemy. These are especially useful when you need to backtrack and play areas that you had visited before, but needed an upgrade to get through. There is a snapshot mode in Constance that lets you take a picture of the obstacle or place you couldn’t get through and places it on your map, so you are able to return once you have acquired the skill you need. It was great not having to remember the exact spot where I needed to head back to!

If you are a fan of metroidvania titles and games like Hollow Knight or Silksong, you need to check Constance out. For me, I really connected with the story, and I love the aesthetic; plus, attacking and moving around the stage with the paintbrush was so satisfying. This game is a wonderful experience.