PLAYERS longing for a bit of nostalgia will adore this independent game which celebrates the days of the Super Nintendo.

Axiom Verge is a love letter to Super Metroid and all the early 16-bit 2D 'Metroidvania' games which are about exploration and gradually unlocking new abilities that allow you to progress further.

After being a success on other formats, the retro game has recently been released on Xbox One and is available to download in the console's online store.

Nintendo's Super Metroid may have come out more than two decades ago but it has certainly had an impact on Tom Happ, who remarkably developed Axiom Verge singlehandedly as a side project.

It has similar pixellated graphics and a presentation style which intentionally makes gamers of a certain age feel like they have stepped back in time to the 90s.

You play as Trace, a scientist who wakes up in the alien world of Sudra after an explosion in his lab.

In the true spirit of 90s games, the story is mindboggling and over-the-top as you help a giant machine called Elsenova thwart a mad scientist.

You pick up a range of power ups, weapons and tools one-by-one which help you find your way and defeat screen-filling bosses.

You can also control a little drone that can crawl into small spaces and can get into otherwise inaccessible areas.

Axiom Verge is not only a tribute to a previous era, it is a great game in its own right and if you like Metroidvania games they do not come much better.

It rewards exploration and experimentation and its difficulty curve is challenging but fair. Highly recommended.

DAVID MORGAN