Constance Release Time, Price, and Reviews – Hand-Drawn Metroidvania With Hollow Knight DNA
- Sagar Mankar
- 7 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Constance, a hand‑drawn 2D Metroidvania action‑adventure, officially launches today, November 24, 2025, on PC via Steam.
Developed by indie studio btf (now Blue Backpack) and published alongside ByteRockers’ Games and PARCO GAMES, the title has already built significant momentum thanks to its heartfelt premise and polished gameplay.
Release Details
Launch Date: November 24, 2025.
Global Unlock Time: 15:00 UTC.
Los Angeles (PST): 7:00 AM
New York (EST): 10:00 AM
Mexico City (CST): 9:00 AM
São Paulo (BRT): 12:00 PM
London (GMT): 3:00 PM
Berlin (CET): 4:00 PM
Paris (CET): 4:00 PM
Madrid (CET): 4:00 PM
Moscow (MSK): 6:00 PM
Dubai (GST): 7:00 PM
New Delhi (IST): 8:30 PM
Jakarta (WIB): 10:00 PM
Bangkok (ICT): 10:00 PM
Beijing (CST): 11:00 PM
Singapore (SGT): 11:00 PM
Seoul (KST): 12:00 AM (Nov 25)
Tokyo (JST): 12:00 AM (Nov 25)
Sydney (AEDT): 2:00 AM (Nov 25)
Auckland (NZDT): 4:00 AM (Nov 25)
Price: $19.99 USD / €19.99 EUR / ¥2,300 JPY / R$59.99 BRL.
Discount: 10% launch discount (~$17.99 USD).
Edition: Standard only (no deluxe/DLC at launch).
Platforms:
PC (Steam) – Available today.
Steam Deck Verified (controller support, smooth performance).
PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 – Coming early 2026.
A Personal Story Behind the Game
Constance is more than just another Metroidvania. Lead developer Sebastian Drews drew inspiration from his own struggles with burnout, mental health, and creative block. After leaving a stressful graphic design job, he prototyped the game using YouTube tutorials and eventually secured funding. Over two years, a small team of 8–9 members refined the project, scrapping months of animations and redesigning the protagonist to make her more relatable.
The narrative follows Constance, a digital artist trapped in her own deteriorating inner world. Each biome represents aspects of her psyche, with enemies symbolizing personal demons like stress and self‑doubt. Boss fights unlock flashbacks that reveal her real‑world challenges, making the story feel deeply personal and emotionally resonant.
Gameplay Highlights
At its core, Constance offers tight Metroidvania mechanics with a unique paintbrush combat system. Players can swing, dash, dive, and even transform into puddle form to climb walls. Combat is rhythm‑based, with limited invincibility frames and skill‑testing bosses. Exploration rewards backtracking with secrets, upgrades, and journal sketches that enhance abilities. Accessibility is a focus too, with a death system that lets you choose between respawning in place (at a cost) or returning to checkpoints.
Critical Reception
Early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive:
Shacknews (90/100): "Constance is a game about confronting your inner darkness. Its hand-drawn cartoony art style won me over initially. Its challenging platforming puzzles and boss fights that required me to fully utilize the plethora of techniques I’d learned throughout the journey kept me engaged and always felt satisfying to complete. This fluid and extremely rewarding gameplay loop alone solidifies Constance as a must-play platformer. The heartfelt story at the core of it all is a welcome added bonus."
Noisy Pixel (90/100): "Constance is a strikingly personal and mechanically rich 2D metroidvania that balances intense combat with emotional storytelling. Developer btf delivers a hand-drawn world full of challenge, exploration, and introspection, pushing the genre forward in a year filled with high-profile competition. With its innovative paint-based mechanics and layered narrative, Constance is a rewarding journey for players willing to engage both their skills and emotions."
DualShockers (85/100): "Constance is a fantastic game that I would recommend to anyone who’s a fan of the genre. It draws heavy inspiration from Hollow Knight, which is clear as day, but brings fresh ideas to the table that make it feel like a unique experience. The story, where players bounce between the real world and a world inside the protagonist's declining mental state, is a sad tale that sends a powerful message about depression and anxiety. Constance tackles subject matter that we don’t typically see enough of in the gaming industry, at least with this much depth, and it’s refreshing to see them explored here. The mix of a heartfelt story, addictive gameplay, and incredible platforming makes Constance easy to recommend."
GamesRadar+ (80/100): "Constance is a beautiful and enjoyable Metroidvania that doesn't outstay its welcome. Filler free, the game instead throws plenty of well-designed and enjoyable boss fights at you, interspersed with tight, challenging platforming action. It follows the formula too closely to make it remarkable, but what it does it does with charm and flair. And the ending is a 'chef's kiss' moment."
Game8 (76/100): "Constance shines with its vibrant 2D art, crisp platforming, and some clever progression ideas, but ultimately plays second fiddle to one of the genre’s greats. It’s far from a bad game—quite the opposite—but its strengths don’t make it easier to choose over a top-tier rival at the same price. Still, it’s enjoyable in its own right and serves as a refreshing break when Silksong has you worn down."
Final Thoughts
For fans of Hollow Knight, Celeste, or Hades, Constance feels familiar yet fresh. It blends emotional depth with addictive gameplay, offering around 6–10 hours of main story plus side quests. With over 250,000 Steam wishlists and strong demo performance during Steam Next Fest, the game is already proving to be one of the standout indie releases of 2025.
If you’re looking for a Metroidvania that challenges your skills while connecting on a personal level, Constance will be available in a few hours.