Getting the final room I needed was a bit of a pain, but I absolutely loved this game. I'm looking forward to trying out some of his other work.

I'm genuinely quite fond of most games in the Igavania saga. A couple of them are high-ranking favourites. But as iconic and foundational as this Castlevania subseries is, I would be lying if I didn't say I found the Vania half of the Metroidvania name to be the weaker one. A big part of this is one particular Iga design staple that I think doesn't gel very well with the best parts of Metroidvania - which to me is the way the intrinsic fun of exploring is also what powers you up and makes you more capable to take on new paths. This element is the RPG systems. And obviously (before you flame me) they aren't dealbreakers. SotN and PoR are still personal all-timers. But I think the presence of stats and levelling up dilutes the searching and experimenting at the heart of the gameplay.

When such emphasis is placed on a big 'level up' flash every dozen enemies, the next time you struggle with a tough new area or boss it forces you to wonder, "am I underlevelled?" It can already be difficult for a genre like this to communicate when you're being expected to turn back and when you're meant to power through for the catharsis of a reward or something that makes it easier, at least in cases where you're not outright barred by an ability gate. The suggestion that you might be able to grind enough to brute force a problem muddies the water further, even if you never truly have to do so.

(And if the effect of the level-ups is minimal enough compared to the boost from new abilities and equipment that they don't really matter in the end (which I suspect is mostly the case) why are they in the game to begin with?)

But worse than that is the RPG loot systems. From soul/glyph drops to money for potions to random things for side-quests, grinding these is the thing that really takes you away from exploring the map like you want to. I know that most drop grind-required sidequests are optional, but then suddenly you need a group of specific souls for the true ending. Good luck!

And while I'm lighting karma on fire by nitpicking the Igavanias, I think it's also noteworthy how little the Iga series changes over seven entries and ten years. My first foray into the series was one of the last ones: Portrait of Ruin, back around the time that it came out. When I finally came around to setting up an emulator to try Symphony of the Night many years and several of the newer games later, I expected to feel the age of an early entry that had been iterated on so heavily and was surprised to find how many enemies were almost unaltered in terms of appearance and behaviour compared to the latest entries. Playing through all seven in close succession reveals a much more unchanging gamefeel than, say, playing the mainline Metroids the same way. (Not to mention the inherent environmental similarities of the castle setting.) There's something to be said for "if it ain't broke don't fix it" but I think a smidge more of either mechanical novelty or streamlining of elements that don't support the core experience could have gone a long way.

And again, I don't hate these games! Neither do I think RPG systems are the only popular metroidvania inclusion that clashes with the core elements (there's a whole other rant about corpse runs in here somewhere). But since these games and the desire for something that captures their feel has been in the spotlight lately, I thought I'd put my two cents in on the parts of them I could take or leave.

All of which makes it needless to say that I'm having a very good time with Belmont's Curse. It's not perfect by any means but even with some superfluous RPG level up-ing still here, a lot of the bits that distract from filling in the map to power yourself up have been stripped away for a more focussed experience. I don't strongly care for parries in battle or the archer spam combat rooms, but swinging and platforming with the tether whip feels great and the secrets and shortcuts in the maps have been compelling so far.

(And also to be clear, I don't want change for the sake of change. Order of Ecclesia is the most different of all the Igas, but not in a way that worked for me. It would sit firmly at the bottom of my ranking. But even as someone who found Ecclesia to be a slog, I look at the reaction to Belmont's Curse, and imagine how people would talk about Ecclesia - which drops the labyrinthine castle for linear enemy hallways, that strongly emphasises a new movement mechanic, and features a protagonist who never even touches a whip - if it came out today?)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2281940/The_Mobius_Machine/

I keep hearing this game being recommended as being top tier metroidvania. I have no knowledge of it other than short gameplay videos and I do love the art style. I don’t want to spoil it anymore than that.

As someone who generally doesn’t like these types of shooters/vehicle based/bullet hell games, I’m still somehow drawn to it. What are the chances of me enjoying it? It’s on sale and I’m very tempted but I’ve bought a few games lately that have let me down so trying to avoid more of the same.

just finished castlevania, and i need a new game. has anyone bought a sister's journey yet? how do you like it?

EDIT: i screwed up - its a sister's JOURNEY: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1730790/A_Sisters_Journey/

Thinking of getting Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. How would you rate its difficulty compared to Silksong, 9 sols, blasphemous 1 and 2, prince of persia lost crown?

Edit: i dont want to mess with modifiers. Normal difficulty not modifiers.

Good game, solid 7 or 8 out of 10, I've got some issues with some of the presentation aspects (soundtrack is bad) and I think it's a little too easy but it's a really enjoyable time

you really need to limit what tools you use to give bosses a chance, whip attack is broken, some of the arcane are insanely fucked up, and legendary weapons are overkill which sucks cause they are the most fun, I did half of first phase Dracula's health in the first 5 seconds lol (shout-out to great sword)

I really enjoyed the high focus on platforming, a lot of rooms felt like Celeste Berry rooms lmao. At times I feel like they went a little overboard with it and feel like it hurts the pacing a little but the game is still better with the platforming challenges, also the trap damage is very low so it's not like your gonna get set back to a save point because of it

i got both games on sale. most the MV’s i’ve played have been pretty punishing. but, the idea of a lean, vibes-vania experience sounds really appealing atm. when i boil it down, exploration and world building is what i love about the genre.

i find his overall art style very pleasant, but the vibe of Well Dweller speaks to me more than Islets at first glance. what should i start with?

howdy party people! sorry if this post is not appropriate for this thread but when searching for Moonscars communities, apparently its banned? idk why but anyway for anyone playing or has already beat Moonscars, i need help! in Earth Bowels Reflections, theres this earring in this exact spot but when i use Superdash, i fall just short of reaching the platform. well, i hit/touch the platform but im unable to get to it. can anyone help me on how to reach this sucker por favor? please and thanks in advance!

Who remembers this goated game will agree it's not just a platformer! Anyone?

Hi Gamers!

This is JP and I got the opportunity to work with Luva Games to play their private demo for their upcoming and unreleased MV called Night Creatures.

Luva Games are a small 3 man indie team who I can tell that they really poured their heart into this.

Its a real good one and you can check out my thoughts on it here: https://youtu.be/bRPd1pn4CnY

Please note, this is not intended to be a self plug, idc about the like or sub, but please go check out the video and give the game a wishlist on steam if you like what you see!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/36...

You can check the demo here, we have 7k+ wishlists!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4731980

Just finished Belmont's Curse at 100%, though I still need to max out two of the spells, and I feel ready to give my overall thoughts. It's a plenty solid Metroidvania, definitely worth looking into if you liked Lost Crown.

Now is it a solid Castlevania title? Well let's see.

The Fleamen still suck.

The platforming can get pretty mean at certain parts.

The clock tower is still an unforgiving gauntlet (though it wasn't purely Medusa Head spam this time).

Death is still one of the hardest bosses.

There's plenty to find and plenty of play style options.

There's no shortage of familiar faces for fans, even a couple for those who are fans of the anime.

Overall, even though Igarashi isn't at the helm for this one, Belmont's Curse is still a Castlevania title through and through. And even though I personally don't care for Dead Cells, I think the Castlevania IP is in good hands with Evil Empire and Motion Twin (at least Konami's actually doing something with the IP after- how many years has it been????).

The only complaints I do have are kind of nitpicky, but it's mainly how harsh the early game can feel at times, but that seems to be a thing with a lot of modern day MV titles these days. Also the game could do with a QoL update or two, mainly a Switch 2 upgrade and some fixes to the times the game crashed (didn't happen often, but when it did, it was typically after it had been a bit since I last saved).

I’m currently prototyping some ideas for a metroidvania game, but working on the character controller has left me wondering: what combat systems are fun?

Currently I’m looking at creating a Metroid style system where the weapon and arm rotate to face the mouse. (I grew up loving Metroid Zero Mission on the GBA, but the directional aiming was a bit annoying)

A lot of vanias though use melee systems with directional combat and set animations.

What combat systems do you typically find yourself enjoying the most? Any games that stand out as having distinctively good combat beyond the level design?

I’ve seen several people ask if there was a lot of hard platforming in belmonts curse. I did preface each time I answered by saying how far I had made it first. Now that I’ve beaten the game I’ve gotta say, it definitely gets a lot more extreme late game.

That said, Rose’s movements are very fluid and fast so due to that I still think it’s a little easier than things like hollow knight/silksong. It’s also a great game overall and I enjoyed the hell out of it.

I do know platforming isn’t for everyone so I’m writing this post to simply clarify that I was mistaken by my early assessment. If you don’t mind a lot of platforming, this was a great game and I highly recommend it. If you’re not a fan of platforming, I’d recommend getting something else.

Okay so I’m waiting ever so patiently for Phantom Blade 0 to drop and I’ve been itching to try a 2D souls-like type game. I’ve played both Ori games which I loved so much btw, tried nine sols for like 5 minutes a long time ago, but other than that I know nothing. I think it’s between Nine sols and Salt and Sanctuary. I’m a huge souls guy, I’ve played all the dark souls, lies of P, Sekiro, Elden Ring, Wuchang, Wo Long, and I’m sure I’m forgetting one or two, but any recommendations would be sweet! Thanks you guys!

r/metroidvania, it's live.

The new free demo of Aeterna Lucis is out now on Steam. It's built on the final game: the entire Tower of Light, its first boss, new powers to unlock and a world that keeps shifting around you while you explore.

A few days ago we asked you to help us forge this game. Now you can. Play it, push it, break it, and tell us:

- What made you feel powerful?

- Where did you get lost, stuck or bored?

- How do the movement, the combat, the camera and the new light navigation feel?

- What would you change before December 3?

Every piece of feedback is read by the team, and there's still time for it to shape the final game.

See you in the Tower. ⚔️