Axiom Verge 2 | 30th Sep, 2021 | 09:24hrs | rating: 2.5/5

More Axiom Verge.

GAMEPLAY: The level design is more frustrating this time around, with a lot of trial and error instead of “aha!” moments. The upgrades and traversal mechanics are still satisfying, if not on the same level either.
AUDIOVISUALLY: I like the music more than the original. More organic instruments, almost prog rock-like. The visuals are more pleasant than the first game, but still kind of boring.
STORY/PRESENTATION: A lot of lore that I stopped caring about pretty quickly. I’ve no idea what’s going on, basically. And then it was suddenly over.

I really loved the first game, but this one lacks the pacing, the focus and the awesome powerups. Still an alright experience if you crave some more maps to slowly uncover, metroidvania style, but it’s pretty far down on the list.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps | 30th oct, 2020 | 14:32hrs | rating: 4/5

Try to find your owl pal in this beautiful-looking metroidvania adventure.

GAMEPLAY: Not my favorite floaty style of gameplay (forcing yourself up where you “shouldn’t yet” always feels buggy rather than clever), but there are some fun (Celeste-like) power-ups, and the fighting is much deeper than in the prequel.
AUDIOVISUALLY: Beautiful visuals (though weirdly pixelated-instead-of-blurry bokeh on Switch), and the music, although unmemorable, is nice too.
STORY/PRESENTATION: They do their best to stir up emotions with the many cut-scenes, but it’s just too melodramatic for me. I don’t like when the control is taken away from me, and I don’t want to watch a movie.

It’s a different school of metroidvania, where the map always tells you where to go, and each little area is segmented off so you can’t ever get lost. It’s still enjoyable, but it always feels like a game rather than a real unexplored world. I have mixed feelings, but overall it’s a great game.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | 17th Mar, 2020 | 19:12hrs | rating: 4/5

Basically it’s as metroidvania as a game can get.

GAMEPLAY: Extremely satisfying game loop from start to finish, killing enemies, getting new weapons and abilities and exploring new corners of the map. It does get very easy too quickly (the first boss was easily the hardest for me), but it doesn’t matter as there’s always new things to see and do, and the customization is very satisfying.
AUDIOVISUALLY: Played it on Switch, and this is a pretty ugly and blurry game! Some areas have serious slowdown, but at least I never encountered any bugs or crashes, so honestly I didn’t mind. The music is catchy!
STORY/PRESENTATION: The plot is forgettable but not in the way. The loading-times are a little too long, and in general it just doesn’t run well.

I gotta say I enjoyed this one more than Hollow Knight in many ways. Especially the insane amount of weapons, abilities and equipment kept things constantly interesting for me, even when backtracking.

Axiom Verge | Feb 1, 2020 | 9:32hrs | rating: 4.5/5

Find your way through this very retro metrovania map.

GAMEPLAY: The movement is nothing special (but at least much better than Super Metroid), but what sets it apart are all the cool tech/bug-like powerups, and the traversal mechanics later on feel awesome! Also worth noting is that you never feel completely stuck, so it’s a well-designed map in that sense.
AUDIOVISUALLY: I’m not a fan of the grid-based pixelmud, and the music isn’t a favorite either, but the audio as a whole does add to the atmosphere.
STORY/PRESENTATION: The story is interesting and keeps you invested to keep exploring. I definitely care more than in Super Metroid! Than in most metroidvanias really.

I’ve heard about this game for so long, but assumed I wouldn’t like it because it’s just too similar to Metroid. Turns out I enjoyed it quite a bit more than what it imitates. I even did two speed-runs right after I first finished it, and I want to play it again.

Super Metroid | Oct 25, 2019 | 7:48hrs | rating: 2.5/5

Here’s the weird thing: I love metroidvanias, but could never get into Super Metroid. But this time I really set out to finish it!

GAMEPLAY: I dislike the controls. You feel clumsy and awkward, the jumps don’t land where you want them to and many elements (the quick sand!!) are super annoying. Puzzles often feel overly obtuse, as you don’t know if you need a new ability, or if you had one all along, causing a lot of backtracking. It’s both interesting and frustrating, but I’m leaning more toward the latter, as I would never have bothered to continue the game if I couldn’t look up solutions online.
AUDIOVISUALLY: The music is mixed oddly low, and there’s nothing I actually enjoy. The visuals are okay but also quite boring and claustrophobic.
STORY/PRESENTATION: It’s a weird game. During the first two thirds, I feel like I’m always on a long side-track and never return to the actual game. I just want it to be over. Later on it does get quite epic though.

There really are many cool ideas here and there, and it is satisfying to get new abilities and use them. But 90% of the time I’m just not enjoying this game. It’s so strange how I can enjoy all metroidvanias except the one most consider the best.

Gato Roboto | Oct 18, 2019 | 2:33hrs | rating: 2/5

As a cat, you have to explore this tiny metroidvania map in a mecha suit.

GAMEPLAY: It’s extremely simple, but does the job okay. Nothing is all that creative though, and some things (the wall-jumping and air-pressure sailing) could have been less wonky.
AUDIOVISUALLY: The cat animations are cute, but I’m ultimately not a fan of the monochromatic graphics (you’ll unlock color filters though) even though they occasionally got me Gameboy-nostalgic. The music is extremely forgettable.
STORY/PRESENTATION: The standard “land on planet and stop the evil within” plot, but with a not-too-bad twist at the end.

I really bought this game because of the cat animations, but it’s a very short and forgettable adventure that I only recommend if you’ve played every other metroidvania and want even more. At least it’s inexpensive.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom | Apr 4, 2019 | 13:33hrs | rating: 1.5/5

My first impression was disappointing due to the simplistic gameplay, and although the later monster forms are slightly less boring to play, it never gets good.

GAMEPLAY: Cheap and simple controls, and just horrible physics and level design if that’s something you care for. I had to replay many rooms to “get it right”, but it’s because they’re wonky and clumsy, rather than being a fair challenge.
AUDIOVISUALLY: Game looks good and has a few tricks up its sleeves. Music is too Eurovision Song Contest for me, but there are some cool tracks in there.
STORY/PRESENTATION: People are turned into monsters, and you have to fix it. Generic.

One of those games that I’m astonished by how people can consider great. I mean, there are certainly things to like (decent graphics, animated cut-scenes, lots of content and many characters with different abilities), but how does any of that matter when the controls are so incredibly mediocre? I had to put it aside and play short sessions for three months until I finally finished it.

Iconoclasts | Jan 20, 2019 | 13:40hrs | rating: 4.5/5

Another metroidvania, and this one feels great from the very first moment. And when it’s nearing the end 10 hours later, I just wanted it to keep going. Luckily it did, at least until I was more or less satisfied.

– GAMEPLAY: Super tight controls and a lot of QoL functions that just make sense, like auto-angling weapons, stomping on enemies, a nice ledge-grab, character-switching, and the star of the game; a multi-purpose wrench that gets more uses as you upgrade it. Combined with wonderful animation and effective sound effects, it just feels great to play.
Though the game is often quite linear due to the heavy focus on story, there’s always moments where you have to explore the current area, and it feels good figure out what to do and where to go due to the clever puzzles and level design.
I also have to mention that the enemy design and especially the bosses are GREAT and feel very fresh/creative.
– AUDIOVISUALLY: Very nice pixel art, with a lot of cute animation that makes the characters come alive. Some of the music reminds me of Metroid Prime, and it’s great, but the non-Metroidy music is more forgettable.
– STORY/PRESENTATION: I rarely care for story in games, but this one mixes gameplay and plot very nicely, with mostly short cut-scenes that develop the characters and slowly unveil its world and religious/political dilemmas. At first I just found it non-intrusive (which was a good thing), but it kept growing on me and even got emotional towards the end.
– MULTIPLAYER: Sadly none, and it’s what one can expect from this genre. But considering the game-feel and object interaction, I’m sure the developer could have put together a great co-op mode.

Just wow. As I finished the game, I felt that it’s one of the best of the generation. It beats Hollow Knight for me, but doesn’t have much post-content or the replayability of for example Celeste. Super recommended though! (And I will try the New Game+ some day.)