curlybrace

For Metroidvania believers, few games have come along to deliver on what makes the genre great, while adding its own aesthetic spin. Don't be fooled by the simple pixel art -- the level of depth and layers are immense. It delivers on exploration, mystery, and a healthy dose of creepy horror.

Abyssmal controls and terrible button mapping. What should be a relaxing game for cleaning enthusiasts ends up being frustrating and opaque. The camera is the first that actually caused me nausea from playing. Would not go back to this, ever. The cut scenes animations are the quality of an early 2000's web banner.

As a diehard Symphony of the Night fan, this comes closest to some of the feels that many have tried to emulate. Gorgeous spritework and animations. Lush and energetic soundtrack. Meaningful weapons upgrade system. Lacking in any sort of armor or crafting. Suffers from long, niche title.

Physical edition (with latest update downloaded) for Switch crashes horribly, to the point of requiring a hard restart. It's even worse than Souldiers. With save points few and far between, this makes for a lot of lost progress considering how frequently the crashes happen. Aside from that, it is a solid Metroidvania. Very polished graphics, sort of what Bloodstained should have looked like. Styling is clean if a bit sterile. Storyline is pointless to follow. Vast world. There is a town home base similar to Souldiers and Monster Boy, and food crafting elements similar to Bloodstained.

Exactly what you hope for when you think "cozy, indie game" except not nearly as twee. The premise is that you are trying to hike up a mountain, with some side quests and achievements along the way. The hiking mechanic is surprisingly accurate to what it feels like in real life, with plenty of scenic visuals that will make you pause and take a screengrab. There is no dying, so exploration and meandering is encouraged. Highly recommended for all ages from young to old, newbies or seasoned gamers who just want a break from the latest AAA.

Consider this review biased towards a child of the 80s/90s, but Belle Boomerang hits all the retro notes without being cheap. Beautiful pixel art that uses its color palette to great effect, with surprisingly variation from world to world. Great music. And thoughtful-enough level design that is tough but will keep you coming back for more.

Beautiful pixel art, but too much of a clone of the town-sim genre to ever find its own identity. Derivative of **** Valley (complete with stodgy old man in a wheelchair) without the edgy vibes. Difficulty level of some of the doctor minigames are overly simple, Simon-says type games, that feels like a waste of time or targeted towards young children. The combat feels a bit squishy and unsatisfying. Music is cloying and the sound design odd (like a loud tapping noise to represent footsteps on grass). Weird bugs that make it hard to shop from a cashier without engaging them in repetitive conversation. The cut scenes move at such a snail's pace that I end up skipping them.

Absolutely obsession worthy. A shining example of what one single developer can accomplish, thanks to Concerned Ape and his constant improvements and updates. Delightful, jaunty music. Some of the best writing for NPC characters. **** and a modern classic.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The name is deceptive, as this is more skin to a traditional Metroidvania than to a souls-like. Huge, ability-gated environments. Rich pixel art. This deserves way more credit in the Metroidvania pantheon, but is unfortunately plagued by its reputation for **** you are a true believer in the genre, give this a try. Well worth the pricetag even if you play half.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Elegant, minimalist, charming. Boils down everything that makes a Metroidvania fun and serves it up in a tight package. A joy to traverse from screen to screen over and over again. Don't underestimate its young-ish looking aesthetic - this is a fantastic entry into the genre.

The name is deceptive, as this is more skin to a traditional Metroidvania than to a souls-like. Huge, ability-gated environments. Rich pixel art. This deserves way more credit in the Metroidvania pantheon, but is unfortunately plagued by its reputation for slowdown. If you are a true believer in the genre, give this a try. Well worth the pricetag even if you play half.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Gorgeous game. Takes inspiration from all the greats of JRPGs, like Chrono Trigger and even Suikoden. Memorable soundtrack, luscious environments. Only docking a point for lack of diversity in character design that makes the game less functional. The main party consists of all blondes, brunettes and redheads in a way that makes them hard to tell apart. Other than that, I enjoyed every minute. A stunning achievement.

A decent diversion away from the big studio JRPGs. Has some solid battle mechanics but ultimately feels like a low budget affair. The graphics have a soft pixellation that feels very DSiWare.

The 4 Heroes of Light is everything you love about old school RPGs, requiring a lot of exploring with a just-big-enough world to explore and a hint of guidance. It comes wrapped in a deceptively cute aesthetic, with lush, painterly graphics which I hope to see more of from Square.

I picked up this game expecting good things from the people who brought us Phoenix Wright, but Ghost Trick has exceeded my every expectation. The gameplay is so innovative, yet at the heart of this game is some truly fanciful storytelling. Contrast this with the Professor Layton series, which for all the praise it gets, does not make any attempt to integrate the puzzles into the actual story. With Ghost Trick, the puzzling is so seamlessly interwoven that you really feel you have a direct hand in the characters' actions. The character design is like a super stylized comic book, and the character movements are so graceful that I have to believe that animators, not programmers, designed the sequences. I hope that Ghost Trick becomes a series on the new 3DS platform, as there are a lot of possibilities when you factor dimensionality. But even if it doesn't, Ghost Trick stands on its own as a very complete, deeply enjoyable piece of art.

If you've ever felt like modern video games took a wrong turn along the way and yearned for the sprite-based worlds of the 90's, Cave Story is just what the doctor ordered. The game is simple in terms of graphics and control, but its story and pace lend surprising depth. You play as an amnesiac hero trying to make sense of the cave world he's stuck in, and there's a genuine feeling of loneliness in the game's atmosphere. Perhaps the cave is metaphor for the underground retro-ness of this type of game? Either way, you won't want to return to real life. I wish the DSiWare version received the same facelift as its WiiWare counterpart, but I'm glad to get this game at all.