The first thing that caught my attention aboutConstancewas its theme. The 2DMetroidvaniaplaces you in the shoes of the titular Constance, an artist who’s trapped in an inner world created by her deteriorating mental health. I didn’t get to see much of the story in my 30 minute demo, but that turned out to be just fine – I ended up having a great time swinging my paintbrush at enemies and working my way through complex platforming puzzles.

Constance is a pretty cut-and-dry Metroidvania, at least from what I’ve seen. All the usual mechanics are in play here: you hop from platform to platform, use new skills to explore previously inaccessible areas, gain new techniques to use in battle, and fight bosses. I was, however, particularly taken with Constance’s art style.

The backdrops you speed past are beautifully hand-drawn, and according to the developer, each biome and its enemies represent different aspects of Constance’s psyche and history. The setting I explored was a sun-dappled town with beautiful old architecture, full of potted plants I could smash to regain health.

I appreciated that once your health bar was full, you could continue collecting health points to fill up a bubble next to the bar that would allow you to recover health during battle or while platforming.

Constance and the enemies she fights look more cartoony – I was also impressed by how well the enemy design telegraphed their combat styles and weaknesses. For example, a robot holding up what seems to be a window stretches out its arms to strike you with it, pushing you back while using it as a shield, so it made perfect sense for me to dash behind it to whack it with my paintbrush. Another robot wields what appears to be a pointed paint scraper while in a fencing stance, so I instinctively knew it would lunge towards me unexpectedly.

Most importantly, the platforming in Constance feels incredibly fluid, and is challenging but not overly punishing. It was easy for me to enter a flow state, moving through levels with surprising speed and ease. I managed to make it through one particularly difficult level on the first try because I was completely locked in, only to die right at the last platform. I’m happy to brag that the developer told me he hadn’t seen anyone do that yet. Of course, I wasn’t able to recreate that perfect run for another ten minutes, because flow states are hard to get back into once you’ve lost them.

Another thing that mitigates Constance’s difficulty is the choice you’re presented with when you die. You can choose to return to the last save point, which may be a ways away, or you can choose to persevere at the cost of a cap on your maximum health points. Giving me this choice allowed me to either go back and explore a different, less punishing area, or push through with sheer force of will, and offered a built-in difficulty customiser. I was playing with a developer by my side, so I had first-hand information on whether I was near a meditation point or not, which informed my decision. They told me the studio is still working on ways to give players more information that will help them reduce unnecessary backtracking.

Constance can be difficult, though incredibly satisfying. That said, the studio is also looking into ways to mitigate the game’s difficulty for people who might have accessibility issues or just want to play for the story – the developers are apparently exploring a mechanic akin toHades’ God Mode, which increases your damage resistance every time you die. I used God Mode in Hades,because I suck, and while I haven’t found Constance nearly as difficult, more accessibility options are always a good thing.

Constance is currently slated for a Q4 2025 release, and will be available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch.