DaRmaZat Inayah – Life After Gods is an action platformer with Metroidvania elements, developed by ExoGenesis Studios and published by Headup. The game promises an adventurous journey through diverse biomes, over twenty bosses, and a unique progression system where multiple-choice dialogues influence the course of the story. Set to release on March 27, 2025, for PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Series X|S, and PC. This review covers the PC version.
A Jungle Full of Dangers, or Just a Beastly Forest?
The story begins with Inayah—the scantily clad protagonist with snow-white hair, draped in a rectangular robe—and Khonsu, a family friend who is now an old man. Sitting together by a campfire, they talk about the day he once saved Inayah during a brutal attack on their tribe, the same day her father was murdered. Their peace is suddenly disrupted by an earthquake caused by a mysterious iron object nearby. Inayah falls deep underground and must find her way back through a jungle filled with mystical artifacts.
The jungle is home to various tribes, such as the enigmatic Ancients and the vengeful Ironskins, though their identities and motivations remain unclear for a long time. In addition to these natives, the landscape is overrun by all sorts of mutated creatures: aggressive bees, carnivorous plants, spiky critters, and, most strikingly, an abundance of… dinosaurs. Yes, I was also wondering what exactly was going on here.
Clumsy Combat and Platforming, Odd Design Choices
Inayah initially has a very limited set of moves: jumping, rolling, and attacking with her golden gloves—a keepsake from her late father. She cannot crouch, climb, or even attack while jumping at first. Along the way, she discovers her father’s lost magical gauntlet, after which she must make her first major choice between three weapon sets: the Blades, the Fists, or the Flail. Each weapon has its own moveset and specials, which build up through successful strikes (using the so-called Zeal system) but are restricted by cooldowns. The Blades, for example, allow her to bounce off certain objects with an upward slash, while the Flail enables her to launch herself upward using purple orbs scattered throughout the environment. Your choice determines your playstyle for a while, but eventually, you gain access to all three weapons. Additionally, there are Implants—passive upgrades that can be placed in six available slots. Weapons can be upgraded, and respeccing is possible through a dedicated console.
There’s little to complain about regarding the weapon systems, but when it comes to the combat itself—this is where the skeleton falls out of the closet. The fights lack polish and often feel chaotic. For starters, there’s no auto-lock, causing Inayah to frequently attack in the wrong direction. Enemies also move far more fluidly across the screen than she does, forcing you to flail wildly, making combat feel like pure button-mashing. On top of that, certain animations—like healing—take an unnecessarily long time, which is not only impractical in battle but also just looks clumsy.
Platforming feels less intuitive than it should.
Unfortunately, platforming has its own set of problems. Inayah sometimes respawns randomly for no apparent reason, often due to spiky plants that can only be avoided with a specific downward attack. However, these plants are barely noticeable, so you usually react too late. Two other odd design choices include tying the crucial mid-air jump to the easiest difficulty setting and the upward strike with the Blades being linked to a slightly higher jump that isn’t quite enough to count as a real double jump. Additionally, the Flail’s swings often go in the wrong direction, and the weapon itself feels too slow to be truly useful—yet it remains a crucial tool for progression due to its grappling functionality.
As a result, you constantly need to switch between weapons, even during platforming. For example, you may have to perform a double jump, immediately use the Flail to launch yourself higher via a purple orb, and then quickly select the Blades from the weapon menu for an upward strike to reach a higher platform. This makes platforming unnecessarily complex and far less intuitive than it should be. Moreover, there’s a strange design choice where the game timer remains permanently displayed in the top-right corner, with no option to disable it.
Solid Visuals, Inconsistent Audio
The art style shifts between a traditional side-scroller and animated cutscenes in a cartoon-like style, which look well-crafted and add a nice touch of flair. The voice acting is fully recorded, emphasizing the game’s ambition. However, Inayah herself comes across as rather irritable and/or bitter. Her voice frequently shifts from whiny to indifferently calm, making her a less-than-likable protagonist. Most of her interactions with NPCs, as a result, feel either childish or overly agitated. That said, this is partly intentional, as the player is given key narrative choices to steer Inayah toward either a righteous or a darker path.
The soundtrack as the game’s strongest element …
Perhaps the strongest aspect of the entire game is its soundtrack. The playlist consists mainly of ominous ambient tracks, occasionally interspersed with melancholic guitar plucking. In fact, the music might be so good that it sometimes feels out of place in this game.
Conclusion
Inayah – Life After Gods features an atmospheric soundtrack, a charming art style, and interesting weapon systems, but ultimately falls short in terms of gameplay. The combat feels clunky, and some platforming design choices are outright baffling—such as limiting the double jump and forcing awkward weapon-switching. Additionally, the somewhat juvenile plot and inconsistent voice acting leave something to be desired. The unfortunate result is a Metroidvania that unnecessarily hinders itself on multiple fronts, though some players might still enjoy the challenge.
Additional Information
Release Date: March 27, 2025
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: ExoGenesis Studios
Publisher: Headup Games
Official Website: https://www.inayahgame.com
Relevant links: Inayah – Life After Gods on STEAM
