Talk about Metroidvania/Metroid-like/Exploration based/whatever you call it games

I played a couple of hours and I couldn't get past the absurdity of the intro premise where a 9 year old girl builds a fucking deep sea submarine out of scrap.

So what is the most platforming heavy metroidvania?

If you guys want to try a Metroidvania, play Monster Tale for NDS.

Probably the last levels of Guacamelee and Castlevania CotM.

Already played those. I'm asking this because I really liked some of the platforming areas in Guacamelee

Now that I remember, there's a secret area in Castlevania OoE with a lot of pretty good platforming. Sadly, is only that area.

Playing Guacamelee right now, can confirm
Also, it is fun if you don't mind the 9fag memes occasionally
Last inferno test's also hard, and fun,

Teslagrade, anyone?

Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight is short but very sweet. Combat is simple yet resourceful, a lot of good cues are taken from good games, and the protagonist is the cutest silent hero I've played in a while.
Plus, look at this boss fight. That's her only weak point.

Came to post this. Don't let the comparisons to Dark Souls fool you.
the knight you fight the fire boss with is the best girl

Cath? Yeah, she's cool. Good having her help.

Valdis Story: Abyssal City is kind of light on the Metroid-style backtrack exploration but it has a really good combat system and the platforming is pretty good. It's a little Deviant-art tier in visuals and writing though.

Seconding this. The platforming is good and the combat is god tier especially for a Metroidvania. It honestly spoiled me for the combat in other Metroidvanias since none of them are on the same level.
Soundtrack was pretty good too, for what it was.

This looks awful.

It's like they tried to do spritework on the bricks, then decided that objects and characters need to be vectorized, and for it to really pop, bloom! Bloom everywhere!

Axiom Verge is pretty phenomenal. Great music, too.

The music really is amazing in Axiom Verge. Maybe not in perfect sync

There's something about the game that rubs me the wrong way, though. Just as I felt the game building up momentum, it broke to a halt as I had to backtrack or search for something new or just force my way through a boss with what felt like blind luck. I almost wanna contrast it with Momodora, which didn't have any of that slowdown and made me want to get lost, as Axiom Verge made me just want to get back on track because I enjoyed the moments where I was progressing so much.

Yeah, but it's the only screenshot I have that isn't a score screen. The backgrounds are all pretty fucking lazy.

I think that's fair, and even though it's kind of vague, I definitely understand what you mean. Some of the bosses were crazy easy, while others were crazy hard because I had missed an upgrade somewhere along the route that would have made it miles easier.

Are there any good First/Third-Person Metroidvanias focused around melee combat?

Are there any good new or upcoming metroidlikes? I don't care about Momodora I already played the first one and I didn't care for it.

no I ain't calling that shit metroidvania it was already popular and well established before Castlevania was using it, Castlevania didn't add anything to the genre but superficial elements like levelling and equipment anyway.

It's like someone listened to what they thought was the Super Metroid soundtrack but was actually the most generic hipster built 80s synth knock off mix tape in the super metroid soundtrack sleeve and tried to copy that as superficially as possible while on acid and feminism. I'd say "even on it's own merits it's bad" but it doesn't have any merit.

No, it wasn't, fag. Before castlevania there was only a few literal metroid carbon copies and most of them weren't that good to begin with.
However, for me to being a Metroidvania it should have leveling and equipment instead of just collectibles. Guacamelee ain't a metroidvania. Valdis Story kind of is.

Also, you're being dense with Axiom Verge music. If you're baiting, congrats.

This game was trash, and it's mostly because of the useless sidegrade instead of upgrade style weapons and terrible art direction in general.

I'm trying to like Valdis story but I just can't. Not sure why.

Same. It have everything I like. But I just can't get into it.

As useless as the weapon system is, having multiple options and weapons is way more fulfilling, even if you're going to use mostly just one. It's fun to adapt them to your needs too. And the art it's terrible at some points and pretty good at some, like the part with the floating lady's head and the jail cells with bones.

As another user said, I think the worst part of the game is how pregression feels. You get a lot into it when you're progressing really fast, then you have to backtrack and lose interest.

But user, backtracking is an important part of metroidvanias, and it's what makes them so interesting.
Getting that new item and remembering a place you passed 2 hours ago where you could probably use it, and then going back to see if you're right - that's gameplay gold right there. That's why those games are even fun.

Lyle in Cube Sector
I never see this game mentioned here but it's one of this type.

Don't misunderstand me, I like backtracking, but it isn't fullfilling in Axiom Verge for some reason. I think that the problem is shitty level design.

In Metroid, once you get a new weapon, you think is a lot of possibilities of doors you can now open. In Axiom verge that possibility is limited to 1 or 2 things you left behind. I don't know if I was the only one who couldn't progress because of that, since it became uninteresting.
Other problem is the lenght of the backtracking and how you feel you're not progressing at all. I mean, there are parts of the back tracking that feels like you're getting to something, but often you hit dead end walls with nothing, not even upgrades, and you have to turn back, pissed.

I'm currently playing it. It's good but I wish it's longer because I've spend like 30 minutes and I'm already 15% map completion. Still, gotta love games that don't shy from having secrets so early in the game

I don't think such a thing exists but if it does I'd like to play it.

Reverie is actually completely different compared to the earlier Momodora's, especially the first one. It kind of just keeps the theme (shrine girl wields a leaf, beats up monsters) but changes up the gameplay.
The only upcoming metroidlike I know of is La-Mulana 2 and who knows if that's gonna be out by the end of this year. Playing Rex Rocket at the moment.

...

I have when games try to make me feel. It wont work you bastards.

So good. Has that same feeling I got from Mario 64's ending.

The only one I can think of that is remotely exploration based is Batman Arkham Asylum. I wouldn't call it metroidvania by any means, but it has some elements.

What would you guys say is the most important/fun part about a good metroidvania?

I find progression that leads to better mobility to be the best part. You get a dash half way through a game and it just feels great.
Nailing having a decent map size while not hand-holding the player too hard is probably the most important though.

The backtracking has to be rewarding and fun

IIRC the dev actually doesn't like the first one much since he was still learning how to code? That's part of the big "It's there if you really want it" note attached to the free download for the game. Everyone who judges Momodora IIRC goes off of either the third or (most commonly) the fourth game, which is Reverie.

Valdis Story is third person and the focus on combat it has is exactly what you're looking for. It's mostly melee too, unless you force yourself into using the ranged weapons in the game.

Yeah, I know backtracking is a part of it, but that's not what I mean. I agree with on a lot of points, but I wouldn't say the level design is shit so much as it is flawed in one particular way that I'm still trying to word appropriately. I like it when a player isn't sure where to go in a Metroidvania, but if they check their map and there are only so few places they can go to, then find that all of those places led to dead-ends or minor items, they feel like they've wasted their time.

The game's got very good replayability. On another playthrough, try not getting hit once during a boss fight

Good dungeon design first and foremost; I know this goes for every game, but I'll forgive all other flaws if the dungeons themselves are fun.
For Metroidvanias specifically, a sense of interconnection is amazing. Letting me explore and find ways back to the first area from the fifth just makes me tingle

Rabi-Ribi is fun if you also like bullet hells.
Plus lots of QT anime girls.

Why isn't Ribi-Rabi GOTY again? I mean, the game can please almost anyone with ease.

So good, when I heard that tune and saw the credits roll as every NPC and some enemies form an ensemble as the sun sets I felt a satisfaction of the type I ain't felt in a long ass time. La-Mulana's just one of those rare cases of a 10/10 game. I feel guilty for only paying 1 dollar for it when it was on sale.

Cause EDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDFEDF
Best PC exclusive though.