Constance Review: Hollow Knight Meets Celeste, Painted by Hand

Constance didn't come out of nowhere. Its early demos and showcases made waves in indie circles, and the moment people saw that hand-painted art in motion, it stood out from every other Metroidvania. So I went in hopeful, wondering if the game could live up to its visuals and its premise. (A note up front: the developers gave us a review key, but this isn't a sponsored review.)

What is it?

Constance is a 2D hand-drawn action-adventure Metroidvania. You play a paintbrush-wielding artist trying to escape a colorful but decaying inner world created by her own declining mental health. The marketing called it a mix of Hollow Knight and Celeste, and that's not far from the truth: intense combat, precise platforming, and a ton of incredible environments, music and characters along the way.

It looks like living paint

The moment you start moving, Constance's body swirls and shifts like wet paint. The world blends and bleeds around her, and every environment looks pulled straight from a painter's sketchbook. Even small details, like paint splashing on the floor when you dodge, make exploring feel alive. You could pause almost anywhere and it would look like concept art.

Paint is everything

Constance is made of paint, and she uses it to dash through enemies, climb and pierce walls, and even set off explosions. But paint is limited, a bit like stamina in a Souls game. Run out mid-jump or mid-fight and you're vulnerable. It refills on its own over time, and if you can't wait, you can spend health instead for a riskier push.

That system makes you plan your movement before you act. Dash here, climb there, pierce this wall, hop to that ledge. When it all comes together, it feels amazing. And when I dashed one too many times and plummeted into the spikes, I always knew it was on me, not the game. That's the sign of a well-balanced mechanic.

A big, open world

The world is large, open and full of secrets, and you can tackle areas in whatever order you like. You even get a camera to snap a location and pin it to your map, perfect for that upgrade you can't reach yet. New movement abilities let you dominate or skip right past old enemies, and each zone feels different, whether it leans on platforming, combat or environmental puzzles. NPCs pop up in unexpected places with little lines that hint at Constance's mental state without the game ever stopping to spell it out.

The memories

To get home, Constance collects paint tears, each one tied to a trauma or struggle. The first boss is an overworked robot. Beat him and you're pulled into a memory of Constance being bombarded by co-workers demanding her attention. You don't just watch these memories; you live them in first person. There's no combat and no platforming, just you and whatever she's been trying to avoid. They're short, but they cut deep, and they give every boss more weight than "hey, cool design."

Bosses and dying

The boss fights do a great job of testing the moves you just picked up. One in particular, which I won't spoil, made me use the mechanics in a way I hadn't before. I died six or seven times figuring out the timing, and when I finally nailed it, I just sat back and said, "Okay, that was pretty sick."

When you die, you can return to your last checkpoint or restart in the room where you fell, at the cost of the Puppet's Curse: enemies get stronger, and dashing through them hurts you. It's a clever balance between convenience and difficulty.

The nitpick

The platforming is Celeste-tight, but the combat isn't quite as deep as Hollow Knight's. You can't aim attacks up or down without spending paint on brush techniques, and forgetting that got me killed more than once. I wished for a bit more flexibility, but I understand the choice: the game wants you leaning on its movement, not spamming attacks.

The verdict

Constance is a feast for the eyes and ears, and it'll touch your heart. In a sea of Metroidvanias, it stands on its own with complex movement and beautiful art. 2025 is the year of the indies, and Constance is easily a 9 out of 10. I cannot recommend it enough.