The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human
4 out of 5. While its story may be a case study in ludo-narrative dissonance, The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human provides a unique underwater take on metroidvania design with some great bosses.
Ato
4 out of 5. Frenetic gameplay and novel and deep mechanics are wrapped up by an emotional silent narrative, making Ato one of more memorable experiences within the Metroidvania genre.
Phoenotopia Awakening
5 out of 5. While the difficulty and some features may grate against individual preferences, its immersiveness and gameplay variety combine to make Phoenotopia Awakening an absolute masterpiece.
Metroidvania News – Jan 20 2021
Binky’s Trash Service released. New updates for Axiom Verge, Bloodstained, and Touhou Luna Nights. Eight New Steam Pages!
Metroidvania News – Jan 12 2021
Ralf’s Adventure and Subterene released, with steam pages for Binky’s Trash Service, Deep Enigma, SJ-19 Learns to Love! and A World Abandoned
AeternoBlade
2.5 out of 5. AeternoBlade ambitiously tackles deep concepts like time travel and psychological character development, but its obsession with padding its length is detrimental to the experience.
Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles 2
4 out of 5. A delightful marriage between Classicvania and Metroidvania that will surely please fans of both. Challenging combat and a deep world to explore make for a wholly memorable game.
Yearly Progress Update: January 2021
A look back at 2020 and a listing of what we plan on reviewing and streaming this upcoming month of January!
Metroidvania News – Dec 30th
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets an exclusive update with Edge Magazine tomorrow, Simona’s Requiem now has a steam page, Touhou Luna NIghts on Switch, and top 10 Metroidvania lists from The Best Indie games and Tensor Gaming
MindSeize Version 1.4.0
4 out of 5. A sword and gun style platformer in the vein of the Mega Man Zero series with more emphasis on non-linear exploration. Combat depth and excellent level design sets this game apart.
Owlboy
3.5 out of 5. What Owlboy lacks in challenging game design might be made up for with its emotionally resonant narrative, if you go into it seeking that above all else.
Metroidvania News – Dec 16
Ender Lilies gets an Early Access release date. New Steam pages for Summit and Dispersio 2.
Drilly Willis
2 out of 5. Drilly Willis has fun exploration and a lot of heart, but it can be broken and frustrating in other aspects. The first impressions you had looking at its screenshots are probably right.
Metroidvania News – Dec 9
The Spirit of the Samurai Kickstarter is expiring. Elephantasy, Goldfish Brain, and Monster Sanctuary released. New Steam Pages for Astronite, Curse of the Sea Rats, Demons of Asteborg, Lamp Chronicle, and Pale Night
Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles
3.5 out of 5. A strong Classicvania experience with some of the series’ later mechanics mixed in. A worthwhile playthrough assuming you don’t have any technical issues.
Monthly Progress Update: December 2020
A listing of what we plan on reviewing and streaming this upcoming month of December!
Metroidvania News – Dec 2
Freeware game DreamWatcher released, new Steam pages for Alice Escaped!, Blu, Narita Boy, Rushaug, and Zapling Bygone
Biomass
4 out of 5. Its combat is just good enough to be of passing interest to Souls-like fans, but where Biomass really shines is how it presents its mysteries, and how much it leaves open to interpretation.
Metroidvania News – Nov 25
Micetopia released, Romancelvania and Bladam Topaz get steam pages, a couple of upcoming Metroidvania videos from other YouTubers
BatBarian: Testament of the Primordials
4.5 out of 5. A multitasking focused action puzzle-platformer that will bend your brain in creative ways, with all of its challenges being wrapped up in great music and a charming layered narrative.
Metroidvania News – Nov 18
New Kickstarter page for Spirit of the Samurai. Landflix Odyssey released. New Steam Pages for Aleya’s Ascent, Dream Watcher, and Heart Forth Alicia
An Untitled Story
4 out of 5. Maddy Thorson’s earlier work still holds up in terms of game design, offering a robust Metroidvania world to explore and plenty of precision platforming challenges.
Metroidvania News – Nov 11
Romancelvania Kickstarter Expiring! Bloodstained gets a new playable character. 8 Bit Space, Drilly Willis, and The Witch & the 66 Mushrooms released. New Steam page for Project Inferno.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
4 out of 5. All of the fat has been trimmed off the previous 3D Castlevania title, leaving strong combat and a new addictive monster raising system to keep it interesting for multiple playthroughs.
Developer Spotlight: Unspeakable Pixels from Batbarian
The developers over at Unspeakable Pixels give us some insights into the development of Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials
Metroidvania News – Nov 4th – Plus Some Upcoming Streams Canceled
Classic-Vania style Crypt Stalker and Underwater Metroidvania Depths of Sanity released, as well as new steam pages for GoldFish Brain and Shattered Ninja
Artifacts
3 out of 5. Strong level design in combination with novel concepts creates a fun risk/reward Metroidvania experience, even if a lot could be improved in terms of technical polish.
Monthly Progress Update: November 2020
A listing of what we plan on reviewing and streaming this upcoming month of November!
Metroidvania News – Oct 28 2020
Chiaroscuro and Reknum 2 kickstarters expiring, Supraland coming to modern consoles, Insect Adventures Demo, and new steam pages for 8 Bit Space and Deathstick.
Vigil: The Longest Night
4 out of 5. Greater than the sum of its parts. If you enjoy exploring an open Metroidvania world with the occasional amazing boss fight, then its charms can easily outweigh its flaws.
Top 10 Metroidvania Games for Beginners
Looking to get into the Metroidvania genre, or are you looking for recommendations to give to a friend? Here are our top ten picks for best entry games.
Metroidvania News – Oct 21 – 9 New Releases, Supraland on Switch, Expiring Kickstarters, New Steam Pages
NINE new games to report on this week. Expiring kickstarter for Chiaroscuro with a Halloween update. Supraland is ported to Nintendo Switch. Three new Steam pages including Phoenotopia.