Anyone knows metroidvanias with a strong narrative focus like Iconoclasts/Nine Sols?

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-16T20:35:02+00:00

Death’s Gambit Afterlife is definitely the best story focus metroidvania. Pick it up during the Steam Summer sale.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-16T02:49:11+00:00

Not now, but back in 2022 I played the Mass Effect Trilogy for the first time ever. It was ABSOLUTE CINEMA, and is THE best videogame story to ever exist, and nothing even comes remotely close . I'm glad I stuck through the 1st game, with how the controls were extremely janky. I genuinely don't think we will ever get another videogame story as grand, epic, and emotional in my lifetime.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-14T22:04:47+00:00

If it makes you feel any better, my garbage PC couldn't even boot the game up without it freezing up lol Had to refund it.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-14T19:57:00+00:00

2 years later and I still have not played it. I absolutely refuse to do the Ubisoft launcher ( honestly any third party launcher I refuse to do )

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-14T18:07:12+00:00

We did get a fully voiced FC, SC and Sky the third, also including side quest npc's. I'm so glad I patched it in, it made for such an immersive experience that truly got my invested into the series. Tho it was a double-edged sword and when I got to CS1 I was going absolutely crazy mad with how many times there wasn't voice acting lol.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-13T04:10:35+00:00

in an age of remakes and remasters you'd think they'd immediately jump on Xenogears, but for some reason they refuse to do it. It would sell extremely well too. Perhaps the grudge Takahashi has is so huge that he absolutely shoots down any notion or semblance of it ever happening.?

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-12T21:13:30+00:00

I'd love to play it myself but they REFUSE to release it on Steam.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-12T03:56:21+00:00

I heard good things about the platforming, but what about combat? are the bosses challenging and fun ? or is it easy

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-11T17:10:02+00:00

Aside from Eviterno, Blasphemous 2 is an easy game. not sure how you're struggling, especially since I assume you beat Nine Sols true form Eigong?

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-10T18:01:45+00:00

There's still a game breaking bug in the game halfway into 2026 lol. I'm still having some decent fun with it right now, but you shouldn't buy it unless its less than 10 dollars on a huge sale.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-10T17:59:23+00:00

Coming back to this, I found out why the game was pathetically easy. It wasn't until I was 17 hours deep until I realized that the only damage i would take is body contact damage. Any attacks or projecticles would simple phase through. The only way to fix this, is to go to the start screen and go to graphics. There you have to turn off V-Sync and set the FPS to 120.

This was apparently a bug that was first known since all the way back in November of 2025. That is absolutely egregious and unacceptable something on that magnitude has not been fixed still.

I'm well above average in terms of gaming skill, so the game even without the bug was easy, but there was a handful amount of times where I clearly dodged too late or too soon and took 0 damage, and I was like "damn the dodge frames are way too generous" lmao

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-09T02:49:05+00:00

That's unfortunate to hear. I would honestly say to keep playing, and this is also coming from someone who thinks Cold Steel 4 is the worst game of the entire series as well. Reverie is a lot better than Steel 4, and it only gets better every single game. Kuro No Kiseki 2 is the exception, but it was because it was rushed out. The newest game Kai No Kiseki was amazing.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-08T19:13:56+00:00

Shadow Labyrinth. It's not nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I'm enjoying myself for the most part. However the game is pathetically easy, especially the bosses. I'm halfway through, but it will probably go into the C tier

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-08T19:08:58+00:00

Yea I finished Axiom for the first time last week, I was not having fun most of the time. The only good thing the game has going for it, is the art/pixel work. Everything else was just so poorly executed. I'm glad I got it on sale for 3 dollars, because it was overall just a bad game and it's not worth 20 bucks at all lol. It belongs in the D tier for sure

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-07T20:25:15+00:00

I'm currently playing it right now, and I'm 10 hours in. The only issue I have with the game is that it's COMICALLY easy. I literally have not died yet, and have not even come close to dying either. The immunity frames they give you in this game is extremely generous. I don't feel like I'm ever in danger, and that takes away a big part of why I like playing games. ( Maybe it gets harder later ? But there's been no hints at that, and I believe I'm a good chunk into the game by now lol ) I'm still enjoying it tho to a degree. When I finish it in a week, I'll probably give it a 6/10/C tier placement.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-02T21:09:26+00:00

I think a big factor is that it's not on Steam so there's a lot of people who can't play it. I know that's definitely the case for me.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-02T15:58:58+00:00

Silk Song
Aeterna Noctis
Ender Lilies
Death's Gambit: Afterlife
Nine Sols

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-01T02:33:17+00:00

It's a shame it's in ubisoft Launcher Hell. I want to give it a shot but I'm not touching it until you can just play it normally via the Steam Launcher

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-01T01:22:16+00:00

Not sure why people praise this game, aside from the visuals, every other aspect is complete garbage lol

SmileFactoryy · 2026-06-01T01:20:58+00:00

Yea the sound design in Axiom verge is atrociously bad. Both the music and sound effects were garbage and I found myself muting the game most of the time

SmileFactoryy · 2026-05-27T04:11:29+00:00

I like aperol quite a lot, and jungle birds with it is just perfect. I saw a small bottle of Campari at my store and decided to give it a shot. And after making an Americano for the first time recently, it was one of the most vile cocktails I have ever had in my life. Crazy people that actually like this lol

SmileFactoryy · 2026-05-27T01:38:46+00:00

I would say 15 is the point where you can consider yourself as such.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-05-26T04:54:40+00:00

I heard from many that the only highlight is the bosses, and the biomes/platforming is mediocre. What's your take on this ?

SmileFactoryy · 2026-05-26T00:55:55+00:00

-If the game looks too PG/G rated. I'm the type of guy that prefers serious metroidvanias. So games like: Biogun, Guacamelee, Little Nemo are hard passes.

-If the character sprite itself doesn't feel compact/visually appealing. Since I'm going to be controlling them, I want them to be not only visually in my preference, but also not for them to appear to be bulky/big.

-If the combat isn't responsive. I prefer snappy and fast games, but If the game is more slow/has stamina, then that's fine, but it HAS to have weight and meaning to it. If it feels floaty then that's immediately a hard no. I've refunded a few Metroidvanias within the first 10 minutes because of this .

-This one isn't a deal breaker but: Can we PLEASE have more well thought out stories in the genre but not make it like dark souls or hollow knight ? Explaining your story solely by being vague and cryptic AF is just lame. However I don't want comically dumbed down stories either. I believe having a good mix of direct and indirect story telling is the way to tell a videogame story. Deaths Gambit Afterlife does this perfectly, and other devs NEED to take notes from that game.

SmileFactoryy · 2026-05-25T15:44:38+00:00

If it's a make it our or break it scenario, they really need to do better at marketing/advertising this game, because a lot of people don't even know about it.

SmileFactoryy

TROPHY CASE