It’s worth noting that Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is most definitely NOT a metroidvania, which the developers themselves haven’t claimed to be anyway, but I have seen many publications claiming that it is. That being said, it’s a solid platformer that will take you on a journey back to the good (or bad?) old days. Beyond the Ice Palace 2 will probably please most Castlevania fans because it’s punishing and visually faithful to the series that has inspired it. Hopefully we don’t have to wait 37 years for another game in the series!
When you take into account the background of Momodora: Moonlit Farewell in terms of it’s tiny development team, then it’s a feat we must applaud. Sure, it’s not as expansive or in-depth as some of its counterparts, but it’s a great option for anyone who wants to try out a metroidvania without getting bogged down in complex stats and difficult bosses. I shall now be spending my upcoming weekends playing the Momodora series back catalogue, and that’s the highest praise I can give; Momodora: Moonlit Farewell was fun and beautiful, and I want more!
ENDER LILIES remains one of the best metroidvanias I’ve played on the Nintendo Switch; is ENDER MAGNOLIA any better? Probably not, but it certainly isn’t any worse either. ENDER MAGNOLIA is more of the same awesomeness as its predecessor and is so beautifully put together that it almost brings a man to tears.
Touhou Luna Nights is rightly regarded as one of the best metroidvanias on the Nintendo Switch, whereas Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth was received considerably less positively due to it being more linear. I would say BLADE CHIMERA sits somewhere between the two. BLADE CHIMERA is a solid metroidvania that looks beautiful and has some genuinely exciting combat mechanics, and whilst it isn’t quite the triumphant return to form we were all hoping for, it’s certainly worth playing if you’re a fan of Team Ladybug’s previous games.
I’ve never played The Maze of Galious and I find myself wondering if some of the limitations in Pampas & Selene are just inherent of them being overly faithful to the design of a game released in the late 1980s. That being said, the nostalgia value should override this concern for most fans of the era. There are of course better co-op metroidvanias out there, but reviving late 80’s action games is a niche that Fran has thus far perfected, and Pampas & Selene is no exception.
In my opinion, Crypt Custodian certainly deserves a 9 because Kyle Thompson has crafted a smorgasbord of fun, adventure and emotion, all of which is perfectly balanced. There are some slightly more basic elements, such as the environment art, but overall, any fans of Zelda games and/or metroidvanias should definitely pick this up!
MARS 2120 has some great ideas and executes them well, but the lack of story and some technical issues on the Nintendo Switch sadly hold back the rest of the experience. That being said, the soundtrack is great, the combat works well and some of the visuals are stunning, so there will be a market for any metroidvania fans who enjoy these elements of the genre!
For a brief moment, I felt like I was six years old playing The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening again, and for that Johan Vinet deserves immense credit. But when I say brief moment… You’re talking less than an hour of gameplay on offer for the main game, though The Tower provides some replayability. Castaway will of course be priced accordingly and that’s fine, but if you’re looking for something more substantial to get your teeth into there are plenty of other options out there!
Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona is a truly great effort. Expansive, fun exploration and hard as nails boss fights will please most metroidvania fans. Sure there are some presentation issues which make it a little rough around the edges, and this means it’s not in the same echelons as other gothic metroidvanias such as Blasphemous or The Last Faith, but it’s priced at less than 15 quid which represents great value for what’s on offer!
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is faithful to many of the 1990s classics. Fans of Duke Nukem 3D, Quake, Doom and especially Turok: Dinosaur Hunter will love this game. You can tell KillPixel knows their stuff!. There will, of course, always be a market for a good old homage because I think we all want to be reminded of simpler times. Wrath: Aeon of Ruin certainly does that and is one of the best boomer-shooter throwbacks I’ve played.
On reflection, I now realise how original Another Crab’s Treasure actually is. It’s quite bold to take a genre known for a certain tone (gloomy, gothic moodiness) and overlay a completely polar opposite tone on top of it. That takes some cojones! But Another Crab’s Treasure pulls it off, and Aggro Crab must be applauded for presenting a challenging, meaningful and, at times, riotous gameplay experience.
It’s been widely reported (though not fully corroborated) that the original Final Fantasy was so-called as an allegory to it being Hironobu Sakaguchi’s last chance saloon in the industry. So here we are, reviewing Elden Pixel’s latest title, A Void Hope. Is there any meaning behind that? I sincerely hope not, because A Void Hope is a bold leap for Elden Pixels, and one I feel has paid off. It’s an engrossing, if slightly dark, narrative experience that will please any horror fan. The games industry would be a sadder place without Elden Pixels, so, everyone, please back your beloved indies!
While playing Cavern of Dreams, I could have shut my eyes and been transported back to the late 90s/early 2000s. It’s Friday night, I’ve got a stuffed crust pizza from the local supermarket, I’ve just finished watching Robot Wars and it’s time to go upstairs and play Banjo Kazooie… OK, maybe Cavern of Dreams doesn’t quite hit the same heights, but it’s arguably the best collectathon I’ve played on the Nintendo Switch in the six years since Yooka Laylee came out.
The developers of GRIME, Clover Bite, more than deserve all of the praise they’ve received over the last three years. GRIME is up there with the best Soulslike metroidvanias, and the Definitive Edition is great value for money due to all of the content included. As a result of all this GRIME II is one of my most anticipated games of 2024. However, ultimately, the performance issues on Nintendo Switch mean I’m unable to score it higher, and I’d also recommend any Switch players seriously review whether there are better platforms to enjoy GRIME on.
Right at the start of the review, I promised more on Halberd Studios, and shortly before this review was published in November 2023, they announced their second title, Mariachi Legends. It’s currently going through a Kickstarter campaign and already has an excited following. In case I didn’t make it clear, 9 Years of Shadows is an engaging, beautiful and well-balanced metroidvania and is up there with some of the best in the genre. If Mariachi Legends is half as good, we’ll be in for a treat!
Ebenezer and the Invisible World looks great and has a difficulty level that has been perfectly balanced to stand up to some of the best metroidvanias out there without going down the overly trodden route of making it Souls-like. Sure, there’s not a whole lot original on offer here, but that feels like a harsh stick to beat the developers with in a very crowded genre. Ebenezer and the Invisible World won’t be for metroidvania purists, but if you're a fan of Christmas and anything Dickensian, you will not be disappointed!