Current Events > ITT: I briefly review Metroidvanias I've played recently (MV discussion topic)

(+) Yeah! (+)

TheGoldenEel posted...

Yeah this was the scene where I realized this game was for me

https://youtu.be/RkzEva1mA1k

SSJPurple posted...

I meanI was hooked from the opening alone and realized I liked it right after the first boss/area

I love everything about it so idk if you find it cringe and boring I doubt thats gonna change

i guess boring was a harsh criticism that I dont Stand by. But the above video did make me cringe. Maybe Ill give it another go when Im feeling a bit more positive. I only paid $6 for it

Ender Lillies has been big on my list so very keen to try it soon

I loved Ender Lillies

Ender Lillies wasn't on my radar at all, not real into the anime stuff. Trailer looks amazing, so I may pick it up, the gameplay looks fantastic.

MabusIncarnate posted...

Ender Lillies wasn't on my radar at all, not real into the anime stuff. Trailer looks amazing, so I may pick it up, the gameplay looks fantastic.

Didnt really scan as particularly anime to me imo. Its really any different than the castlevania series; it has a certain artstyle but isnt overly anime

regardless the gameplay is really great and its def a top recent MV game

Ender Lilies is the perfect Switch pick up, runs like a dream and really takes me back to those afternoons spent playing CV games on GBA or DS.

Ender Lilies is pretty great. I hope more MV's in the future have that mechanic where the map tells if you if a room and its exits have been thoroughly searched.

MJOLNRVII posted...

Ender Lilies is pretty great. I hope more MV's in the future have that mechanic where the map tells if you if a room and its exits have been thoroughly searched.

Metroid Dread had this. But only for secrets , combine that with map design meant you almost never needed any outside help to 100% the game. It was great

Yeah Dread was one of my favorite MV's last year and I enjoyed 100%-ing it. Having icons on the map for the items/door types and whether or not you've picked them up or the way to open it was nice. That and Super are my favorite 2D Metroid games.

Xerun posted...

Metroid Dread had this. But only for secrets , combine that with map design meant you almost never needed any outside help to 100% the game. It was great

Hasnt every Metroid game since Super had this

TheGoldenEel posted...

Hasnt every Metroid game since Super had this

Maybe. I hadnt played any since Super. But I did see on the Dread board that it looked like a new feature. I know I got lost many times in Super

TheGoldenEel posted...

To elaborate on this, I think the gameplay in these games is super solid and I love how many treasures and power-ups La-Mulana has, but the sort of super obtuse puzzles that are basically just designed to have you look up a walkthrough kind of detract from it

Been a while since I played La-Mulana 1 but my gut says I liked it more than 2, the game felt more novel while 2 was kind of more of the same.

Even longer since I played ESA but I recall it being a lot of fun if overly confusing to navigate while also being a little basic

all very fun games though

My girlfriend did a run of LM 1 100% blind and absolutely loved it. It's easily in both of our top 5 games of all time, and I wish I hadn't been partially spoiled by GDQ/seeing a run of classic on youtube before I played it. I definitely acknowledge that it's not for everyone, but also take minor umbrage to people saying that it forces a walkthrough. I describe it as a game that is for people who are addicted to "eureka!" moments.

I picked up Ender Lilies since I had a bunch of Switch points and it's on sale, good shit so far.

voldothegr8 posted...

I picked up Ender Lilies since I had a bunch of Switch points and it's on sale, good shit so far.

I did too. I just got the swimming power.

TheGoldenEel posted...

Hasnt every Metroid game since Super had this

none of the metroid primes have it, at least

kirbymuncher posted...

none of the metroid primes have it, at least

Pretty sure all of the 2D ones since (and maybe including? I cant remember) Super Metroid have that

voldothegr8 posted...

I picked up Ender Lilies since I had a bunch of Switch points and it's on sale, good shit so far.

RenescoStCewl posted...

I did too. I just got the swimming power.

Post thoughts ITT

idk how much more Ill be able to contribute before this would purge as Im currently in the middle of SMT V

I was really hoping The Mummy Demastered would go on sale for the Steam summer sale. On a somewhat related note I might use this topic for my Astalon or Dandara playthrough if no one minds <_<

I'm gonna try and fit in a game before Sunbreak releases next week.

TheGoldenEel posted...

Post thoughts ITT

idk how much more Ill be able to contribute before this would purge as Im currently in the middle of SMT V

I'm enjoying it a lot. Just got the next power. I'm not sure how much a difference gaining levels makes. I feel like the enemies in the beginning area still hurt quite a bit for being level 37.

RenescoStCewl posted...

I'm enjoying it a lot. Just got the next power. I'm not sure how much a difference gaining levels makes. I feel like the enemies in the beginning area still hurt quite a bit for being level 37.

iirc leveling only increases your damage output. You have to find items to increase health/healing uses and equip them

Some decent sales on stuff on my list on switch rn. Will probably pick some up

Axiom Verge 2 $18 (10% off)
Gato Roboto $4 (50% off)
Shinsekai $15 (25% off)
Rabi-ribi $21 (30% off)
Odallus $2 (83% off)
The Messenger $8 (60% off)

TheGoldenEel posted...

Some decent sales on stuff on my list on switch rn. Will probably pick some up

Axiom Verge 2 $18 (10% off)
Gato Roboto $4 (50% off)
Shinsekai $15 (25% off)
Rabi-ribi $21 (30% off)
Odallus $2 (83% off)
The Messenger $8 (60% off)
FIST $27 (10% off)
8Doors $10 (50% off)
Supraland $12 (40% off)
Wuppo $4 (73% off)

Ill get Wuppo and 8Doors. Didnt know FIST was ported to the Switch.

The Messenger gets a lot of praise, I haven't gotten to it yet.

MabusIncarnate posted...

The Messenger gets a lot of praise, I haven't gotten to it yet.

I love this one but it's not a Metroidvania until a decent chunk into the game, and some people prefer the non-MV part(not me though). The DLC was also pretty fun.

Am playing Ender Lilies and finding it pretty good. I like the ability to mix and match 3 different attacks at a time. Combat does feel a little tough with how much damage enemies deal and how tight the window is for canceling attacks with your dodge.

I think 8Doors is part of Prime Gaming's Prime Day giveaway, so if you have Amazon Prime you could get that

I'm also playing ender lilies. reminds me more or less of hollow knight except better in basically all ways

Just started Gato Roboto and I imagine Ill be done with it by the end of the day

TheGoldenEel posted...

Just started Gato Roboto and I imagine Ill be done with it by the end of the day

If you wanna 100% it know that there's a point of no return and a save point after it.

Shantae: Half Genie Hero

Technically not a metroidvania, but the rest of the series is, and most this games flaws stem from that it tries to use Metroidvania trappings in a level-based game, so Im including it here. this game started out promising, with the usual tight gameplay and level design of the Shantae series on full display in the straightforward levels but it quickly became a slog.

So unlike previous Shantae games, which used various degrees of open-ended design, this game consists of 5 levels and a hub town. The gameplay loop is essentially visit the hub town, find the NPC that tells you what your next goal is, then go to that level. As you unlock more abilities and return to levels, closed off sections become available to you (this is where the MV trappings come in)

however, the problem with doing this in a linear game is it means you are constantly replaying the same areas. The sections you unlock are almost exclusively small one-room areas that consist of a treasure box, so its not like youre returning for a new area; youre literally just re-playing a level for a fetch quest.

and this is where the flaws of the level design become apparent. Very early on, you can make enemies basically trivial by buying an item that halves damage and collecting a couple heart containers. So the main challenge is environmental hazards which are all one-hit kills that send you to the very beginning of an area (losing half a heart). And many of these environmental hazards are freaking SLOW. The timing of alternating platforms, lasers that turn on and off you have to navigate throughthey just feel sluggish, and make replaying a level a freaking chore. And they make replaying it again and again even worse

there are also too many redundant abilities, which just feel like padding in what is already a 5 level game stretched out to 6-7 hours. Several of them have literally one use (the spider, the bats secondary ability); several are just combat related and do far less damage then standard attacks. Just feels like they ran out of budget to make a game that truly uses the ideas on display here

bosses are pretty neat, which each one having a distinct gimmick and multiple phases; however by the end as noted its easy to basically trivialize boss fights because they dont do much damage (and the game showers you in healing items)

I wont even get into the last level which was basically just an extended flappy bird section for some reason

overall, this was a disappointment, especially from a series that is generally very good. Not sure if the design was an intentional experiment or simply a way to work within a limited budget, but having a more interconnected world where an unlocked area lead to more than just a single treasure room would have vastly improved the game. The format here just created even more of the tedious backtracking that critics of the genre point to.

as a side note, presentation (creepiness of all the characters having big bouncy boobs asidethats just what you get with this series) was very good, the game was frequently funny and well written, and played and ran very smoothly (on switch).

4/10

I got the Castlevania Advance Collection and decided to go through Harmony since itd been so long, what a great game. I was definitely already saved by the rewind feature once lol.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance was actually the last Metroidvania I beat, and it was my first playthrough of it too. I wish I had played that and CotM back on GBA. I feel like they would've been one of my favorite games on the system. Still haven't played Aria of Sorrow though.

I think next on my Metroidvania list is La-Mulana or Astalon.

MJOLNRVII posted...

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance was actually the last Metroidvania I beat, and it was my first playthrough of it too. I wish I had played that and CotM back on GBA. I feel like they would've been one of my favorite games on the system. Still haven't played Aria of Sorrow though.

I think next on my Metroidvania list is La-Mulana or Astalon.

HoD is easily the worst castlevania MV tbh

I wound up buying and starting Ender Lillies, it's good so far, pretty different.

the way ender lilies uses switches to create shortcuts in rooms and essentially create "checkpoints" without needing it to be a bench every time is very cool. but I think they didn't realize just how far through walls some of your attacks hit and put switches too close, I keep opening shortcuts from the wrong end and skipping big sections of rooms

TheGoldenEel posted...

HoD is easily the worst castlevania MV tbh

That may be but its still a great game lol

Played more Deaths Gambit today, also great game. Feel like things are going more smoothly with Acolyte than Wizard start.

Gato Roboto

This was a cute little game, heavily inspired by, and made to look like, classic game boy games, right down to monochrome graphics. And clocking in (for me) at just about 3 hours, it was clearly inspired by the bite-size feel of many of those games as well.

you play as a cat, who is helpless and dies in one hit, that for most of the game pilots a mech (that is not helpless and takes several hits).

i thought this was a very tightly designed Metroidvania, less focused on overall inter connectivity but instead having 5ish distinct areas connected by a central hub. Each area manages to feel unique despite the very simple graphics, although the goals are very similar in each one (typically trigger a series of switches that allow you to progress in the area, fight a boss and get a new move, use new move to access the next area)

but since it was such a short game, nothing felt repetitive, and the levels wrapped around onto themselves revealing shortcuts in creative ways. The helplessness of the cat character also plays into the design, as there are several areas where you must leave the mech to access small passageways or climb walls. These areas ramp up the challenge and tension (as stated before, you die in one hit) but never feel cheap as save locations are generously placed throughout the levels

There are quite a few boss fights, impressive considering the small size of the game, and they are generally varied with multiple phases, although I did find a couple of them to be far more frustrating than the rest of the game. For several of them they seemed to just default to projectile spam, or making you juggle too many things at once (dodge fireballs while jumping between small platforms over lava and dashing past lasers!). Overall though they were good.

i dont have any other major complaints, though its hard to rate this too high as the short length of it made it feel somewhat slight. The game ramps up right away without much story or tutorial time, and before you know it its done. There are a decent number of hidden collectibles that someone extend the experience (my 3 hour run as collecting all of them; you could probably complete the game in far less time)

but its a cheap game, well made with smooth controls and great while it lasted, and an easy recommend at the low price it costs ($8I got it on sale for $4)

7/10

Finished Ender Lilies. Not much to say about it overall, it's pretty good I guess

I got an ending in ender lilies but I feel like there's still a lot of game left

I honestly think I just have poor compatibility with lore-based style of storytelling since I had basically no idea that action would lead to an ending and I still don't really understand why

I wonder if ender lilies devs realized just how much the hammer attack can boost your jumping power

https://files.catbox.moe/vudwu7.mp4
https://files.catbox.moe/9qz0ql.mp4

kirbymuncher posted...

I got an ending in ender lilies but I feel like there's still a lot of game left

I honestly think I just have poor compatibility with lore-based style of storytelling since I had basically no idea that action would lead to an ending and I still don't really understand why

yeah I do remember the first ending being rather abrupt. The true ending is fairly straightforward and just involves returning to the locked door at the place the game started

kirbymuncher posted...

I wonder if ender lilies devs realized just how much the hammer attack can boost your jumping power

https://files.catbox.moe/vudwu7.mp4
https://files.catbox.moe/9qz0ql.mp4

Im fairly sure this is intentional as there are a couple secrets where this is necessary

TheGoldenEel posted...

Im fairly sure this is intentional as there are a couple secrets where this is necessary

I had fun in that one room which I think was in the underground desert-y area where I had to use the uppercut stand twice and the other stand's dash to reach the other end of the room. I wanna say there were other parts in the game where you needed to do stuff like that but I honestly don't remember.

Someone on the Switch board turned me on to Finding Teddy 2, but I have no idea what I'm doing.

I picked up Lost Ruins, may go to it after Ender Lillies if I'm still in the mood for this kind of game. Looks pixel art with modern effects, has good reception on Steam.

It's an older one, but I replayed a bit of Guacamelee since I got the sequel cheap on Steam. I...think I don't have the patience for it nowadays lol. I 100%'d it ages ago, but I got to the second area and lost all will to play.

This topic reminded me to play Supraland, which over the past week I have now beaten with 1000g on XSX. Cool little game. It feels janky most of the way through, but the application of metroidvania-style level design and traversal progression is actually very good, and most of the puzzles were just difficult enough to be interesting without getting me stuck.

pegusus123456 posted...

It's an older one, but I replayed a bit of Guacamelee since I got the sequel cheap on Steam. I...think I don't have the patience for it nowadays lol. I 100%'d it ages ago, but I got to the second area and lost all will to play.

I thought Guacamelee was fantastic

also, as far as this genre goes definitely one of the more straightforward/with less of a focus on backtracking

Dunno if I mentioned it earlier in this topic but Ive purchased most of the games here basically sight unseen

pretty much just scanned the descriptions to make sure theyre actually metroidvania adjacent without any knowledge of the quality

Blasphemous is good but too hard for me. It needs an easy mode. Did they add that in yet?

finished ender lilies just now. Game's a lot shorter than I was expecting (I've got about 16 hours playtime) but it was fun. I went into it expecting cool & difficult boss fights + lackluster world and somehow got the exact opposite. Enemy variety in this game really sucks but the layout of every individual room is so good.

Was skimming through the achievements afterward and I thought it was kinda interesting that more people have end C than end B, considering end C is just doing everything for end B plus finding a bunch of fairly hidden other items. maybe means lots of people are playing with guides or something <_<

kirbymuncher posted...

finished ender lilies just now. Game's a lot shorter than I was expecting (I've got about 16 hours playtime) but it was fun. I went into it expecting cool & difficult boss fights + lackluster world and somehow got the exact opposite. Enemy variety in this game really sucks but the layout of every individual room is so good.

Was skimming through the achievements afterward and I thought it was kinda interesting that more people have end C than end B, considering end C is just doing everything for end B plus finding a bunch of fairly hidden other items. maybe means lots of people are playing with guides or something <_<

Tbf the games map system goes a long way towards encouraging players to find everything in each room

TheGoldenEel posted...

Tbf the games map system goes a long way towards encouraging players to find everything in each room

True enough, it dangles the exploration carrot right in front of you by letting you know if you've gotten everything in a room