Any good metroidvania recommendations?

[HansDampf]

Aquaria.

I thought this was one was unbearably boring and slow.

Speaking of slow, La Mulana is a great metroidvania if you like old puzzles.

Loved that game. I'm still waiting for the sequel...

 

[Hobo Elf]

Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight

 

[deama]

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin should not be ignored. If you're interested, I did a long writeup on my rankings of the Igavania games that I've played. I intend to play the rest of the Igavania games to assess where they fall, but for me it's easily Portrait of Ruin > Order of Ecclesia > Symphony of the Night > Dawn of Sorrow, owing to the challenge, upgrades, playstyle depth, and level design on offer. I hear some people like Aria of Sorrow better than its direct sequel, but I've also heard it's similarly unchallenging, and it seems much of the hype around it was for how much of SotN's customization and systemic depth it brought to the GBA, which may have been since outshone. That's just speculation on my part though.

You've played all the rest of the Metroidvanias I could recommend and then some, so I don't have much else to add. Metroid Fusion was my introduction to the genre too, actually. I agree it has some problems, but I think it gets an unfair shake for its linearity. It can be annoying to be caged in all the time, but I found the exploration within each level to be deeply compelling, and the linear, closed off nature of the game allowed them to change the environments as you progressed to make every return visit to a location full of new surprises and challenges. Plus it's probably got the best bosses of any Metroid game; there are some actually challenging fights that require you to master Samus' movment and attacks. I've probably replayed Fusion a couple dozen times since I was young, it's worn out its welcome a bit at this point but I still love it.

Alright, so I had my fill with potrait of ruin (beat it via the bad ending, but then went back and started the good ending, but I don't wanna play more of it) and here are my thoughts:
It was basically ok. I didn't like the 2 main characters, they seemed kinda annoying, though their move sets were fine, just the characters.
I didn't like the quest upgrade stuff, it just seemed too cryptic and broke the flow of the game too much.
Some of the abilities were annoying to use, such as the ATT buff spells or the frog transformation which required me to keep swapping spell slots (I mostly played as the chick).
From what I've seen, there aren't that many upgrades either, there's a good amount of spells/abilities, but not a lot of actual upgrades.

So I was wondering, does order of ecclesia fix some of the problems I had with potrait of ruin?

 

[RoSoDude]

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin should not be ignored. If you're interested, I did a long writeup on my rankings of the Igavania games that I've played. I intend to play the rest of the Igavania games to assess where they fall, but for me it's easily Portrait of Ruin > Order of Ecclesia > Symphony of the Night > Dawn of Sorrow, owing to the challenge, upgrades, playstyle depth, and level design on offer. I hear some people like Aria of Sorrow better than its direct sequel, but I've also heard it's similarly unchallenging, and it seems much of the hype around it was for how much of SotN's customization and systemic depth it brought to the GBA, which may have been since outshone. That's just speculation on my part though.

You've played all the rest of the Metroidvanias I could recommend and then some, so I don't have much else to add. Metroid Fusion was my introduction to the genre too, actually. I agree it has some problems, but I think it gets an unfair shake for its linearity. It can be annoying to be caged in all the time, but I found the exploration within each level to be deeply compelling, and the linear, closed off nature of the game allowed them to change the environments as you progressed to make every return visit to a location full of new surprises and challenges. Plus it's probably got the best bosses of any Metroid game; there are some actually challenging fights that require you to master Samus' movment and attacks. I've probably replayed Fusion a couple dozen times since I was young, it's worn out its welcome a bit at this point but I still love it.

Alright, so I had my fill with potrait of ruin (beat it via the bad ending, but then went back and started the good ending, but I don't wanna play more of it) and here are my thoughts:
It was basically ok. I didn't like the 2 main characters, they seemed kinda annoying, though their move sets were fine, just the characters.
I didn't like the quest upgrade stuff, it just seemed too cryptic and broke the flow of the game too much.
Some of the abilities were annoying to use, such as the ATT buff spells or the frog transformation which required me to keep swapping spell slots (I mostly played as the chick).
From what I've seen, there aren't that many upgrades either, there's a good amount of spells/abilities, but not a lot of actual upgrades.

So I was wondering, does order of ecclesia fix some of the problems I had with potrait of ruin?

I can see that if you're primarily looking for the "exploration gated by player upgrades" aspect of the genre, then Portrait of Ruin will not be the most appealing to you. Order of Ecclesia may be even worse in this regard. All it's really got for the "bad ending" half of the game is the magnetic movement spel that you get in the tutorial level, breathing underwater, and the double jump. The other half of the game has only more player upgrades, which aren't much more interesting. Of the Igavania games, Symphony of the Night and the Sorrow games are the most centered on player upgrades, so maybe check out Dawn of Sorrow -- there are some souls which give you new ways to access secrets, and the castle is very much structured around the upgrade progression. I personally prefer Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia for their focus on deeper combat systems and expert level/enemy/boss design.

 

[Damned Registrations]

You should finish Hollow Knight. It's basically the pinnacle of the genre. Hell, it already was on release and they've added more to it since then.

You may also like A Robot Named Fight and Iji. The former is a sort of roguelite metroidvania, but one which emphasizes platforming and exploration a lot more than others like Dead Cells. The later is light on the exploration (the format is a series of very large stages with multiple routes through them) but it's very interesting in other ways, like allowing for different gameplay style/strategies, and a pretty reactive story.

 

[deama]

I can see that if you're primarily looking for the "exploration gated by player upgrades" aspect of the genre, then Portrait of Ruin will not be the most appealing to you. Order of Ecclesia may be even worse in this regard. All it's really got for the "bad ending" half of the game is the magnetic movement spel that you get in the tutorial level, breathing underwater, and the double jump. The other half of the game has only more player upgrades, which aren't much more interesting. Of the Igavania games, Symphony of the Night and the Sorrow games are the most centered on player upgrades, so maybe check out Dawn of Sorrow -- there are some souls which give you new ways to access secrets, and the castle is very much structured around the upgrade progression. I personally prefer Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia for their focus on deeper combat systems and expert level/enemy/boss design.

Ah, I see, that might be why I gave up on order of ecclesia. At any rate, now that I look at sreenies of Dawn of Sorrow, I think I might have played it too. I don't remember if I played Aria of Sorrow AND dawn of sorrow, or just one of them. Anyway, I might try Dawn of sorrow for a bit and see if I remember it or not.

 

[deama]

You should finish Hollow Knight. It's basically the pinnacle of the genre. Hell, it already was on release and they've added more to it since then.

You may also like A Robot Named Fight and Iji. The former is a sort of roguelite metroidvania, but one which emphasizes platforming and exploration a lot more than others like Dead Cells. The later is light on the exploration (the format is a series of very large stages with multiple routes through them) but it's very interesting in other ways, like allowing for different gameplay style/strategies, and a pretty reactive story.

Hmm, I donno about hollow knight... ehhhhh.....

I played Iji, I think you recommended it on a different thread a long while ago and I looked it up. Ye, the reason I stuck with it longer than I should have was cause of the story.
In A Robot Named Fight, how are the rogue-light elements done? Is it everytime you die you transfer over your upgrades or how is it done?

 

[Damned Registrations]

Almost nothing carries over when you die. Various achievements unlock new upgrades that can show up in your run. You'll get 90% of them very quickly through normal play. Every new run is a whole new map with a whole different set of upgrades and bosses drawn from the pool. You can get a few extra lives during a run but if you run out your run is over.

 

[deama]

Almost nothing carries over when you die. Various achievements unlock new upgrades that can show up in your run. You'll get 90% of them very quickly through normal play. Every new run is a whole new map with a whole different set of upgrades and bosses drawn from the pool. You can get a few extra lives during a run but if you run out your run is over.

Hmm, sounds like it'll make me break my keyboard, I'll give it a go.

 

[ushas]

Stumbled upon Headlander.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/340000/Headlander/

Launch into the ultimate head trip as you blast through psychotic robots in a retro 70's sci-fi action adventure from Double Fine Productions. It is a world of automation, a utopia gone wrong in which all of humanity have transferred their minds into robotic imposter bodies and are ruled by a computer.

The concept sounds cool, but metroidvania isn't my area to be able to compare. Have heard it's fun, albeit on easier side.

What I dig a lot, from seeing few previews, is how they did their music and sound design. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an option to buy the soundtrack only.

Soundtrack

 

[Vorark]

I've given up on "metroidvanias". If I want one, I just replay the Metroid holy trinity (Super, Fusion, Zero Mission) or Castlevania Aria of Sorrow. Everything else feels off or try-hard, as in super hard platform segments, spongy enemies, upgrades that serve no purpose and so on.

 

[deama]

Aquaria.

Cave Story +. Seriously, it's quite amazing and has a great soundtrack too.

Seconded these, especially as they both have great soundtracks.

A few other Metroidvanias that haven't been mentioned (and might be worth a look):

UnEpic - You play a D&D teenage nerd that gets sucked into a D&D-esque gameworld. Adds light RPG elements, but it's not a faultless game. Oh, and a couple of the bosses are cheesefests that up-end most of the game's flow.

Owlboy - The controls could be better.

A Hat in Time - This one's a 3D platformer, but otherwise it ticks off all the boxes.

Iconoclasts - Kodex Konsensus seems to be that this one is average.

The Mummy: Demastered - I'm serious here, it's not a bad Metroidvania, though it's way too easy IMO.

I just finished A hat in time, it was "nice". Again, could have used more upgrades, the different hats were fine, I just wanted more acrobatic upgrades or convenience upgrades, also the hat switching was a bit finiky once you got more than 3 hats. I would have also liked it if the MC in the beginning had less abilities and had to unlock them as the game progressed, e.g. no wall climbing in the beginning and you had to unlock it, though this might have made the movement less nice. Regardless, I'm gonna put this on my "nice games" list.

I played UnEpic a while ago, the controls seemed stiff and from what I could tell, there weren't going to be any of the upgrades that allow for more "ease of movement", or much of anything other than stat upgrades.

I'm not sure about the other ones, could you give me more info on the others? Like how many upgrades they have, what types, how stiff/nice the movement is etc...?

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Aquaria.

Cave Story +. Seriously, it's quite amazing and has a great soundtrack too.

Seconded these, especially as they both have great soundtracks.

A few other Metroidvanias that haven't been mentioned (and might be worth a look):

UnEpic - You play a D&D teenage nerd that gets sucked into a D&D-esque gameworld. Adds light RPG elements, but it's not a faultless game. Oh, and a couple of the bosses are cheesefests that up-end most of the game's flow.

Owlboy - The controls could be better.

A Hat in Time - This one's a 3D platformer, but otherwise it ticks off all the boxes.

Iconoclasts - Kodex Konsensus seems to be that this one is average.

The Mummy: Demastered - I'm serious here, it's not a bad Metroidvania, though it's way too easy IMO.

I just finished A hat in time, it was "nice". Again, could have used more upgrades, the different hats were fine, I just wanted more acrobatic upgrades or convenience upgrades, also the hat switching was a bit finiky once you got more than 3 hats. I would have also liked it if the MC in the beginning had less abilities and had to unlock them as the game progressed, e.g. no wall climbing in the beginning and you had to unlock it, though this might have made the movement less nice. Regardless, I'm gonna put this on my "nice games" list.

I played UnEpic a while ago, the controls seemed stiff and from what I could tell, there weren't going to be any of the upgrades that allow for more "ease of movement", or much of anything other than stat upgrades.

I'm not sure about the other ones, could you give me more info on the others? Like how many upgrades they have, what types, how stiff/nice the movement is etc...?

I'll try.

On Owlboy I literally have nothing more than what I posted. I only got a chance to try it for a brief time, and the issue with the controls was something I noticed almost instantly.

Iconoclasts I played for a few hours, and the movement controls weren't an issue. Upgrades seemed to follow a logical pattern (second weapon allowed you to blast away some terrain obstacles) but what mostly bothered me about it were the boss battles. They felt needlessly convoluted and pattern-dependant. There are other Codexers that can tell you more about this one.

UnEpic's problem is that its focus... isn't focused. I can't recall with certainty a single unlock or upgrade in the game that eased movement, but there were still things that allowed progress past certain obstacles. Some of the weapons had a thing in this, like the Spear, which allowed for stabs at a considerable range, which proved to be important for at least a part of the game. No, the problem with UnEpic were the boss battles. You have the fight the seven bosses (plus an eight endurance-esque encounter that can count as a boss battle) in the One Exact Order, there's no deviation allowed from that. The first three bosses are alright as they allow for variations in approach and tactics, but the fourth one can only be done in One Exact Order, and if you've built your character in any other way than that, you're screwed. This is why there are Re-statting Stations throughout the game world, so you can rebuild your character to suit the occasion. But while the fourth boss can only be defeated via melee attacks (Big Hint there) the seventh boss can only be defeated by ranged attacks (Even Bigger Hint). So no matter how you look at it, you HAVE to completely respec your character at least once in the game... for one purpose only, for only a brief time. This is stupid. It's like playing a Mega Man game and there's only one path, one order in which to play through the Robot Masters.

The Mummy: Demastered is probably the one I can give the most info on, as I played it all the way to the end, and got the Best Ending (without really trying). You start out as a simple grunt, but you're quickly pointed to locations in-game that can yield upgrades. Movement is stiff early on, but it quickly sets a good pace. Still, you will spend some time early on scrutinizing the map to find those few spots where you can progress, always keeping an eye out for upgrades that can help you reach unreachable places later on. Each upgrade is vital, like the one that allows you to grip-walk along the ceiling, the one that allows you to breathe underwater, explosive weapons to blast away barriers, etc. It feels natural, but you also feel like you're being led through a minefield. As I said, the game felt too easy overall.

Aquaria is a little heavy-handed in freedom of movement. Areas need to be completed in a specific order, freshly-acquired abilities play too large a role immediately upon being gained. But the world just feels so... fresh that it doesn't really bother you. You'll notice when you reach the 'so dark you can't see shit'-part of the ocean and start to wonder where you're gonna get the light upgrade for that, and just go about exploring casually. The game rarely pressures you into doing anything.

Cave Story + is the game with the biggest "pitfall" I'd say. It's a game that's devious in sneaking important choices into the game without you noticing it. Something as basic as sympathetic characters asking if you'd be willing to trade your unfinished gun for an upgrade can mean the difference between whether you catch the True Ending or not. Cave Story's strongest point, however, is its awesome characters. You'll feel for them. Even some of the antagonists.

Hope this helps.

 

[Machocruz]

Still nothing beats Super Metroid with its copious amount of hidden passages, bombable walls/floors, etc. I can't think of any others that match it in this regard. Every time I play a new game in this "genre" I'm disappointed by how simplistic the level design is in comparison.

 

[Destroid]

I'm no expert on the genre but I enjoyed Cave Story and this one:

 

[JDR13]

Metroid prime -- hahahahahahha, controls were so dog shit, wtf.

Believe it or not one of the few games to play better with the wii's waggle controls. (trilogy version)

Or better yet, with mouse+keyboard on the Dolphin emulator.

I never understood why the Prime trilogy isn't more popular. I've played every Metroid game, and the Prime games are my favorite along with Super Metroid. You have to play them in high-res with m+k though to really appreciate them.

 

[deama]

Metroid prime -- hahahahahahha, controls were so dog shit, wtf.

Believe it or not one of the few games to play better with the wii's waggle controls. (trilogy version)

Or better yet, with mouse+keyboard on the Dolphin emulator.

I never understood why the Prime trilogy isn't more popular. I've played every Metroid game, and the Prime games are my favorite along with Super Metroid. You have to play them in high-res with m+k though to really appreciate them.

Was it easy to set up the the mouse?

 

[Valestein]

These two were pretty fun.

 

[deama]

These two were pretty fun.

I donno about that wrestling one, but can you tell me more about shantae? How are the upgrades, what types, how does it handle etc...?

 

[Unkillable Cat]

I'm no expert on the genre but I enjoyed Cave Story and this one:

I took a brief look at the demo for this game (kudos for it having a demo in the first place).

Maybe the demo is misleading, but based on that I found myself playing a hollow game that focuses entirely on the 'finer' aspects of platforming - namely precision jumps, the need to learn (and master) your new upgrades really quick to make any progress, and quickly-escalating difficulty... and all this without any exposition beyond the game's standard blurb: You control a robot that's sent to investigate a decommissioned biodome space station because something seems to be still alive there.

For example I quickly got the double-jump ability, which allowed me to move vertically on the map. Quickly after that I got the grappling hook, and what immediately followed were rooms after rooms where the only way to progress was to successful chain together double-jumps with the grappling hook, sometimes in a manner where you made one jump, used the hook then used the double jump to reach the platform. There's no room for error in these maneuvers. I didn't even finish the demo, by the time I reached the sixth or seventh 'obstacle course' requiring far too much precision usage of the hook and double jumps, I just gave up.

Really hard to recommend this one, unless you're into the hardcore aspects of platforming.

 

[Valestein]

These two were pretty fun.

I donno about that wrestling one, but can you tell me more about shantae? How are the upgrades, what types, how does it handle etc...?

That Shantae game is like a cross between Metroid and Zelda 2, there's various open ended areas that are separate from each other, and there's Zelda-esque dungeons in them. You get upgrades like the sword which acts like the speed boost from SM, a pirate hat that allows you to glide, a cannon that shoots downwards that propels you up,etc. Her basic attacks are her hair as a melee and a pirate pistol for ranged.

 

[Jezal_k23]

Hollow Knight is awesome. My first time through Deepnest felt like Blighttown in Dark Souls, in the sense of "WHERE THE FUCK AM I?" as you go deeper and deeper into that place and you find NO FUCKING STATIONS right when you feel like you really needed one.

It was amazing.

 

[Dodo1610]

Has anyone mentioned Ori and the blind forest, it is looks beautiful and is suprisingly hard.

 

[Grauken]

Environmental Station Alpha is great, but hard
An Untold Story, is also great, but even harder
Knight'n Grail (C64, easy to emulate), a bit too easy, but still lots of fun
Hero Core (freeware) shmup crossed with a metroidvania
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, another odd combination, shmup-like controls
Guacamelee, probably already mentioned
Xeodrifter, short and easy but fun
Saving Princess, megaman-like crossed with metroidvania

 

[Valestein]

Speaking of Gaucamelee, a sequel is coming out: