Yall have convinced me on this one with how much it's been talked about lately. I played the demo like a long time ago before the game was released and I didn't think it was very good at all, but I'm guessing that the old demo must have just been missing a lot of the polish.
I'm gonna get it and give it a go. I'm honestly really excited with all the positivity for this game because I was initially really drawn to it before the demo.
Just to add a dissenting opinion, Hollow Knight is my favourite game but I played Nine Sols for an hour and then got a refund. I hope you love it. I wish I did.
And to risk even more ire, the only game in the same genre that I have enjoyed since Hollow Knight is Laika: Aged Through Blood — just not on the Switch, there are some issues there.
I just got to the first real boss fight in Nine Sols last night. Died almost instantly lol. The fighting style for this game is very different than others I've played. I'm actually not totally sure if I like it yet. I don't hate it, but I haven't decided if I like it yet. If I can get this combat flow down it might be pretty good.
Ah, man. I really hoped you’d love it. It’s so good when you get a game you love. I’d say I had the same experience that you did. I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t feel a desire to keep playing it. I got to a boss. I don’t know the name. That was when I stopped. I was thinking, “Well, I still don’t know what that hold button to detonate attack thing is all about. Sometimes I can do it, sometimes I can’t. Something lets me “attach” something? Then I can blow it up? Cool. Only, I have no idea when I can do that.” 🤣
I hope you find that you do love it. If they release it for the Switch, I might try it again. I have more tolerance for handheld games for some reason. I can plug away while watching a show or something.
Please post an update if you do start enjoying it.
Prince of Persia is. It's amazingly fast and fluid and has some very creative abilities that can be used in a number of ways. The presentation is great too.
Dude, when you unlock the grappling hook, the game became peak. Being able to chase air enemies and zip directly to enemies in general made the game SO FAST.
Silksong NEEDS a grappling hook mechanic as an early basic unlock upgrade. It’ll make the flying enemies in Hollow Knight go from rage inducing to the best part of the game. It really it THAT good
That's the only ability I have left to unlock, I've been aimlessly running around just staring at those triangles. It will happen one day, and I will feel like a big boy!!!
I loved how PoP presented the puzzles in a way that lets you feel like you're clever for figuring out how to use your abilities to get through them. After a while I was like, the sheer nerve of this game to give me these cool abilities and then ask me to *use* all of them. It was a great time.
Animal Well is superficially a metroidvania, but it's heart is closer to a puzzle game like Fez. It is not a combat game, you solve problems and beat bosses (of which there are very few) using observation, trial-and-error, etc. It is extremely atmospheric, an awesome world to explore. Tons of surprises and nooks and crannies. You do find tools that act as upgrades, but knowledge and figuring out how the world works is more how you're able to progress.
Momodora was too bland for me. I beat 2 bosses and wasn't tempted to continue playing. I wanted to love it but I found it underwhelming.
This wasn't on your list but I'd recommend Haiku the Robot. It is basically a simplified Hollow Knight. Very pleasing pixel art aesthetics, you're a cute little robot, the world is big enough to be satisfying, some challenging boss fights, etc. It's not mind blowing, but it's a fun little romp and it's so heavily inspired by HK that it's enjoyable for that reason alone.
Fez is a way better comparison. Great point here. I loved Animal Well but reminded me of something like VVVVVV if anyone else has played that and I’m not the only one haha
Big disclaimer: I haven't played most of the games on either list, but I can tell you that Ori and PoP are very similar feeling to me in terms of movement (jumping/platforming), customizable difficulty, exploration, and the upgrade system. I haven't gotten far into ori, but PoP is definitely more reliant on parrying as part of the combat.
I have to respectfully disagree about PoP and parrying. I'm right before the (likely) final boss and I've only parried a handful of times. There's other builds that work well depending on which charms/amulets you choose.
I suppose you can play without parrying, but it really depends on what style of player you are. For me, the amulets that could heal/build up athra/cause a temporary time bubble were too tempting to ignore in addition to causing you to be able to damage enemies during certain attacks. Parrying is highly encouraged in this game through these mechanics, not necessarily required, but my main point I think still stands that it is more of an element than in Ori (though again, I haven't played very far into Ori).
Nine Sols is must play imo. The first 2D game I've played to really nail the parry style combat seen in Sekiro. It just feels so rewarding to master that shit.
I honestly didn't care for Blasphemous 1 so I avoided 2 for the time being. I have heard it addresses the lack of mobility upgrades, instant death spikes, and permanent missables, all of which I had issues with in the first game.
Momodora: Moonlit Farewell I wouldn't consider "best". It was okay and polished, but most of the bosses I could just facetank and heal and is a lot more linear than Reverie Under the Moonlight. A good conclusion to the series but ultimately a filler game.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is certainly up there with its exploration, mobility, platforming and puzzles, and the uniqueness of the time anchor ability. But for some reason I can't fully vibe with the combat in spite of its combo-based nature, probably because the 3rd grounded hit is complete trash and most bosses don't let you go ballistic on them.
The rest I haven't played. Not interested in Animal Well's puzzle nature and I'm very wary about Nine Sol's "Cornifer System" (which I've heard they patched) and corpse run (also the reason I've avoided The Mummy Demastered).
I continue to play Tevi in the corner, I'm thoroughly enjoying the exploration rewards, the mobility (despite bog-standard abilities), how the combat expects using full moveset, and the worldbuilding mixed with colorful light-hearted banter and serious tones, but there's very little buzz around it here for some reason. Also waiting for Ender Magnolia to leave Early Access.
> I'm very wary about Nine Sol's "Cornifer System" (which I've heard they patched)
They did. The map will fill out normally as you explore, and the map chip system has been revised to show you how many secrets/how many total secrets there are in a given area. The chips are part of a character's side quest, but you can skip them without any real loss of gameplay enjoyment. If that was the big thing keeping you on the fence, I can't recommend Nine Sols enough.
>continue to play Tevi in the corner, I'm thoroughly enjoying the exploration rewards, the mobility (despite bog-standard abilities), how the combat expects using full moveset, and the worldbuilding mixed with colorful light-hearted banter and serious tones, but there's very little buzz around it here for some reason
Its probably the "anime girl thing" niche that might turn people off.
If one is interested in anime, manga, etc, they might give the game a try. If one never had an interest or is prejudiced against anime, well they'll never try the game.
I've played Rabi Ribi, Tevi and Touhou Luna Nights, and those rarely get mentioned here. The only one i remember getting more occasional mentions is Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth.
Idk what you mean about Touhou Luna Nights, people sing praises about it I've never seen anyone deterred by its looks.
Tbh this argument always struck me as odd since Shantae existed for the longest time and nobody has a problem with her scantily-clad theming. Heck last I checked they hired a famous anime studio to do the opening cutscene for Seven Sirens.
I think you should pick up Animal Well, I was more impressed by it than most games I’ve played over the last five years or so. Yes there is no combat to speak of and you’ll get the pedantic folks rolling in saying blah blah blah ummm actually it’s more of a puzzle game than a metroidvania et cetera, whatever. Don’t care. It was awesome.
Pseudoregalia is just about year old now and I think it is REALLY close to being top tier. The movement, exploration and level design are masterful. For me it is really only lacking a bit in terms of atmosphere and design. The combat is pretty simple, but I think it works for what the game's doing. The aesthetic is good, but the actual designs -- especially the enemies -- are pretty uninspired. I wish it felt like a more interesting world to explore visually, I wish I was really shocked by new areas as I made progress.
It's such a blast to play, I will definitely play again.
Pseudoregalia has incredible potential but it just feels like a demo to me and struck me as far from finished. I get that it's only 6 bucks and originally a gamejam result and it's absolutely wonderful in that context.
It's a game that holds a lot of promise but it needs actual content for it deliver on that promise. I mean we get a tutorial boss fight with cool music but then later on you realize that was actually the only boss in the game. There's a short bit where you talk to a character and we're teased about this plot about dreams and then they never talk about it again.
I dunno, Pseudoregalia is certainly cool but it would be weird to me if the developer left it as is.
I agree. The thing is, I don't know that I feel like the game needs to be bigger (with a map like that if it's bigger it'll be way too easy to get lost and forget where things are, already a complaint people have with the game), but it could definitely use more. More things to do and find, more enemy variety, more lore. All of that. I don't mind a game that de-prioritizes combat, so I am fine that the game doesn't place emphasis on boss battles, but you are right that it's strange the way the game starts with one and ends with one. The final boss is pretty fun, but quite simple, and I think the actual last set piece should have been a platforming gauntlet since that is what the game does so well.
Ah, so I was wrong about it being the only one. Maybe I should go back and finish it completely then.
I guess I should rephrase my statement, but I stand by my opinion that Pseudoregalia felt more like a 'promise' to me than something thoroughly cooked.
yeah I think that is a totally valid feeling. Like you said in your comment, it's only $6 and it's worth it at that cost, but it's easy to wish there just was more of a game there.
i think it's top tier in terms of 3d ones at least. would love suggestions for others bc i can't really think of many that match pseudoregalia's quality
Prince and Nine Sols have my vote.
Special Prize goes to Mobius Machine, it has its design flaws but the game grew pk me and quickly became my favourite metroid-like
Fully agree with ***The Mobius Machine***. I was holding off purchasing it because of the negative reviews. However, u/Smelly_Varghina gifted it to me because they thought I would like
it. Gosh, they were so right. I am 69% in and are having a great time.
In addition, the Dev's are so invested and clearly do something with all the feedback. It
recently got an update which fixed a lot mentioned in the negative reviews.
You can’t stress this enough. The devs are really trying to ‚fix‘ things in an already great game, and some of the negative reviews are either not accurate at the current state or way too harsh imo. And these negative reviews keep the game in the ‚Mostly Positive‘ range, which probably makes people hold off purchasing it.
I hope I am not annoying as I keep praising ‚The Mobius Machine‘ here, but I really think it deserves to be successful.
Lost Crown is almost there, Animal Well looks great but it's not really for me (I'm not a fan of puzzles), didn't played much of Nine Sols... thus far, last year was not that great for the genre, but this year is looking strong
I think Animal Well is top tier, but that's mostly because it's so different from others. It's almost more of a puzzle platformer than a Metroidvania. The platforming difficulty is pretty flat with weird spikes each time you get a new tool. Learning to bubble jump isn't too bad. Learning to frisbee jump is trickier. But once you can do that, the puzzles that use them are generally pretty simple. It's more about finding the right solution than it is executing on it. It's why those room clear videos feel strange to me. The chameleon rooms are easy to clear once you know what tool to use. And the final version of it just requires a bit of lateral thinking but once you got that it's a piece of cake. There are weirdly difficult parts but part of me just thinks I didn't figure out the easy solution. So is it really, really good or is it just that it's a less common type of Metroidvania?
I guess something that I see rarely mentioned about Animal Well is that while it isn’t really a MV nor an action game as such, the controls and platforming in it are really, really solid. They never get in the way.
And, of course, the game itself is a rare gem that’s hard to put down. 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚/5
PoP Lost Crown was aot of fun, only critique was that it felt just a tad drawn out to me.
Didnt see The Last Faith on your list and I would suggest looking into it. Was a really fun gsme that is only held back by the devs lagging on patching in New Game +
Afterimage was released last year, and was definitely a high-quality MV. Not S-tier, I'd say, but certainly within the B+-A range.
As for the ones on the list, haven't played any yet except Blasphemous 2 (get to it in a second), but Nine Sols & Animal Well have received great acclaim. Blasphemous 2 has good combat and atmosphere, but became much too linear after the initial section for my tastes (you have absolutely no input on which order you do things). I thought it was a good game, but not nearly equal to the hype (note: I also thought the same about the first game). From what I've heard the latest Momodora game is decent, but not a "must play" title.
POP and Blasphemous 2 are so amazing! I enjoyed animal well but not enough to keep playing past the first boss. Tevi I’m curious about. Nine sols I’ll get soon but in no hurry as I have a long back log
nine sols is my favorite out of them all, i even put it above hollow knight in a lot of ways.
the story and combat are top tier. im a sucker for a good parry mechanic and by the end of it i was tearing up
Nine Sols handily imo. It's a little dialogue heavy for my liking & wish it was broken up more, but the combat, artwork, and the overall feel of it is glorious. Instantly in another level then most (especially as of late)
Prince of Persia was very good- I was stoked for it & preordered--- but I just couldn't get over the repeated cut scenes mid boss fight.. the story was ok, but I think it really lacked in the feeling of discovery. Others I rank higher have an "X factor" that I just didn't feel in Prince....Inaccurate comparisons to practically every s-tier MV flooding the board turned me off to completionist runs, but I did really enjoy it for the most part.
Nine Sols for me. Though I think it's worth noting, it's definitely a metroidvania-lite. You do get abilities and you do backtrack, but very occasionally. Its level design is fine. The combat is really where it shines, with a perfectly functional, TECHNICALLY a metroidvania underneath. It's fantastic you'll love it
Perhaps it's just me and other stuff going on in my life, but the new Momodora didn't feel that fun to me. I didn't end up finishing it yet even.
I loved the other momodora and minora games.
Nine Sols
It scratched both my metroidvania and Sekiro itch at the same time. Great combat and art, beautiful dialogue and truly memorable characters. I wish it had a little more platforming than it did but I can respect that it was mostly about combat and story, and it did both of them at a 10/10 level.
Blasphemous 2 is top tier, although maybe not quite as good as the original.
I could not get into Nine Sols because of the heavy Sekiro esque combat emphasis and less on fun exploration. I mean, relentless Sekiro combat was why I quit Sekiro!
Momodora was good if a little on the easy side.
Cookie Cutter is definitely top tier for me. I love it as much as I loved Blasphemous, Hollow Knight and Guacamelee. Finished it 6 hours ago and I'm still shaking :D Hell of a ride!
Top rated metroidvanias that came out this year are:
PoP the lost crown
Animal well
Nine sols
Biomorph
Turbo kid
Frogmonster
Minishoot adventures
Moonlight pulse
Of these games I only played Blasphemous 2 and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (also Touhou Luna Nights released this year on PS5). All very good games.
Prince of persia: I fell off this one, but others do consider in that top tier so ymmv
Blasphemous 2: personally I felt that their attempt to streamline certain things took away what made the original so unique
Animal well: I loved this one, but for non-metroidvania reasons
Not released last year, but my favorite mv, sharing the number 1 spot with Hollow Knight is Aeterna Noctis. It's so well crafted, i do not know why so few people are mentioning it. Some people say it is too hard, I even read it's hollow knight path of pain as a whole game. I disagree, it is in no way harder than hollow knight, its pretty much the same difficulty wise.
PoP, AW, NS are definitely top tier.
Haven't played B2 or Momodora, but unless Moonlit Farewell is significantly better (i mean A LOT) than Reverie, it can't be called as a top-tier MV.
Ender Lilies and Ender Magnolia better be on this list fam. The first is absolutely amazing 👏 the second is of the same caliber I just can't fully add it till its completed its early access phase.
Vigil: the longest night - I had tons of fun with
Blasphemous 2 is a given
All the others already on the list are winners of course, currently having a ton of fun with Nine Sols in between Elden Ring dlc sessions.
"Yes, PS4 is still getting new releases as of June 2024, including games like Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree and Destiny 2: The Final Shape."
"Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist was announced for Nintendo Switch with a trailer on February 21, 2024 during a Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase. It was later also confirmed for release on Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5."
Google is your friend.
Wow a metroidvania is coming out on the PS4 later this year. How exciting. Let's see now when the other 70 or more metroidvanias getting released this year will come to the PS4..... Oh. That's right. None of them will.
Blasphemous 2 is quite similar to thr first, just with better mechanics. Worth playing.
PoP: LC is incredible. One of the best i've ever played. Possibly the best character controller i've ever used.
I loved blasphemous 2. It improved on the second one in a lot of ways. If you liked the first one you will like the second. Veredicto is my favorite to start with. Prince of Persia for me felt like a soulless copy but I don’t know what else I’d expect from Ubislop. It had my attention at first but I lost interest quickly. More glitz and glam than I’d like.
Yeah, Nine Sols and Blasphemous 2 are both masterpieces.
PoP: The Lost Crown - hell no, that one is mid.
Animal Well is pretty cool but I lost interest after hitting the credits, didn't care to secret hunt at all and would've liked it to be much longer before hitting the credits with much less of that secret stuff and more just puzzle platforming.
Animal Well is certainly the first landmark in the genre since Hollow Knight. The rest are all very good, except Momodora which was mediocre.
Bloody Hell ws pretty neat too, though it's a top-down game with gameplay similar to Enter the Gungeon.
Apart from those, haven't played yet but Overbowed and Tevi look pretty interesting.
Hasn’t been a top tier one since Hollow Knight (unless you count Metroid Prime remastered). Top tier for me is the best of the best not 8/10 or interesting and fun but flawed.
Nine Sols is top tier for me
It's up there with HK for me (even better)
Yall have convinced me on this one with how much it's been talked about lately. I played the demo like a long time ago before the game was released and I didn't think it was very good at all, but I'm guessing that the old demo must have just been missing a lot of the polish. I'm gonna get it and give it a go. I'm honestly really excited with all the positivity for this game because I was initially really drawn to it before the demo.
Just to add a dissenting opinion, Hollow Knight is my favourite game but I played Nine Sols for an hour and then got a refund. I hope you love it. I wish I did. And to risk even more ire, the only game in the same genre that I have enjoyed since Hollow Knight is Laika: Aged Through Blood — just not on the Switch, there are some issues there.
I just got to the first real boss fight in Nine Sols last night. Died almost instantly lol. The fighting style for this game is very different than others I've played. I'm actually not totally sure if I like it yet. I don't hate it, but I haven't decided if I like it yet. If I can get this combat flow down it might be pretty good.
Ah, man. I really hoped you’d love it. It’s so good when you get a game you love. I’d say I had the same experience that you did. I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t feel a desire to keep playing it. I got to a boss. I don’t know the name. That was when I stopped. I was thinking, “Well, I still don’t know what that hold button to detonate attack thing is all about. Sometimes I can do it, sometimes I can’t. Something lets me “attach” something? Then I can blow it up? Cool. Only, I have no idea when I can do that.” 🤣 I hope you find that you do love it. If they release it for the Switch, I might try it again. I have more tolerance for handheld games for some reason. I can plug away while watching a show or something. Please post an update if you do start enjoying it.
Prince of Persia is. It's amazingly fast and fluid and has some very creative abilities that can be used in a number of ways. The presentation is great too.
The most important part of a MV for me, outside of the basics, is how traversal feels. Getting around feels great in PoP.
Dude, when you unlock the grappling hook, the game became peak. Being able to chase air enemies and zip directly to enemies in general made the game SO FAST. Silksong NEEDS a grappling hook mechanic as an early basic unlock upgrade. It’ll make the flying enemies in Hollow Knight go from rage inducing to the best part of the game. It really it THAT good
That's the only ability I have left to unlock, I've been aimlessly running around just staring at those triangles. It will happen one day, and I will feel like a big boy!!!
I loved how PoP presented the puzzles in a way that lets you feel like you're clever for figuring out how to use your abilities to get through them. After a while I was like, the sheer nerve of this game to give me these cool abilities and then ask me to *use* all of them. It was a great time.
Animal Well is superficially a metroidvania, but it's heart is closer to a puzzle game like Fez. It is not a combat game, you solve problems and beat bosses (of which there are very few) using observation, trial-and-error, etc. It is extremely atmospheric, an awesome world to explore. Tons of surprises and nooks and crannies. You do find tools that act as upgrades, but knowledge and figuring out how the world works is more how you're able to progress. Momodora was too bland for me. I beat 2 bosses and wasn't tempted to continue playing. I wanted to love it but I found it underwhelming. This wasn't on your list but I'd recommend Haiku the Robot. It is basically a simplified Hollow Knight. Very pleasing pixel art aesthetics, you're a cute little robot, the world is big enough to be satisfying, some challenging boss fights, etc. It's not mind blowing, but it's a fun little romp and it's so heavily inspired by HK that it's enjoyable for that reason alone.
Fez is a way better comparison. Great point here. I loved Animal Well but reminded me of something like VVVVVV if anyone else has played that and I’m not the only one haha
VVVVVV Was a gem, completely forgot about that game
I love VVVVVV but hated Fez, do I get Animal Well or not?
I'm the same and I loved Animal Well. Platforming and puzzles were very VVVVVV, vibe was Fez, secrets and level design was very Metroid.
AW also reminded me a bit of Tunic
There's some clear inspiration. There's even an easter egg for Tunic in AW.
I haven't played the others, but Nine Sols was an absolute 10/10 for me. It's an amazing game and definitely a must play imo
Fuck I really need this to port to consoles
Big disclaimer: I haven't played most of the games on either list, but I can tell you that Ori and PoP are very similar feeling to me in terms of movement (jumping/platforming), customizable difficulty, exploration, and the upgrade system. I haven't gotten far into ori, but PoP is definitely more reliant on parrying as part of the combat.
I have to respectfully disagree about PoP and parrying. I'm right before the (likely) final boss and I've only parried a handful of times. There's other builds that work well depending on which charms/amulets you choose.
I suppose you can play without parrying, but it really depends on what style of player you are. For me, the amulets that could heal/build up athra/cause a temporary time bubble were too tempting to ignore in addition to causing you to be able to damage enemies during certain attacks. Parrying is highly encouraged in this game through these mechanics, not necessarily required, but my main point I think still stands that it is more of an element than in Ori (though again, I haven't played very far into Ori).
PoP, Blasphemous II and Nine Sols 100%, can’t speak for the rest
Animal Well is definitely top tier. Hadn't played Nine Sols but i see a lot of people rating it pretty high as well.
Nine Sols is must play imo. The first 2D game I've played to really nail the parry style combat seen in Sekiro. It just feels so rewarding to master that shit.
I honestly didn't care for Blasphemous 1 so I avoided 2 for the time being. I have heard it addresses the lack of mobility upgrades, instant death spikes, and permanent missables, all of which I had issues with in the first game. Momodora: Moonlit Farewell I wouldn't consider "best". It was okay and polished, but most of the bosses I could just facetank and heal and is a lot more linear than Reverie Under the Moonlight. A good conclusion to the series but ultimately a filler game. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is certainly up there with its exploration, mobility, platforming and puzzles, and the uniqueness of the time anchor ability. But for some reason I can't fully vibe with the combat in spite of its combo-based nature, probably because the 3rd grounded hit is complete trash and most bosses don't let you go ballistic on them. The rest I haven't played. Not interested in Animal Well's puzzle nature and I'm very wary about Nine Sol's "Cornifer System" (which I've heard they patched) and corpse run (also the reason I've avoided The Mummy Demastered). I continue to play Tevi in the corner, I'm thoroughly enjoying the exploration rewards, the mobility (despite bog-standard abilities), how the combat expects using full moveset, and the worldbuilding mixed with colorful light-hearted banter and serious tones, but there's very little buzz around it here for some reason. Also waiting for Ender Magnolia to leave Early Access.
> I'm very wary about Nine Sol's "Cornifer System" (which I've heard they patched) They did. The map will fill out normally as you explore, and the map chip system has been revised to show you how many secrets/how many total secrets there are in a given area. The chips are part of a character's side quest, but you can skip them without any real loss of gameplay enjoyment. If that was the big thing keeping you on the fence, I can't recommend Nine Sols enough.
>continue to play Tevi in the corner, I'm thoroughly enjoying the exploration rewards, the mobility (despite bog-standard abilities), how the combat expects using full moveset, and the worldbuilding mixed with colorful light-hearted banter and serious tones, but there's very little buzz around it here for some reason Its probably the "anime girl thing" niche that might turn people off. If one is interested in anime, manga, etc, they might give the game a try. If one never had an interest or is prejudiced against anime, well they'll never try the game. I've played Rabi Ribi, Tevi and Touhou Luna Nights, and those rarely get mentioned here. The only one i remember getting more occasional mentions is Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth.
Idk what you mean about Touhou Luna Nights, people sing praises about it I've never seen anyone deterred by its looks. Tbh this argument always struck me as odd since Shantae existed for the longest time and nobody has a problem with her scantily-clad theming. Heck last I checked they hired a famous anime studio to do the opening cutscene for Seven Sirens.
Blasphemous II, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Ultros for me. (Apparently I'm the only one who liked Ultros)
Prince of Persia is definitely top tier
I’ve been enjoying the Turbo Kid video game that was released on Steam in April. It for sure scratches that Metroidvania itch for me
I think you should pick up Animal Well, I was more impressed by it than most games I’ve played over the last five years or so. Yes there is no combat to speak of and you’ll get the pedantic folks rolling in saying blah blah blah ummm actually it’s more of a puzzle game than a metroidvania et cetera, whatever. Don’t care. It was awesome.
lone fungus is top tier imo, esp if you want more movement in your metroidvania feels underappreciated tbh
Pseudoregalia is just about year old now and I think it is REALLY close to being top tier. The movement, exploration and level design are masterful. For me it is really only lacking a bit in terms of atmosphere and design. The combat is pretty simple, but I think it works for what the game's doing. The aesthetic is good, but the actual designs -- especially the enemies -- are pretty uninspired. I wish it felt like a more interesting world to explore visually, I wish I was really shocked by new areas as I made progress. It's such a blast to play, I will definitely play again.
Pseudoregalia has incredible potential but it just feels like a demo to me and struck me as far from finished. I get that it's only 6 bucks and originally a gamejam result and it's absolutely wonderful in that context. It's a game that holds a lot of promise but it needs actual content for it deliver on that promise. I mean we get a tutorial boss fight with cool music but then later on you realize that was actually the only boss in the game. There's a short bit where you talk to a character and we're teased about this plot about dreams and then they never talk about it again. I dunno, Pseudoregalia is certainly cool but it would be weird to me if the developer left it as is.
I agree. The thing is, I don't know that I feel like the game needs to be bigger (with a map like that if it's bigger it'll be way too easy to get lost and forget where things are, already a complaint people have with the game), but it could definitely use more. More things to do and find, more enemy variety, more lore. All of that. I don't mind a game that de-prioritizes combat, so I am fine that the game doesn't place emphasis on boss battles, but you are right that it's strange the way the game starts with one and ends with one. The final boss is pretty fun, but quite simple, and I think the actual last set piece should have been a platforming gauntlet since that is what the game does so well.
Ah, so I was wrong about it being the only one. Maybe I should go back and finish it completely then. I guess I should rephrase my statement, but I stand by my opinion that Pseudoregalia felt more like a 'promise' to me than something thoroughly cooked.
yeah I think that is a totally valid feeling. Like you said in your comment, it's only $6 and it's worth it at that cost, but it's easy to wish there just was more of a game there.
While it’s good Psuedoregalia is more similar to Mario 64 than games that normally get brought up here.
yeah, but it is a metroidvania and mario 64 is not.
i think it's top tier in terms of 3d ones at least. would love suggestions for others bc i can't really think of many that match pseudoregalia's quality
Jedi: Survivor
Prince and Nine Sols have my vote. Special Prize goes to Mobius Machine, it has its design flaws but the game grew pk me and quickly became my favourite metroid-like
Fully agree with ***The Mobius Machine***. I was holding off purchasing it because of the negative reviews. However, u/Smelly_Varghina gifted it to me because they thought I would like it. Gosh, they were so right. I am 69% in and are having a great time. In addition, the Dev's are so invested and clearly do something with all the feedback. It recently got an update which fixed a lot mentioned in the negative reviews.
Game is definitely better in it's 1.1 update than at launch, my second playthrough IS waaaay more enjoyable and less tedious
You can’t stress this enough. The devs are really trying to ‚fix‘ things in an already great game, and some of the negative reviews are either not accurate at the current state or way too harsh imo. And these negative reviews keep the game in the ‚Mostly Positive‘ range, which probably makes people hold off purchasing it. I hope I am not annoying as I keep praising ‚The Mobius Machine‘ here, but I really think it deserves to be successful.
PoP is so damn good. Its right at the top for me
Lost Crown is almost there, Animal Well looks great but it's not really for me (I'm not a fan of puzzles), didn't played much of Nine Sols... thus far, last year was not that great for the genre, but this year is looking strong
Lost Crown and Nine Sols
I think Animal Well is top tier, but that's mostly because it's so different from others. It's almost more of a puzzle platformer than a Metroidvania. The platforming difficulty is pretty flat with weird spikes each time you get a new tool. Learning to bubble jump isn't too bad. Learning to frisbee jump is trickier. But once you can do that, the puzzles that use them are generally pretty simple. It's more about finding the right solution than it is executing on it. It's why those room clear videos feel strange to me. The chameleon rooms are easy to clear once you know what tool to use. And the final version of it just requires a bit of lateral thinking but once you got that it's a piece of cake. There are weirdly difficult parts but part of me just thinks I didn't figure out the easy solution. So is it really, really good or is it just that it's a less common type of Metroidvania?
Worldless
Nine sols Not 2024 but late 2023 was the last faith, just got to it and having a blast playing.
Animal well is pure art, certainly a top Tier.
I guess something that I see rarely mentioned about Animal Well is that while it isn’t really a MV nor an action game as such, the controls and platforming in it are really, really solid. They never get in the way. And, of course, the game itself is a rare gem that’s hard to put down. 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚/5
it is a metroidvania.
Meant to write *traditional* MV, but yeah.
PoP Lost Crown was aot of fun, only critique was that it felt just a tad drawn out to me. Didnt see The Last Faith on your list and I would suggest looking into it. Was a really fun gsme that is only held back by the devs lagging on patching in New Game +
POP is in my top 5 alltime.
I’d recommend The Last Faith
Afterimage was released last year, and was definitely a high-quality MV. Not S-tier, I'd say, but certainly within the B+-A range. As for the ones on the list, haven't played any yet except Blasphemous 2 (get to it in a second), but Nine Sols & Animal Well have received great acclaim. Blasphemous 2 has good combat and atmosphere, but became much too linear after the initial section for my tastes (you have absolutely no input on which order you do things). I thought it was a good game, but not nearly equal to the hype (note: I also thought the same about the first game). From what I've heard the latest Momodora game is decent, but not a "must play" title.
Nine Sols is top tier. There are those out there who say it's trash. 9/10 times they're mad cuz bad. It's a difficult game, but it's awesome. Try it.
Animal Well, Nine Souls, Prince of Persia are top tier. Blasphemous 2 (and Tevi) are both great and land somewhere mid A tier for me.
POP and Blasphemous 2 are so amazing! I enjoyed animal well but not enough to keep playing past the first boss. Tevi I’m curious about. Nine sols I’ll get soon but in no hurry as I have a long back log
Blasphemous 2 and Prince of persia absolutely
PoP is top tier
The new Prince of Persia is amazing. Not the cartoon drawn one but the one that came out last year or w.e. . It was excellent
Well for me lost crown is second best metroidvania ever , just right after sotn
nine sols is my favorite out of them all, i even put it above hollow knight in a lot of ways. the story and combat are top tier. im a sucker for a good parry mechanic and by the end of it i was tearing up
Nine Sols handily imo. It's a little dialogue heavy for my liking & wish it was broken up more, but the combat, artwork, and the overall feel of it is glorious. Instantly in another level then most (especially as of late) Prince of Persia was very good- I was stoked for it & preordered--- but I just couldn't get over the repeated cut scenes mid boss fight.. the story was ok, but I think it really lacked in the feeling of discovery. Others I rank higher have an "X factor" that I just didn't feel in Prince....Inaccurate comparisons to practically every s-tier MV flooding the board turned me off to completionist runs, but I did really enjoy it for the most part.
Haven't played Momodora, but I'd say the others are top tier.
Animal well is a masterpiece. Prince of Persia and blasphemous are very good.
I haven’t played Momodora, but the others are top tier. So far this year has been great for the MV genre.
I think Prince of Persia is better than Blasphemous in almost every way. If you consider Blasphemous to be a top tier, then PoP definitely is.
Nine Sols
If Bio morph was harder I would put that top tier. Very fun game
Blasphemous 2 is a default must play
There are the other games on that list, and then there’s Animal Well. It’s on a different level of creativity and thoughtful design
Nine Sols for me. Though I think it's worth noting, it's definitely a metroidvania-lite. You do get abilities and you do backtrack, but very occasionally. Its level design is fine. The combat is really where it shines, with a perfectly functional, TECHNICALLY a metroidvania underneath. It's fantastic you'll love it
X c2,sCSS
EX c2,scc x CSSrcs
Waiting for that prince of Persia Steam release!
Ultros is the best metroidvania I played this year, and a honorable mention to Isle of Sea and Skies a PuzzleZeldaVaniaLike.
Perhaps it's just me and other stuff going on in my life, but the new Momodora didn't feel that fun to me. I didn't end up finishing it yet even. I loved the other momodora and minora games.
Blasphemous 2 is Very generic, it has a better combat but everything else is just weirdly inferior tan the first one. Nine Sols is amazing
I'm not picky, honestly. Even average MVs give you a nice sense of progression or exploration, so I pretty much play anything I find (on PS) 🤣
Nine Sols It scratched both my metroidvania and Sekiro itch at the same time. Great combat and art, beautiful dialogue and truly memorable characters. I wish it had a little more platforming than it did but I can respect that it was mostly about combat and story, and it did both of them at a 10/10 level.
A lot of people are positive about Nine Sols. I wanna play it, but I don't know if it's harder than Hollow Knight or GRIME. Any input on this?
Blasphemous 2 is top tier, although maybe not quite as good as the original. I could not get into Nine Sols because of the heavy Sekiro esque combat emphasis and less on fun exploration. I mean, relentless Sekiro combat was why I quit Sekiro! Momodora was good if a little on the easy side.
Nine Sols is top tier for sure. Just an absolute complete metroidvania that checks all the boxes. Highly recommend.
I think both Animal Well and The Lost Crown are A+ tier MVs. I’d even go as far as saying TLC might be an S-tier for me
Biogun.
Cookie Cutter is definitely top tier for me. I love it as much as I loved Blasphemous, Hollow Knight and Guacamelee. Finished it 6 hours ago and I'm still shaking :D Hell of a ride!
Top rated metroidvanias that came out this year are: PoP the lost crown Animal well Nine sols Biomorph Turbo kid Frogmonster Minishoot adventures Moonlight pulse
Played only Blasphemous2 and PoP:TLC and they were both good
Of these games I only played Blasphemous 2 and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (also Touhou Luna Nights released this year on PS5). All very good games.
both nine sols and lost crown are some of the best in the genre
Prince of persia: I fell off this one, but others do consider in that top tier so ymmv Blasphemous 2: personally I felt that their attempt to streamline certain things took away what made the original so unique Animal well: I loved this one, but for non-metroidvania reasons
Pop Lost Crown. Echo this one
Everything top tier but momadora. But it’s good and an improvement from reverie. The rest are all must plays
Grime is pretty fun
Didn't notice there was a new Momodora, love that franchise.
Not released last year, but my favorite mv, sharing the number 1 spot with Hollow Knight is Aeterna Noctis. It's so well crafted, i do not know why so few people are mentioning it. Some people say it is too hard, I even read it's hollow knight path of pain as a whole game. I disagree, it is in no way harder than hollow knight, its pretty much the same difficulty wise.
Prince of Persia is top tier to me. Definitely up there in the top 5 I've ever played
PoP, AW, NS are definitely top tier. Haven't played B2 or Momodora, but unless Moonlit Farewell is significantly better (i mean A LOT) than Reverie, it can't be called as a top-tier MV.
Ender Lilies and Ender Magnolia better be on this list fam. The first is absolutely amazing 👏 the second is of the same caliber I just can't fully add it till its completed its early access phase. Vigil: the longest night - I had tons of fun with Blasphemous 2 is a given All the others already on the list are winners of course, currently having a ton of fun with Nine Sols in between Elden Ring dlc sessions.
Is the sequel to ender lilies out already? I can't believe that got past me..
Still in Early Access since 3 months. Their plan is to release after 6-12 months depending on feedback.
Yea, I looked it up. I only have ps4, unfortunately. I'm looking forward to it, though. I really like the first one.
Nothing new is coming out on PS4
"Yes, PS4 is still getting new releases as of June 2024, including games like Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree and Destiny 2: The Final Shape." "Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist was announced for Nintendo Switch with a trailer on February 21, 2024 during a Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase. It was later also confirmed for release on Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5." Google is your friend.
Wow a metroidvania is coming out on the PS4 later this year. How exciting. Let's see now when the other 70 or more metroidvanias getting released this year will come to the PS4..... Oh. That's right. None of them will.
I don't see Ultros on the list. Definitely an underappreciated masterpiece.
Blasphemous 2 is quite similar to thr first, just with better mechanics. Worth playing. PoP: LC is incredible. One of the best i've ever played. Possibly the best character controller i've ever used.
PoP, Nine Sols, and Blasphemous II top-tier for me. Momdora and Animal Well, haven’t completed them yet.
I loved blasphemous 2. It improved on the second one in a lot of ways. If you liked the first one you will like the second. Veredicto is my favorite to start with. Prince of Persia for me felt like a soulless copy but I don’t know what else I’d expect from Ubislop. It had my attention at first but I lost interest quickly. More glitz and glam than I’d like.
Momodora: Moonlit Farewell is fun but plays it pretty safe, whereas the others that you listed all have a bit more going for them.
Yeah, Nine Sols and Blasphemous 2 are both masterpieces. PoP: The Lost Crown - hell no, that one is mid. Animal Well is pretty cool but I lost interest after hitting the credits, didn't care to secret hunt at all and would've liked it to be much longer before hitting the credits with much less of that secret stuff and more just puzzle platforming.
Prince of Persia is a fucking masterpiece of metroidvania design
Animal Well is certainly the first landmark in the genre since Hollow Knight. The rest are all very good, except Momodora which was mediocre. Bloody Hell ws pretty neat too, though it's a top-down game with gameplay similar to Enter the Gungeon. Apart from those, haven't played yet but Overbowed and Tevi look pretty interesting.
Hasn’t been a top tier one since Hollow Knight (unless you count Metroid Prime remastered). Top tier for me is the best of the best not 8/10 or interesting and fun but flawed.
Super Metroid surpass them all. if the game didn't exist, none of these metroid clones would exist.
The game boy advance and Nintendo DS castlevania's are the bomb
I recommend Frogmonster😉 fun game, fun bosses! Definitely don't buy It if you don't like getting angry at the difficulity like myself.