Probably my favourite Metroidvania since Guacamelee, which is my #1. This game eventually gets to a point where it actually feels a bit like Guac. and that's a huge part of why I love it.
MOST IMPORTANTLY - which the Metroid series seems to completely misunderstand - TRAVELING and BACKTRACKING are actually fun in this game. The ways you can fast travel to traverse make this game feel mostly seamless and it flows very well. From the start, you are able to leave little marks on the map to note things for later. There are various options. You can use icons or colours. This is a huge benefit and something Metroid desperately needs. In a game this expansive, it's impossible to remember exactly where everything interesting is. Thank you for letting me mark it down! It's not perfect, but it's better than most games in this genre in terms of how it deals with backtracking and using your abilities to access new places in old areas. It was a joy to explore from start to finish. I believe I explored over 95% of the map.
The movement is perfect. It's smooth, but you can feel the weight of the weapons as you swing them. Every ability you get is implemented well, and they're all useful.
The game kind of "feels" like a Souls game, in a way, but it only has a few similarities. To me, it's a mix of Guacamelee and Castlevania. I actually like that they didn't opt to use the Souls mechanic of losing your currency when you die. Instead, there's a different kind of punishment that works pretty well. Essentially, the more you die, the less "magic" or "ability points" you are able to use until you visit your corpse or cleanse your sins. That's a cool way to go about it! It feels less punishing, which is appreciated.
I keep mentioning Guac. due to the way you can traverse the environment horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. It's something other games rarely pull off this well, or even attempt to do. Nice to see someone else do it! On top of that, the platforming is perfectly solid. Everything is snappy. All the platforms and obstacles are laid out in a way that every platforming challenge is satisfying to complete.
The dashes! They're cool looking AND they're so buttery smooth. Bonus points for the dashes.
The bosses are awesome! I won't go in to detail but overall, they're way up there in terms of 2D boss fights go. Same tier as Hollow Knight, imo.
On top of all of this, you have 3 entirely different weapons to use so the replay value is higher than most games like this. I used the heavy/slow weapon at first but eventually opted for the midweight sword. There's also a quicker stabby one, but I didn't really use it. Options that diverse in a game this complicated is awesome to see. Apparently there's some ability that's broken on one of 'em, but I didn't use it so I'm not sure. I think using whatever you enjoy is the way to go.
The tone/atmosphere is fantastic. I'm not a major fan of gothic/religious imagery in games. I like it just fine, but it isn't my first choice. I think for those that DO love that, this game nails it just like Castlevania.
I love that you have choices to make in terms of a skill tree of sorts. That always makes for a more dynamic playthrough. I also like the way you can customize your "perks" and mix and match them to your hearts content. There are also ways to optimize your choices in order to earn bonus perks!
It was the perfect length. It did not over or under stay its welcome.
Honestly, I can't really think of anything specific that I feel negatively about. It's a solid game. It's not one of my absolute overall favourites, but it's one of the best games of 2023 - which is stacked.
MOST IMPORTANTLY - which the Metroid series seems to completely misunderstand - TRAVELING and BACKTRACKING are actually fun in this game. The ways you can fast travel to traverse make this game feel mostly seamless and it flows very well. From the start, you are able to leave little marks on the map to note things for later. There are various options. You can use icons or colours. This is a huge benefit and something Metroid desperately needs. In a game this expansive, it's impossible to remember exactly where everything interesting is. Thank you for letting me mark it down! It's not perfect, but it's better than most games in this genre in terms of how it deals with backtracking and using your abilities to access new places in old areas. It was a joy to explore from start to finish. I believe I explored over 95% of the map.
The movement is perfect. It's smooth, but you can feel the weight of the weapons as you swing them. Every ability you get is implemented well, and they're all useful.
The game kind of "feels" like a Souls game, in a way, but it only has a few similarities. To me, it's a mix of Guacamelee and Castlevania. I actually like that they didn't opt to use the Souls mechanic of losing your currency when you die. Instead, there's a different kind of punishment that works pretty well. Essentially, the more you die, the less "magic" or "ability points" you are able to use until you visit your corpse or cleanse your sins. That's a cool way to go about it! It feels less punishing, which is appreciated.
I keep mentioning Guac. due to the way you can traverse the environment horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. It's something other games rarely pull off this well, or even attempt to do. Nice to see someone else do it! On top of that, the platforming is perfectly solid. Everything is snappy. All the platforms and obstacles are laid out in a way that every platforming challenge is satisfying to complete.
The dashes! They're cool looking AND they're so buttery smooth. Bonus points for the dashes.
The bosses are awesome! I won't go in to detail but overall, they're way up there in terms of 2D boss fights go. Same tier as Hollow Knight, imo.
On top of all of this, you have 3 entirely different weapons to use so the replay value is higher than most games like this. I used the heavy/slow weapon at first but eventually opted for the midweight sword. There's also a quicker stabby one, but I didn't really use it. Options that diverse in a game this complicated is awesome to see. Apparently there's some ability that's broken on one of 'em, but I didn't use it so I'm not sure. I think using whatever you enjoy is the way to go.
The tone/atmosphere is fantastic. I'm not a major fan of gothic/religious imagery in games. I like it just fine, but it isn't my first choice. I think for those that DO love that, this game nails it just like Castlevania.
I love that you have choices to make in terms of a skill tree of sorts. That always makes for a more dynamic playthrough. I also like the way you can customize your "perks" and mix and match them to your hearts content. There are also ways to optimize your choices in order to earn bonus perks!
It was the perfect length. It did not over or under stay its welcome.
Honestly, I can't really think of anything specific that I feel negatively about. It's a solid game. It's not one of my absolute overall favourites, but it's one of the best games of 2023 - which is stacked.