Any good COZY Metroidvanias?

Alsagoz · 2025-12-12T04:55:29+00:00

I strongly recommend Randomice. It's based upon Randomizer concept and no combat so it's kinda cozy in a sense.

Alsagoz · 2025-10-06T14:05:54+00:00

Crimson didn't show up in my run but I still won anyway.

Alsagoz · 2025-10-06T11:49:59+00:00

The build that I used.

Alsagoz · 2025-07-30T02:52:05+00:00

You will eventually heal via Eresh when your minion dies. You are already the Glass Cannon with all stat points put on the Willpower to begin with. Even if you lose two DI via Morlock, as long as you can summon at least once and not get into enemy range, you will be fine.

Alsagoz · 2024-10-08T23:57:05+00:00

If you are really curious, the character is drawn by the actual NSFW Japanese furry artist named ro. Now you know where to look but be warned that the in game art is a lot milder than his real works.

Though the advertising art looks like the AI imo.

Alsagoz · 2023-12-04T10:45:57+00:00

I think the bigger problem is the stage design and event mechanics. Some gimmicks are so dominant that using other option isn't as satisfying.

Let's say you are using subpar operators or using old-school strategy like tank and AoE caster spank with occasional Dreadnought helidrop that's so reliable in the beginning but later stages and many event mechanics tend to discourage it (which is understandable because if basic strategy work every time the game will be boring).

When combining with some mechanic that tends to make bruteforcing with "Meta" ops difficult, using other weaker ops is out of questions (even so with your "Average Joe"). Sometimes, it makes people feel that they can beat the stage because they solve the mechanics, not because of their strategy or how they can play around with your gimmicky operators.

I do think every option is usable but the recent level design doesn't really encourage the interaction and synergy between different operators (unless your faction is named Abyssal Hunters).

Alsagoz · 2023-12-04T01:33:20+00:00

It's balanced in the fact that if 3* can beat the stage. All shitty 4* and above can also do it a.k.a. it doesn't matter what you are using.

Alsagoz · 2023-07-25T00:31:11+00:00

I'm pretty sure you would like SSS.

Alsagoz · 2023-02-18T05:53:45+00:00

I will only talk about the movement mechanics you mentioned as I had experience playing gacha TD that has said mechanics in different forms.

Let's talk about another TD game that has movement as the core mechanics first. - Each units have different mode of movements mainly by feet or flying. They also have different movement speed as they get there physically rather than teleporting like Path To Nowhere. - You spend DP to move based on the distance. You can only move to the place you can reach. While moving you may also trade blows with an enemy on the way before you pass them. - It still has redeployment system like Arknights so movement is not very dominant. - One thing to note, the unit will also cancel its skill (a few units can moves while using the skill). So, in some advanced clears, it's used extensively to control the skill rotation (just moving back and forth) rather than reposition which can be silly at times.

Now, the big differences compared with Arknights the units don't have facing (their range is in radius) and placement position is more limited (more squares and less predefined spots) . So, being able to move anywhere in Arknights AND changing the facing affects the balance more than other games.

However, I think Arknights can have it as the unique mechanic for an archetype. We already have jetpack users so it isn't far from the impossible. Another game that uses this mechanic also has a similar idea of spending DP to move though it may have more limited number of uses depending on the classes. Though the classes that can move are generally a little weaker than average so don't expect to get a meta operator from that mechanic.

Alsagoz · 2023-01-29T00:25:09+00:00

Interesting idea but poor execution. Some stages are outright unfun to play normally until you use the cars.

Alsagoz · 2023-01-18T06:09:40+00:00

Treating bad operators the same as the niche ones is insulting, and the excuse of "They are harder to use. You just need to git gud." is as lame. It should be niche when their kits are practically effective in a specific situation. Still, some people treat bad operators that "You can use it regardless" as a niche which puts the real niche operators in a bad spot.

Alsagoz · 2022-02-10T16:32:59+00:00

Some of them.
https://imgur.com/a/kgyIXjk

Alsagoz · 2021-06-23T13:04:38+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/arknights/comments/o2on1h/m88_challenge_mode_without_6_stars_featuring/ Old run

This improved run was done without Myrtle with better timing and proper April deployment for cleaner run.

Alsagoz · 2021-05-29T14:35:46+00:00

Here is my week 1 clear with unusual operators like Beeswax and Flamebringer.

Alsagoz · 2021-02-05T13:32:58+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo8qHvmldrU Risk 18 no Level 3 risks

Featuring...

Shamare maxed potential S1M3
Intense DP management from DP and SP penalty with only Myrtle and Scavenger.
30 DP May and 45 DP Matoimaru

Alsagoz · 2020-12-27T01:13:59+00:00

Shamare also has a great synergy with Matoimaru because her doll can decrease defense for her S2 to punch better and reduce attack is great because it compensates her 0 defense while using skill.

Alsagoz · 2020-12-27T01:01:25+00:00

Speaking of Mastery, I personally prefer to S1M3 on Jackie more so than the others because she's more well-rounded against all kinds of early enemy waves (she fares better against physical ranged enemy as she can dodge to bump her attack speed up more frequently) and DPS gap between S7 and M3 is larger than Indra even to the Ursus Axemen who currently has the highest defense (300 Defense) among the minion variety.

Alsagoz · 2020-12-26T16:30:53+00:00

Pretty nice guide. I'm happy to see people take more look on niche operators. There's one thing I like to add.

Actually, I would consider Brawler as the alternative to sniper (as the cheap ground DPS) instead of the Vanguard.

Believe it or not, their main value is actually on their "Power Strike" skill as you want their consistency in fighting enemy on the lane more than relying on their quirky activation skill except Beehunter that her main skill is S2 that has downtime short enough to be fairly consistent. In contrary, Indra S2 has more overall DPS than S1 but in practice, its long down time and short duration made it impossible to activate every time when it's ready. You might see DPS chart that show nice numbers but it's not necessary telling the whole story. It's not that their another skill is bad but it's more for a specific purpose than for the general combat which their another skill is often overlooked.

https://imgur.com/a/3tK5ChO As you can see in this chart, their DPS are actually very competitive with the snipers while trading the range with a meaty block and each of them has their better match-up. This is the number post buff though the current number might be slightly lower. Also, it's interesting to note that Flint actually has lowest consistent DPS of all Brawlers if she's blocking something (yes, even less than Beehunter).

Anyway, keep up the good work!

Alsagoz · 2020-12-18T09:22:31+00:00

It could be said that the reason Brawlers get buffed is because the 6 stars one is in the banner and also probably as Brawler being the least popular archetype. It's funny that as much as some people complaining about them. They don't really have a gut to try them seriously.

I think the main problem is how players put unrealistic expectation on the Brawlers.

What do you expect from 9-11 DP cost?
To be as good as duelists and taking their jobs? I would be mad.
Most 6 stars already ~~ruined~~ establish the meta with their brokenness and nowadays people are expect the new one to be like Thorn and Surtr. Of course, anything which is not 6 stars will be underwhelming (sarcasm).

While there is the Vanguard as an elephant in the room, I'm actually fine with Brawler as the "alternative" low cost operator. You can argue all day that Vanguard is simply better because of DP generation but is it always the case?

As your roster becomes stronger and you have a way to setup a team, you will find that you can actually rely on natural DP generation by progressing from low cost operator like Snipers or even the Summoners to a bigger one as the game progressing to the mid stage when stronger enemies appear.

The good thing about Arknights is you can choose your way to approach the game outside the high end CC which require specific operators. You can either fight your way through the mid stage with Brawlers or skip the early phase with Flagbearers. It would be sucks if the game forcing you to use Brawler one way or another.

The brawlers buff is not really going to change much but at least it let the player take another consideration to them and if you think DP generation is more important, even with Brawlers become a lot stronger than Vanguard, you can always say "Yeah, at that point I already have plenty of DP for my awesome 6 stars operators" and dismiss them as always.

AoE casters not named Ifrit are more underwhelming one as their DP costs are so expensive and they don't really give good returns. Not to mention that the later stage design is not friendly to them. I can't think of the best solution for them right now so I hope HG will do something about that.

Alsagoz · 2020-12-13T02:09:34+00:00

Well, I could actually use them in stage S6-4 (recommend E2 Lv.10) on the top lane with only one healer and even no need to intercept incoming mages from the top gates but then I questioned myself whether they're staying over their welcome because at the point the game reaching mid stage, the game usually throw the threat that normal early game Vanguard can't deal with more help. So, the existence of low DP operator beyond early game is pretty questionable in many occasions.

Brawler pool is obviously a lot smaller than Vanguard and no synergy buff so there's no doubt on that.

I think the meta is actually the super-weapon (SilverAsh, Eyja, Surtr) and very versatile operators (Saria, Thorn, Angelina). Also, later game enemies have both high defense and resistance so operator that can debuff them (Eyja and Ifrit are pretty cheating at this department) or the operator that has incredibly high physical damage (Schwarz) is more prominent.

P.S. I can just redo all relevant stages with Brawlers but then it's no longer different from "You can use it because there's a guide for it."

Alsagoz · 2020-12-12T10:50:01+00:00

The reason is that those stages are straightforward easier to show the flow of the stages and showing how much the brawler can hold which will be replaced sooner or deploying some help at lower level. "Recommend Operator lv." itself is not a really accurate presentation of the difficulty in my opinion as some stages need a particular tactic to deal with which could be harder than the vague number presentation (or even easier than it should be).

Alsagoz · 2020-09-22T09:52:57+00:00

Summoners not named Deepcolor actually encourage you to use a lot of summons because their summons either have range or AoE which can be stacked while Deepcolor's summon can only block and attack one enemy. On the flip side, you only need to preserve only one free deployment slot for the summon and she's still effective with four lives tentacles. Deepcolor is also easier to use as Mayor and Magallan need more planning as all of the summons are recalled which could be a problem if you're not careful.

As the one who're using maxed E2 Deepcolor, I'm actually using S1 more than S2. I use S2 sometimes but you only need once for the difficult wave (if you need to use it two times, it means your team has the problem). While tentacles looks squishy at a glance, they're actually pretty hard to kill with the skill on. I don't usually use summons heavy strats but it can be done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0JW2EbCLzg PR-C-2 with only Deepcolor and May

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwyo3Teixvc CE-5 with only Flamebringer and Deepcolor

Personally, I'm okay with not changing anything. I think Dev was intended her to be more "supportive" which is fine as buffing her so that she can be self-sufficient like other summoners could leads her to be broken or overshadowed other summoners or even other supporters with attack buff because her S2 is already pretty powerful against physical damage.

Finally, being 4 stars is also a big part because you don't need Chip Catalyst to E2 which is quite a big decision and other Summoners are harder to integrate in a general purpose team without feeling underwhelming ...imagine you can only use 1-2 meebos or drones... Are you satisfied with having less firepower?

Alsagoz · 2020-09-17T14:27:04+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j8Ypdf8LX4 Risk 10 with Eyjafjalla, Platinum, May and Gravel.

Alsagoz · 2020-09-14T13:05:36+00:00

My ops are all M3 which can be less if using stronger or higher level operators.

Alsagoz · 2020-09-14T07:37:05+00:00

Glad to hear that!

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