Tag Archives: Metroidvania

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an outstanding – if too safe – sequel to the already great Ori and the Blind Forest, boasting the same mesmerizing aesthetic, haunting soundtrack – dude, this series’ main theme is ridiculously good –, and engaging mechanics, like that lovely bash ability. The story in Will of the Wisps revolves around the …

Metroid: Samus Returns, the 3DS remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus, seeks to reimagine certain aspects of the original by focusing on all the wrong things: instead of improving the original’s linear structure or doubling down on its foreboding atmosphere, the game decides to revamp its combat system and visuals, making them both… flashier. In other words, Samus Return …

Pierre, the purist, doesn’t like change. Once, his favorite Italian restaurant went under and, in its place, opened a fast-food joint. Instead of spaghetti carbonara, they made cheeseburgers now, with fries deeply drenched in oil. There were some chicken nuggets, too. People loved it, but Pierre, as you can expect, wasn’t exactly thrilled. So, he did what anyone would do …

Timespinner is a narratively ambitious 2D Metroidvania that delves into a cycle of war and oppression while boasting a strong art direction and a brilliant soundtrack. It also leaves some of its mechanics underdeveloped, but you know, nothing is perfect in life. Except coffee. There’s nothing wrong with coffee. The game’s protagonist is Lunais, a young woman who lives in …

One of gaming’s advantages over other kinds of artistic media is its ability to tap into the feeling of wonder through exploration directly: since we are the ones moving the camera, and choosing where to look, where to go, and what to investigate, games can turn us into intrepid explorers venturing into the unknown. And, to this day, few games …

Developed by Moon Studios, Ori and the Blind Forest is a competent Metroidvania that tells a beautiful fable about the importance of compassion. It’s a formidable game, but one that would have benefited from a greater connection between gameplay and story. The moving introduction of Ori and the Blind Forest follows Ori, a white guardian spirit, as he falls from …

Hob is a top-down exploration game that, despite some great art direction and its vague story, can quickly become repetitive in its design, as we are constantly executing the same extremely simple actions over and over again in different locales. The world of Hob is one in which technology and nature are both intertwined and in conflict. The first area …