Metroidvania General - An overcrowded genre with recycled themes and muddled mechanics.

  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account
Lurking no more said:
Is there a single person on Earth who was clamoring for a sequel to Yar's Revenge? Much less one starring a snarky anime girl?
Click to expand...
Not me, but looks okay. The kind of thing you'd check out if you got it for dirt cheap or in a bundle or something.
 
Lurking no more said:
Is there a single person on Earth who was clamoring for a sequel to Yar's Revenge? Much less one starring a snarky anime girl?
Click to expand...
Considering it's by WayForward, also known as the Shantae people?

They're almost certainly going for the coomer market. If I recall, Shantae got so much porn they felt they had to come out and say she was 18.
 
Sparky Lurker said:
Atari bug, but anime, launch trailer:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9m5rm3-Rg-o
Click to expand...
X Prime said:
They're almost certainly going for the coomer market.
Click to expand...
Probably. mpv-shot1086.jpg mpv-shot1085.jpg
 
I saw this game when I was a kid and I figured it was based on some movie, like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was. Disappointed that it wasn't.
I think it qualifies as metroidvania despite predating the term. You're free to wander around the school, but most of the classrooms only have a few enemies in them and an apple to replenish your health. You have to find spring shoes to jump higher and suction cup shoes to walk on the ceiling. Game is also an asshole and won't let you crouch. Some rooms have tiny eyestalk enemies that are too low for you to hit without a special weapon (even that is unreliable), while they zip back and forth and knock you around unpredictably.
Overall it's shit. I only finished it because I was so fascinated with it. Had to bust out a pen and paper and draw a map of the main school area and air ducts too.
 
modern horrors said:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=UzsNfsuCScwI saw this game when I was a kid and I figured it was based on some movie, like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was. Disappointed that it wasn't.
I think it qualifies as metroidvania despite predating the term. You're free to wander around the school, but most of the classrooms only have a few enemies in them and an apple to replenish your health. You have to find spring shoes to jump higher and suction cup shoes to walk on the ceiling. Game is also an asshole and won't let you crouch. Some rooms have tiny eyestalk enemies that are too low for you to hit without a special weapon (even that is unreliable), while they zip back and forth and knock you around unpredictably.
Overall it's shit. I only finished it because I was so fascinated with it. Had to bust out a pen and paper and draw a map of the main school area and air ducts too.
Click to expand...
I never heard of this one before ever. Gonna' check it out.

Edit: yeah, it's not so good. Not horrible but pretty bland. I can completely imagine myself renting this at the store and being massively disappointed given the premise and the time of release.
 
Last edited:
Calandrino said:
The NES had more than you would think, but they don't have automaps and can be rough
Click to expand...
Clash at Demonhead is amazing if any one has not played it yet. More of a action platformer then metroidvania (you buy powerups from the shop instead of find and use) but tons of secrets and clues on a chase around the game. What's cool is that the main screen IS a map and the action takes place as you travel from place to place.
 
WSPWSPWSPWSP said:
Are there any good metroidvanias that are more like SOTN rather than the Dark Souls shit the genre is infested with these days?

I like Bloodstained and Steamworld Dig 2, but haven't found anything else good
Click to expand...
you mean more like a platformer or jump&run?

usually what you can check for is "difficult" or even "soulslike" in the tags or description, devs tend to be pretty upfront about it (to attract that audience), so when it's not mentioned I'd assume it's less focused on MUH COMBAT and stuff.
 
WSPWSPWSPWSP said:
Are there any good metroidvanias that are more like SOTN rather than the Dark Souls shit the genre is infested with these days?

I like Bloodstained and Steamworld Dig 2, but haven't found anything else good
Click to expand...
I assume you already played Steamworld Dig 1, so the Shantae and Guacamelee series are very good choices, easy recommendations. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue and Mega Man ZX are kinda Metroidvania-lites I'd say, pretty good, especially ZX. I've seen Gargoyle's Quest 2 described similarly, but even MV-lite might be a stretch, I didn't think of it as one when I played it.

Xeodrifter is fairly unremarkable but if you're looking for something short and decent it's worth a look. Aeterno Blade is a tenuous recommendation, I didn't get far into it but it's got a certain charm to it despite some jank, feels like an old Dreamcast game or something.
 
I think I know what he is trying to say. What he wants is a game where exploration is key, there are many different little things to discover, various interesting weapons, et cetera. ZX completely fails at itemization.

The most obvious choice is Lecarde Chronicles 2, a CV fangame. However, even that fails at the "various interesting equipment" aspect because all you really get are various sword upgrades for weaponry. There are actually extremely few Metroidvania games that have good itemization.

Another one he might like is Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, a SOTN clone.

Castle in the Darkness comes close, but like Lecarde Chronicles 2 fails at the itemization aspect and has far too many spikes. Astalon: Tears of the Earth has multiple characters, but plays closer to a Julius Mode from Dawn of Sorrow than anything else.
 
I finished 9 Sols, which I don't know if I can really call Metroidvania as it is extremely light on backtracking if you know where you are going and very rarely includes "return here later with a power up to explore this nook" which is one of the worst trends of this genre.

I think the best comparison to it would be another Chinese Soulslike - Wukong. Both games are fantastic mechanically and aesthetically, but kind of misses the goal in atmosphere and combining the gameplay and story. Basically they are both too much by the book to truly transcend to greatness.

I bought the game after a recommendation from a youtuber comparing the game to Hollow Knight, and while it is high quality and fun, I don't think it reaches that mark. On the other hand I can't think of anything besides HK that beats it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom