Talavera de la Reina, Spain - Before you buy Spanish action platformer Aeterna Noctis, you should know what you are getting yourself into: this game is a feast for the eyes, but a controller-destroying slog.

Aeternum Game Studios released its 2D action platformer Aeterna Noctis on Wednesday. Priced at $30, this is a very demanding game, but necessarily not in a fun and rewarding way.

The platformer is all about the eternal struggle between the Queen of Light, your enemy, and the King of Darkness, who you send hopping and slashing through confusing levels to try and take back the crown over the extremely melodramatic realm of Aeterna.

You are tasked with regaining your mystical powers of darkness, which also unlock new movement abilities and augment your attacks, and give you the tools you need to double back and explore areas again.

Celebrities Harvey Weinstein asks to sleep at the hospital due to prison "mistreatment"

The dialogue is all in Spanish, with subtitles in English, and does its part to build the world around you.

The music fits perfectly to underline the eerie and otherworldly level design, but unlike other games of the genre, which use music to amp up big moments, Aeterna Noctis delivers an anti-climactic score when you throw down against bosses, which makes them feel hollow.

The team at Aeternum Game Studios put serious effort into making the game look and sound as pretty as possible, and the art style is a treat, but it isn't enough to carry this game to victory. What was needed for it to stand on its own was a pair of strong platforming legs.

Aeterna Noctum scores big for delicious visuals. But there can be too much of a good thing. There's just so much going on while you are playing and it gets pretty distracting.

There are times when your character dies because a piece of scenery has the same shape and shading as the surrounding platforms, or you take damage from an enemy that's literally impossible to see through the admittedly gorgeous artwork.

This game is hard in the way that studying for a test is hard, because the movement mechanics and combat – the two core pieces of a good action platformer – aren't rewarding to learn or to master, the regular enemies are boring to fight, and the boss fights weren't intricate, challenging, or exciting.

Britney Spears Britney Spears posts flurry of nude beach pics following latest reported breakup

If you're someone who loves a game to slog through, collecting every upgrade, unlocking every secret area, and exploring every last nook and cranny of a bewildering map, Aeterna Noctis might be just right for you.

However, if you are looking for an action platformer that doesn't feel like work and doesn't take itself so seriously, TAG24 humbly suggests saving $5 and snagging the hilarious and action-packed platformer Dead Cells.