OrangeCream said:
Given the tight interconnectedness between abilities and level design, I always considered sequence breaking a part of the genre as well.
IE, you need the double jump to reach certain areas, but if you can skillfully walk jump or bomb jump you can reach those areas out of sequence and obtain new skills out of order or reach end sequences faster or possibly new endings due to changes in story (if the game takes completion as part of the story)
YES! I absolutely love sequence breaking in these games. I think it's so impressive that the Super Metroid developers actually built this into the game as an intended mechanic.
My personal top favorites are the perennial greats: Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I think these two have been dissected and examined ad nauseam over the last 30 years, so I'll just move on to some others.
Timespinner
This game is perhaps not the most original, but what it does, it does well:
- The music is good and memorable
- The controls are tight and satisfying
- The platforming is fun and not frustrating
- The story is not so heavy that the player gets bogged down in too much text, yet it remains interesting to discover it in bits and pieces as you explore
- It has a good variety of abilities / weapons that you can level up
- The sprite-based artwork is good, in particular the background scenery which can change along with changes to the timeline
- It has multiple possible endings
- It has some funny moments with characters like the merchant crow
- Good replay value
What it could do better:
- The map design is good, but not great. Rather than looping upon itself the way a map in Metroid might, instead you travel through time. I like but don't love this as it makes the exploration feel a little disjointed at times
- Boss fights tend to be kinda bland and perhaps unchallenging. You can just absolutely hammer through them quickly if you're strong enough. I would have preferred a parry instead of relying on strength.
- Using items through the menu feels a lot like Symphony of the Night, which I think didn't handle that well
- It could be a little bit longer, though I wouldn't say it's short
- It can be a little bit political, though these parts are almost completely optional and can be skipped. This doesn't bother me whatsoever as I am supportive of human rights and the expression of pain when people are marginalized, however I just don't think it added much to the game's story. It felt a bit shoehorned in. Very minor complaint that I only included because I struggled to think of that many examples
So despite the fact that I really like Timespinner, I think it misses the mark of greatness because it doesn't bring a lot of new things to the table and the interconnected world suffers a little from the map being split over multiple planets and time periods. Still, I look forward to the sequel that was announced late last year.
Hollow Knight
Most everyone is familiar with this game as it was widely celebrated and outsold even Metroid Dread. I'll probably be tarred and feathered for this given the universal good reviews, but: I honestly can't get into it because I dislike the exploration aspect of the game. I've tried several times, but I always put it down.
I can understand not having a full map available of each new area as you come upon them. I cannot understand not keeping some small amount of that map filled in as you explore until you unlock the whole area map. A lot of the areas feel too similar to me, and I get lost more easily than in any other metroidvania because of these two things.
Dying is more punishing than it needs to be, especially when a boss kills you. You respawn too far away from a boss for me to feel like the developers are respecting my time.
The art is certainly good, as is the sound design. I'm split on whether or not I like the combat. This one overall just isn't for me. Based on reviews and sales, I would not say it misses the mark of greatness though.
Metroid Dread
Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere! This game is aptly named! I love the fast, tight controls. I love the map design. I love the way my heart starts pumping hard when an EMMI is after me. I think aside from the controls, the map design is the greatest strength of this game. I love how interconnected it is while still retaining the puzzle aspect of exploration.
It's a little weird how much I love this one since it's a more like Metroid Fusion than Super Metroid, and I generally didn't like Fusion very much with its emphasis on horror. I think Fusion is just a little too "on rails" for me. Dread took Fusion and moved it back towards Super Metroid in its map design and storytelling.
Despite the fact that I personally think this is about the perfect balance of metroidvania elements and despite the fact that Dread actually sold more games than any other in the series at around 3 million copies, Dread didn't sell all that well for a system that has moved 140 million units. Does it miss the mark of greatness? I wouldn't say so, but I'm not sure the wider gaming market agrees.
