A painterly Metroidvania that challenges the mind and heart.
BTF is a developer that has slowly become known for making stylish independent games. With Constance, they take a risk by making a 2D Metroidvania with a twist that is all their own. Putting out the game in the same year as Hollow Knight: Silksong was a risky move, but BTF’s attention to detail and charm make it stand out.
The game has painterly graphics that remind me of Over the Garden Wall, Adventure Time, and Gravity Falls. The platforming is well-planned and progresses from easy to hard. Constance is more than just a sight; it’s also very emotional. Constance is the main character. She is an artist and digital maker who is struggling with the stresses of modern life.
Constance jumps back and forth between a dreamy fantasy world and her everyday life at a boring desk job, making the story both fantastical and very real. While a lot of games have trouble finding the right mix between story and gameplay, BTF does it without being too preachy.
In the beginning, the game sets a light tone with not much explanation. The player is given a brush and thrown into a dreamy world, where they must explore and fight imaginary enemies. When you fight a big boss, you’ll see flashbacks of Constance’s past problems, which create a story that naturally unfolds as you play.
The world is like her mental state: strange and fun, but sometimes scary, with robots, lifelike bosses, and weird places like circuses in the clouds and astronomical libraries. Constance is all about playing games, and the rules are closely connected to the story.
You explore a vast, nonlinear world, getting new skills and things that let you get to places you couldn’t get to before. These skills are connected to Constance’s paintbrush, which can be used as a weapon or to move around. The game carefully balances difficulty and ease of use, and each new ability feels purposeful.
Constance captures both the heart and the skill of its players, seamlessly blending narrative and platforming.
At its heart, Constance is a story about how hard it is to be creative and how much people expect of you. In the real-world parts, Constance has a lot of work to do and due dates to meet, like editing projects and uploading files. Many players may be able to relate to these problems. The dream world is a place to escape and learn about personal growth. These moments are the opposite of the fantasy world.
In the dreamlike parts, exploration and discovery are the most important. Combat and platforming are the main game mechanics, but the story is told through enemy designs, environmental details, and flashbacks. This style lets players actively put together Constance’s story without giving too much information at once. There are interesting people and stories all over, but the emotional impact is strongest when they are based on real-life problems.
The game handles mature issues with care, adding humor, charm, and warmth to the experience. Players can step into Constance’s voiceless main character, though some might say her lack of speech makes her feel a little underdeveloped. Still, the expressive animations do a good job of conveying mood and feeling, adding to the story without detracting from the gameplay.
The duality of Constance’s world—dream versus reality—creates a narrative depth rare in indie Metroidvanias.
Constance does a great job of combining classic Metroidvania adventure with her own unique mechanics that revolve around her paintbrush. The brush can be used to hit enemies, dash, see through walls, and interact with the world around you.
At the start of the game, players don’t have many skills, but as the game goes on, they unlock new skills and ideas, which are buffs that change how you fight and move around, giving you new ways to solve problems. The game is all about precise platforming, so you have to jump, run, and time your moves, often very quickly.
There are parts, especially chase scenes, that make platforming almost as hard as Celeste. These times can be thrilling, but they can also be painful because even small mistakes mean loss right away. Players can use a “puppet mode,” which lets them respawn near where they died with tougher enemies. This helps players deal with frustration without making the task too easy.
An easy-to-use map system makes exploration more fun. A mini-map or full-screen version can be shown at any time to help players keep track of their goals and secrets. A camera feature lets players take pictures and “pin” places on the map for later use. This is a smart addition that makes the game less frustrating when you have to go back and find something you lost.
While elevators and fast travel nodes make things easier, they also keep the feeling of finding. The combat is simple but deep. While Constance performs simple brush attacks, the enemies require her to time her attacks, be in the right place, and strategically apply her ideas.
Some ideas help her avoid enemy defenses, modify drops, or lengthen attack sequences, adding tactical depth. The range and progression of enemies keep the game challenging, with mini-bosses and major bosses adding spikes of difficulty that test your skills in both fighting and moving around.
The paintbrush isn’t just a tool—it’s a language through which Constance interacts with her world, creatively tying mechanics to story.
Boss meetings are some of the hardest parts of Constance. Bosses, on the other hand, have complicated patterns that remind me of Souls-style challenge spikes. These fights are very different from the exploration parts, which create moments of tension and victory. Some people may find the difficulty spikes annoying, but once patterns are mastered, they give you a great feeling of accomplishment.
Constance’s paint-based skills are typically used in platforming tasks and puzzles. She may turn into a puddle to mount walls, slip under obstructions, or dash through hazards. At times, you have to push and hold buttons quickly, time your motions, and pay attention.
While the game is usually fun, the level of accuracy needed can sometimes feel too much, especially during sequences that mix teleport and spike. Still, these mechanics are well thought out and give players a sense of control once they’ve learned them.
Exploration and gathering are important parts of Constance‘s XP-like system. Orbs from fallen enemies can be swapped for money or health. However, collecting brushes increases your inspiration slots. Exploration and creative play replace boring repetition in this strategy. Your loadout is adjustable, letting you customize your battle style and mobility. It enhances the experience.
Every mechanic in Constance—from combat to exploration—is interwoven with the narrative, giving every action a purpose.
Visually, Constance is stunning. Hand-drawn animation and a vibrant design bring each issue and adventure to life. The details, like paint running or dust dancing in Constance’s wake. Boss designs and environments are appealing and challenging. It fits the game’s theme perfectly.
The game performs well on powerful computers, and glitches are rare. Despite its small screen, which offers a limited color palette, the Steam Deck performs admirably. The art style continues to amaze, and the graphics are amazing on both Steam and PC.
Constance’s sights, in every shot, conjure atmosphere, thought, and narrative.
Constance‘s compositions match the game’s aesthetics. Battle themes are adrenaline-fueled, while exploration tunes are relaxing. The sound effects emphasize Constance’s actions, and the soundtrack plays when paused, a little but sensible design touch that shows the developers’ attention to detail. While music and audio improve the experience, they rarely dominate.
Constance, a Metroidvania, manages to blend charm, difficulty, and emotional impact – a combination that’s hard to find in smaller games. The game’s narrative, mechanics, and graphics are expertly crafted together.
Combat is strategic and easy, but exploration is exciting. Playing brings the planet to life. There is some bad stuff: difficulty spikes in boss fights can feel harsh compared to the relatively lax platforming sections, and precision sequences occasionally verge on frustration. Fast travel is limited, and the voiceless protagonist may feel underdeveloped to some.
Despite these minor criticisms, the game’s strengths—story, aesthetics, mechanics, and music—carry it forward. Constance typically takes six to ten hours to play. The game’s structure favors speedrunning, which increases replayability.
You can proceed by finding inspirations, brushes, collectibles, and game currency. This keeps exploration and battling exciting. The game focuses on observation and experimentation to make each playthrough worthwhile.
