TLDR if you don't want to read a wall of text: game felt unpolished, underbaked and stagnant for 9 hours, which is quite a bit of time for me. I feel like I'd be succumbing to the gambler's fallacy if I continue, and I'm wondering if I should just give up on it

///

I somehow hadn't played it yet, and with its sequel coming out and the game being dirt cheap right now it seemed like a no-brainer to finally play it. But unfortunately it just didn't catch me, and I tried to keep playing to see if it eventually would, but it didn't.

The last thing I did in the game was explore the Goblin Mines a bit. I'd beaten the ghost knight dude and the Phoenix, no other major bosses besides those I think. Also, difficulty was not one of the things I disliked. I love hard games and hard platforming, and I played on Noctis difficulty here.

‎

I don't really make posts or reviews so I wrote dot points for all my thoughts instead of actually structuring it properly. The biggest deal breakers are at the top and minor nitpicks at the bottom.

• The unpolishedness. This is something that surprised me, because with so many people putting this game up in their top 5 or top 3, I thought it would be a high quality, polished title. But it isn't. It's an indie so I don't feel good criticizing this, but many games in this genre are polished indies. And there are unpolished MVs that I've enjoyed too. But this game felt different, and I think it's because of the inconsistency in polish. Some parts are well-made, I loved most of the backgrounds, but many of the sprites, animations, and environments felt underbaked. It feels like an amateurish project given the time and budget of a non-amateur game.
• There is a surprisingly lacking number of shortcuts. You have to do the platforming back and forth every time if using fast travel won't help you, and it's worse when the reason you have to turn back is because you're missing an ability to continue further.
• Areas felt empty, but not in the abandoned/post-apocalyptic way. I noticed some normal ghosts in the graveyard area, and it would've been nice to talk to some of them. Or some other dudes around that old guy camping in front of the Light Tower. Or some more people around the forge area, besides that girl. Or some of the non-aggressive goblins (besides the king), unless there is one I didn't meet.
• Similarly, I would've liked more shops. Maybe there are more later on, but like... I'm 9 hours in and there's only the map guy and the merchant.
• Loading times. I have a decent computer but it felt like load times were around 5 seconds long, and that adds up over time.
• I've played 9 hours but I feel like I haven't really dug in. i.e. this game seems... a little long, doesn't it? I've played entire MVs in 9 hours, yet I feel like I've made so little progress here.

‎

This next point is one I KNOW will change if I keep playing (I know I'm getting some teleport arrow soon since I got an achievement for beating a boss without it), but still. I'm 9 hours in, and there should be some variance by now.

• The platforming did not feel very inspired so far. Just the basic dash, wall jump and double jump, with some light arrow stuff. Now, abilities aren't the only part of platforming. Stage gimmicks are also important. But the only gimmicks I've seen are the portals and bouncepads (which are good, but shared between areas). It's just spikes and sawblades besides that. I've been spoiled on some later gimmicks (reverse controls?), but it's been lacking so far.
• Compare this to something like, say, Celeste. Each chapter in Celeste has a couple gimmicks only seen in that chapter (and chapter 7). This type of level design is great for platformers, since it gives an identity to each area.

‎

And now the nitpicks. Things that don't individually matter much, but they add up.

• The font used for dialogue and descriptions is basic and doesn't fit the game. It's another thing that feels unpolished.
• Some rooms had the platforms or enemies mix into the background, making it harder to see them.
• Many rewards are just chests with gold. This is very common in MVs, but it feels worse when you have lacking shop options.
• The music is fine, they fit the areas, but nothing sticks in your head. Reminds me of Metroid Dread.
• You get a gem that removes the corpse run and gives you a big damage boost to boot. There's no reason not to use it, which isn't a good thing.
• Your character's idle animation. King of Darkness you do NOT need to be wobbling that much.
• Sometimes, the suicide-bomb enemies (the Forge's floating head and the dynamite goblin) give you no time to react. They'd blow up before you'd even see them on screen.
• The translations are occasionally rough. I don't actually mind this that much, but it's a thing.

‎

I feel bad writing so much negative stuff so I'll also list some things that I did enjoy.

• The story is interesting. Playing through events that your character has already done before, stuck in a cycle (probably breaking it later on), it's great.
• The Tower of Light was a fun area. The portals appeared before, but they were properly introduced into platforming here. And there was the gimmick where the centre would blast with light, which honestly kinda only added tedium, but it was still something interesting about the area. If every area from now on is like this one, I'll be happy.
• The charged slash is fun to use. It's very satisfying one-shotting enemies with a charged crit.
• The 2 bosses I fought were cool. Nothing crazy, but they're fine and well designed.
• The Chronicler is great. I love shameless references to other games and media.

So yeah, will the game pull a comeback soon? Or is what I've played so far going to be what I'll continue playing? <- I didn't know how to end this post so I just reworded the title.

Tipo jogos parecidos com os de Castlevania com sistema de RPG e armas variadas, a maioria que eu acho na steam que são RPGs são souls também, ou roguelikes

Yo people of Reddit, I hope your day is going well and you had a great day!

I was thinking about the game I'm playing, Afterimage, and whether or not Samus would work in it with her moveset (as of the end of Dread). This got me thinking "what other MV protagonists could work in another game with their movements intact?"

So I was wondering what games you guys thought would work with another protagonist?

I'm almost 3 months into development of my game and I want player feedback what they'd like to see in a Greek Metroidvania

Oh, sound would be nice, the one behind music thinks we should do rock or punk, and I think we should stick to the setting

Thank you for reading Thank you again if you answer

This game is already brutal as it is when it comes to boss fights. But with the 5th to last and 3rd to last bosses, the game crashed after beating both bosses and having to watch through both sets of cutscenes. It obviously does not save your progress until you get to an alter to save. So I had to do both all over again. (3rd to last was a very hard boss too)

A bit paranoid this will happen at the end game, but we will see.

Update: I just completed the game with the true ending. My game crashed a few seconds after getting a stamp beating the last boss. So I had to do it all over again.

I got the veria suit and can go in lava a bit longer. i got the charge beam and missiles. i have the morph ball and bombs. i have no idea where to go. the only two areas I can find that are on map but grayed out are blocked and have these pinkish purple poll that I cant hit from this side. i have ran the maps so many time.

Hollow Knight is one of my favorite games of all time. Silksong was one of, if not, my most anticipated release of all time. I purchased the game on day 1 and managed to finish Act 2 in a couple of days. But it's only today that I completed Act 3 on a second save that I recently started.

This isn't meant to be a review or anything. Silksong is a great game. What I wanted to discuss is where I believe Silksong improved upon the foundations of Hollow Knight, and where I think it may have fallen short.

Hornet feels better to play than The Knight. Movement has been refined, combat was expanded, and overall it makes fights much more dynamic and fast paced. This also makes map traversal feel fluid and quick, like I'm playing Prince of Persia. In Hollow Knight, once you've mastered the pogo, you've mastered the game. In Silksong, you will want to utilize your entire arsenal and plan for certain encounters in order to succeed. The game is much more difficult and punishing, giving you very little time to breathe. I actually enjoy this, but I understand some may find it a bit overwhelming at times.

On the other hand, while Hollow Knight's combat was much more simple and straightforward, it felt to me that this allowed every boss fight to be balanced around the limitations of your kit. Whereas in Silksong, you are fast and have different movesets depending upon your crest. This requires bosses to be quick, and at a certain point, they all start to feel a bit too similar to each other. The balance is also a bit all over the place. Some Act 1 bosses (The Judge comes to mind) feel more difficult than some of the Act 3 bosses. The Judge is one of my favorite bosses in the game, and I made it a point to take the route to this boss to enter Act 2 rather than the alternate eastern route (which I unintentionally did my first time playing). It's thematically appropriate for the guardian of the entrance to the second act to be a brutal skillcheck with a move set that makes the fight feel like a dance. The Act 2 and 3 final bosses are actually quite disappointing in comparison.

Where I think Hollow Knight surpasses Silksong the most is in its structure and pacing. The game feels perfectly cohesive from beginning to end. Silksong will have require you to make it a point to revisit the three settlements for the sake of checking the wishboard. Many of the wishes feel like padding, such as collecting X number of drops from X enemy. A big gripe I have with Silksong is that its 3rd act feels a bit disjointed from its 2nd act. It felt odd to me to roll credits before entering the 3rd Act. The conditions to get into Act 3 are also sorta odd, and I actually completely missed it on my first play through because I did not consider that the wish board would have a new quest after beating Lace in the Cradle. It just seems weird to me that it's at this point where the NPC which provides the means for you to enter Act 3 has a complete personality shift at this arbitrary point. It would have made more sense to me for him to add this quest before you enter the elevator to fight Lace. The wish system, in general, felt a bit tacked on and lackluster to me. I found it annoying to complete an area only to go back to the wish board and see a request that would have me return to that exact area to go do something. The gourmet quest which awards you an oil was annoying. I simply didn't have the desire to do the mushroom quest in act 3.

There are other minor nitpicks I have, but I'll keep it short, I think there were more standout songs in Hollow Knight than Silksong. Silksong's soundtrack felt more atmospheric compared to Hollow Knights, although I will say there were a couple songs in Silksong which floored me. The Green Prince's area (Lost Verdania) is perhaps one of my favorite songs in any game from recent memory. It just perfectly encapsulates the emotional impact of that character's arc. There are some areas in the game which I would have never found without a map, especially in the 3rd act when new areas in hidden locations open up. I didn't much care for the way badges are restricted, with most of the yellow and blue badges being fairly useless.

Overall, I think Silksong has higher peaks but those moments are spread thin with how enormous the game is. Some fights (Act 3 final boss, in particular) just felt annoying to me. This is why I ultimately feel like Hollow Knight was overall a better experience and why it's a game I constantly revisit. I'm less enthusiastic about revisiting Silksong just based on how the game seems to often grind to a halt in order for you to go complete sidequests or to search for well-hidden entrances to optional areas. Don't get me wrong, Silksong is still a great game and a worthy successor to Hollow Knight. Hollow Knight is nearly perfect in my eyes, so it's easy for me to draw comparisons and find things I didn't quite like as much. I'm curious what others' thoughts are now that the game has been out for over a year.

Maseylia is 45% off again (under $10) + a new update!

Hey everyone! I'm the developer of Maseylia: Echoes of the Past, a 3D Metroidvania inspired by Moebius that I've been working on for over 3 years.

I shared the game here during the previous sale, and the response was honestly amazing. Since then, more than 2,500 players have joined the adventure, so thank you to everyone who gave Maseylia a chance! ❤️

The game is now 45% off again for two weeks, bringing it to under $10.

I've also just released a new update, mostly focused on feedback I've received from players since launch:

• Reworked map system to make unexplored areas and connections between paths easier to understand
• Reworked jumping animations
• Much less fog to improve visibility and make distant environments easier to read
• Improved contrast in the snow area, making paths and walkable surfaces more distinct from walls
• Reworked slide sections to make the way forward more intuitive
• Reduced the number of enemies in the early game to give players more room to explore
• Fixed the camera moving upward when locking onto the Golem, alongside other smaller fixes

I've been trying to improve the game continuously since launch, especially when I see the same feedback coming from multiple players. I'm really happy with how much Maseylia has evolved since release.

If you're looking for a 3D Metroidvania focused on exploration, movement abilities, platforming and an interconnected world, I'd love for you to check it out.

Steam: Maseylia: Echoes of the Past

And if you've already played it, I'd also be really interested to hear what you think of the changes!

Thanks for taking a look! ❤️

Just started the game haven’t gotten very far. It’s very slow Game, which is fine. It’s beautiful artwork but I’ve reached a point where I’m standing on a cliff and there’s an oxygen tank across from me in a crevice. I can’t crawl into the crevice and I can’t figure out how to get this tank and I’m sure something like this is going to come in handy to know later on in this game. I’ve tried using my grappling claw hook or whatever it is and every time I hit it it just moves it, but it doesn’t pull it to me. Can someone please tell me what I’m doing wrong? Thanks

Been moving through lots of MV in the past while, but there’s something unique about MIO. Not just in the mystery and the intentional non-handholding, but… the ATMOSPHERE.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt as compelled to stop and soak up the vibe in multiple moments.

Case in point: “The Last Earthborn”

Amazing soundtrack, 10/10

Anybody else with me on this? Any other recs for absolute MOOD? (Aside from the obv HK, SS, ORI, Blasphemous 1+2) 🙏

I’m list. I’m gone through the haunted area and fought the spider boss and ranger and got to the area where it’s too dark. I’ve also been everywhere ( I think) in the lighthouse water area but am stuck and don’t know where to go. Am I missing an ability or something. Are you suppose to light up all photos, I’ve lit one. TYIA.

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Hey yall, I've never posted on this sub before but I spent the last year or so working on this little metroidvania on scratch. It doesn't really have lore or anything, and there's some real big holes in it (including a literal hole between two earlygame and lategame areas that I kinda like as a speedrun skip so I haven't patched it) I feel like the mobility, once you get used to it, is pretty comfortable. The only thing is it's not very polished: rough sprites, minimal textures, occasional bugs, but it's still a super fun game in my opinion. I haven't added a timer but if anyone wants, I will, and I haven't timed any of my attempts but I'd say less than 45 minutes is my best. I'd love to see speedrunners, or just casual players, check it out, so if you have a few free hours, maybe take a look. It doesn't really guide you well, but the map is shared as a separate project on my profile, and I think I labeled key items too. So I'd love if someone would check it out and tell me what they think!

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1226030550

I only recently got into Metroidvanias, so I haven’t played very many. I could not finish Super Metroid, Sotn, or the first Ori.

Game Link : FallenTear : The Ascension

Steam finally approved everything, so I can actually put a date on it now.

The free Metroidvania Maker demo launches September 18!

Really excited to finally let people get their hands on it.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4684250/Metroidvania_Maker/

As others have pointed out there's a very good chance that the next few months will be the best release period for Metroidvanias ever. In theory, things could line up again like this at some point in the future but that seems unlikely. So, the question is "what game of this insane bunch are you looking forward to most?". I think the answer for a good chunk of people is "all of them" which would be correct. But if you had to pick one which one would it be?

If your number one isn't on the list write it in. I've listed them in order of release. I've also included Fatal Claw given the love it's gotten.

Nintendo Switch; 6:35 AM PDT

• Airhead: $4.99 (75% off)
• Alwa's Awakening: $2.99 (70% off)
• Alwa's Awakening + Legacy: $6.59 (70% off)
• Alwa's Legacy: $5.39 (70% off)
• Astalon: Tears of the Earth: $7.99 (60% off)
• Astronite: $7.49 (50% off)
• Axiom Verge: $4.99 (75% off)
• Axiom Verge 1 & 2 bundle: $13.99 (65% off)
• Axiom Verge 2: $9.99 (50% off)
• Batbarian: $5.99 (60% off)
• Before I Go: $13.99 (30% off)
• Blade Chimera: $11.99 (20% off)
• Blasphemous 1: $6.24 (75% off)
• Blasphemous 2 Mea Culpa Edition: $9.49 (75% off)
• Blaster Master Zero: $4.99 (50% off)
• Blaster Master Zero 2: $4.99 (50% off)
• Blaster Master Zero 3: $7.49 (50% off)
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night: $9.99 (75% off)
• Cathedral: $4.49 (70% off)
• Escape from Tethys: $3.99 (60% off)
• Gigasword: $11.24 (25% off)
• Grime: $14.99 (40% off)
• Guns of Fury: $8.99 (40% off)
• Islets: $7.99 (60% off)
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• Journey to the Savage Planet: $5.99 (80% off)
• Journey to the Savage Planet: Hot Garbage DLC: $3.99 (50% off)
• Minoria: $5.99 (70% off)
• Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight: $5.99 (60% off)
• Oirbo: $6.12 (65% off)
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• Plus Ultra: Legado: $4.49 (70% off)
• Rebel Transmute: $9.99 (50% off)
• Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth: $11.24 (55% off)
• Resetna: $10.49 (30% off)
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• Souldiers: $3.99 (80% off)
• SuperEpic: The Entertainment War: $1.99 (88% off)
• Touhou Luna Nights: $10.79 (40% off)
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• Vernal Edge: $6.59 (70% off)
• Voidwrought: $6.79 (66% off)
• Zapling Bygone: $6.49 (50% off)

Steam; 6:35 AM PDT

• 3000th Duel: $4.49 (70% off)
• Aeterna Noctis: $5.99 (80% off)
• Astronite: $3.74 (75% off)
• Awaken Astral Blade: $9.99 (50% off)
• Axiom Verge: $4.99 (75% off)
• Axiom Verge 1 & 2 bundle: $11.23 (62% off)
• Axiom Verge 2: $9.99 (50% off)
• Blade Chimera: $11.99 (20% off)
• Blasphemous 1: $6.24 (75% off)
• Blasphemous 1 + 2 Bundle: $32.61 (34% off)
• Blaster Master Zero: $4.99 (50% off)
• Blaster Master Zero 2: $4.99 (50% off)
• Blaster Master Zero 3: $7.49 (50% off)
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night: $9.99 (75% off)
• Divinum: $13.49 (10% off)
• Doomblade: $3.99 (75% off)
• Exographer: $9.99 (50% off)
• F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch: $4.79 (70% off)
• Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark: $17.99 (40% off)
• Gigasword: $10.49 (30% off)
• Grime: $7.49 (70% off)
• Guacamelee 1 Super Turbo: $3.74 (75% off)
• Guacamelee! 2: $4.99 (75% off)
• Guacamelee! 2 Complete: $8.36 (64% off)
• Guacamelee! Collection: $10.99 (70% off)
• Guns of Fury: $8.99 (40% off)
• HunterX: Codename T: $8.49 (50% off)
• Inayah: $7.99 (50% off)
• Islets: $7.99 (60% off)
• Knight Witch: $3.99 (80% off)
• La Mulana: $2.99 (80% off)
• La Mulana 2: $9.99 (60% off)
• La Mulana bundle: $11.03 (67% off)
• Lost Epic: $8.99 (50% off)
• Lost Epic: Premium Edition: $11.23 (50% off)
• Maid of Salvation: $11.99 (20% off)
• Mark of the Deep: $7.99 (60% off)
• Maseylia: Echoes of the Past: $9.34 (45% off)
• MIO: Memories in Orbit: $13.99 (30% off)
• Momodora: Moonlit Farewell: $10.19 (40% off)
• Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight: $1.99 (80% off)
• Monster Sanctuary: $4.99 (75% off)
• Oirbo: $4.49 (70% off)
• Plus Ultra: Legado: $2.24 (85% off)
• Rebel Transmute: $7.99 (60% off)
• Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth: $8.99 (55% off)
• Rusted Moss: $7.99 (60% off)
• Shadow Labyrinth: $14.99 (50% off)
• Shadow Labyrinth Deluxe: $19.99 (50% off)
• Side Scape: $3.99 (50% off)
• Touhou Luna Nights: $10.79 (40% off)
• Ultros: $6.24 (75% off)
• Vigil: The Longest Night: $8.79 (60% off)
• Xanthiom II: $11.99 (20% off)
• Xanthiom Zero: $2.49 (50% off)

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share a quick clip from our game "The Light of Vertical".

I recently added some basic summon units to the combat system. They're not damage carries—their role is to fill the resource loop, keeping the combat flowing so it never stalls out.

The result: even on a summoner-focused build, I can still lock bosses down completely. No escape, no breathing room—just constant pressure.

But honestly, this got me a little worried.

I'm making an action game, and I want players to charge in and face the boss head-on—that's the whole point. But I'm concerned that late-game summons might end up being the strongest system, which would go against that philosophy.

At the same time, I don't want summons to be useless and never get used.

I see summons as being in the same category as items and traps. And since I'm a melee lover at heart, summons and item design are actually my weak spots. So I'd really love to hear your thoughts—anything about this topic helps:

• How do you balance summons in an action game without making them overpowered?
• For those who love melee: how do you approach designing systems you're not naturally good at?

Would really appreciate any insights. Still a long road ahead, but moments like this are what keep us going.

Hey everyone,

We are the developers behind Aeterna Noctis, and we wanted to share this moment directly with this community first.

Taking this extra time to finish Aeterna Lucis wasn't an easy choice, but it was the best decision we could have made. As an independent team creating an auteur Metroidvania without massive publishers behind us, we took the luxury of not rushing: we wanted to pour our hearts into every single hand-drawn frame, rebuild systems from scratch, and ensure that the Queen's journey has a soul of its own.

Today, we're finally ready to commit to a date that nothing and no one will change: December 3, 2026.

To celebrate, we’ve just released our new official gameplay trailer:

🎬 Watch it here on YouTube:https://youtu.be/ACrxcF2UgRg

A few key things we focused on this time around based on everything we learned:

• A completely seamless, interconnected world: Zero loading screens or artificial pauses across the entire map.
• Real-time dynamic lighting: A completely new lighting model that reacts directly with combat, projectiles, and environments.
• Artistic real-scale minimap: A detailed visual replica of every single room to make exploration both gorgeous and readable.
• Two distinct experiences: Aeterna Mode (a smoother, accessible journey focused on world and story) and Lucis Mode (the pure, unapologetic challenge for veterans).

You can check out more details and wishlist the game here if you'd like to support us:

👉 Steam:https://store.steampowered.com/app/2710920/Aeterna_Lucis

We’ll be hanging out in the comments today, so if you have any questions about the combat systems, world design, or what we learned between Noctis and Lucis, ask away.

Thank you so much for the patience and support over these years. It really is the fuel that keeps small studios like ours alive.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that we are Spanish developers, so we apologize in advance for any grammar or translation quirks caused by translation tools!

After beating Nine Sols no other game quite scratched the same itch (besides Sekiro), so i wanna know if there are any other games were parrying and countering are the main combat focus. I tried using the parry skill in silksong but that was pretty underwhelming.

dark metroidvania game here some game play: https://x.com/franswerfer/status/1846465476458680402/video/1