metroidvania

Brought back from the brink, the Darksiders franchise once belonged to THQ (RIP). The franchise (and THQ’s name) were bought up by Nordic Games and ex-members of Vigil Games (developers of the first two Darksiders games) formed Gunfire Games and have created Darksiders III. Whilst the first two titles were […]

Darksiders III – PS4 Review

28 Nov, 2018 in PS4 tagged apocalypse / dark souls / darksiders / metroidvania / zelda by Gareth

I’ve yet to reach souls saturation. There’s something oddly compelling in the way those games go about their business and, even the imitators that I expose myself to manage to do something right. Death’s Gambit is another one of those. Taking the themes of life and death, White Rabbit still […]

Death’s Gambit – PS4 Review

21 Aug, 2018 in PS4 / Reviews tagged 2d combat / 2d platforming / death's gambit / exploration / metroidvania / soulslike / white rabbit by Mike

Confession time – I have not played the first Guacamelee! title. I always meant to, a critically acclaimed Metroidvania is right up my street but when you’re living the high thrills, jet setting lifestyle of a games reviewer you don’t always get to play the games you would otherwise. I […]

Guacamelee! 2 – PS4 Review

21 Aug, 2018 in PS4 tagged day of the dead / guacamelee! / luchador / metroidvania / mexico / super meat boy by Gareth

From Woblyware comes a new Metroidvania style game in the form of Omega Strike. It’s got retro visuals, it’s got chiptune music, but it does bring some gameplay ideas to the table. Dr Omega is attempting to take over the world with his army of mutants. It’s up to three […]

Omega Strike – PS4 Review

20 Jun, 2018 in PS4 tagged 2d / abilitease / chiptune / metroidvania / omega strike / Pixel art by Gareth

It’s fair to say that the Metroidvania sub-genre is one that has enjoyed a resurgence as of late. The likes of Axiom Verge, Owlboy and Ori and the Bind Forest have been leading the charge of big 2D worlds which focus on a sense of place as a main draw […]

Yoku’s Island Express – PS4 Review

29 May, 2018 in PS4 tagged Express / Island / metroidvania / pinball / platformer / Yoku by Grizz

Already out in the open on the PC since 2016, Rabi-Rabi makes the transition to the Playstation 4. Indie platformers with Metroidvania elements are now ten a penny. Can CreSpirit and GemaYue’s effort stand out from the crowd? Rabi Rabi is a tale of two companions. You control Erina who […]

Rabi-Ribi – PS4 Review

31 Aug, 2017 in PS4 / Reviews tagged 2D Platformer / bullet-hell / crespirit / exploration / gemayue / metroidvania / rabi-ribi by Mike

We review a lot of indie games here but very few of these originate from Japan. Touhou Double Focus is from a small one person indie Japanese developer. Working within the Touhou universe this game features the same cast of chibi female characters which you may recognise if you’ve played any […]

Touhou Double Focus – Vita Review

24 Mar, 2017 in Vita tagged 2d / Blaverage / japanese / metroidvania / touhou by Steven

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a game which takes inspiration from the likes of the Metroid and Castlevania, in that it’s a 2D side scrolling platform game with elements of environmental navigation and discovery. Whilst it may be heavily inspired by these games it also brings enough fresh ideas […]

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight -PS4 Review

17 Mar, 2017 in PS4 tagged 2d / art / Charm / metroidvania / Momodora by Steven

Ys Origin has been around for a long time. Initially released in 2006 on the PC this is the eighth Ys game in the franchise, though it’s actually the earliest in the story timeline. It has now come to PS4 (with a Vita version soon) and it is still a […]

Ys Origin – PS4 Review

3 Mar, 2017 in PS4 tagged 2d sprites / 3d backgrounds / metroidvania / old school / origin / ys / zelda by Gareth

It seems somewhat fitting that a Metroid clone is hitting the Playstation 4 in the lead up to a new Nintendo console release. Forma.8 arrives from Mixed Bag, a small team aiming to fill the same gap plenty of independent studios have successfully set foot in. Forma.8 presents itself very […]

Forma.8 – PS4 Review

3 Mar, 2017 in PS4 / Reviews tagged adventure / exploration / forma.8 / metroidvania / mixed bag by Mike

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is the fourth title in the Shantae franchise from WayForward Technologies. This one was crowd funded on Kickstarter which doesn’t always result in a great game but WayForward know what they’re doing. Right? Now I must confess that this is my first Shantae title. I dabbled very […]

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – PS4 Review

10 Jan, 2017 in PS4 tagged Half-Genie Hero / metroidvania / platformer / Shantae / upgrade by Gareth

I love a bit of retro shenanigans and Exile’s End is going straight for the jugular with a game which looks and plays like something from the SNES era. Exile’s End is a game crafted from nostalgia, a game which takes inspiration from the 8-bit and 16-bit games the developer […]

Exile’s End – PS4 Review

10 Nov, 2016 in PS4 tagged back tracking / exile's end / metroidvania / retro / SNES by Steven