Ultros

[h2]Ultros[/h2] is a Metroidvania style game where you unlock abilities and upgrades to help with exploration and combat. You know, like pretty much every other game in this genre. The art and sound design are excellent as well. However, unlike most other Metroidvanias, Ultros [b]takes away ALL of your abilities[/b] every time you start a new "cycle" - beating a boss. That double jump you unlocked? Gone. Those combat perks? Gone. Map upgrades? Gone. Sometimes, mixing rogue-lite elements into a Metroidvania can be successful and have a good gameplay loop - like Dead Cells. But when its a story focused game like this, taking away your stuff is not fun. At all. And fun is probably [b]THE[/b] most important aspect of game design. If you want a good story driven Metroidvania with gorgeous graphics, fun gameplay, and most importantly the ability to [b]KEEP all your upgrades[/b], play the Ori series.

[b] A gorgeous and unique Metroidvania. [/b] What makes it stand out the most, apart from having one of the most beautiful aesthetics in the genre, is its plant mechanic. You can collect various seeds and plant them around the map to help you with different aspects of the gameplay. Another thing is that you can play through the game in a non-violent way. The story is intriguing, but don't expect deep characters or an emotional story. It's more about the mystery of the place you're in. That said, there are also some weaker aspects. The plant mechanic could have been designed better in some ways, getting the true ending is a bit of a pain, and personally, I found myself wandering around quite a lot, trying to figure out what to do next. [i] * There's also a reset mechanic, but it doesn't make the game a roguelike in any way, and it's implemented in a very straightforward way. [/i] [i] * If you're still not sure, there's a demo, so give it a try and you'll know. [/i]

mind blowing love the art great job

The game isn't bad, it just doesn't do anything especially well, its a very forgettable experience, if you are looking at the art style and thinking it looks interesting, thats literally all the draw it has. The only unique thing the game has is the combo system for enemies and their drops, For those that dont know what i mean, it is basically a style / combo system during combat, it increases when you use different attacks on an enemy. Its supposed to make the player use different attacks to increase the style meter for the enemy to drop its item, the issue is that it doesnt matter, all the enemies die before you can use the same move enough to lower the score, so you can effectively spam the attack button and get the same reward if you used other attacks. The art and movement feels smooth, but smooth can only carry the game so far, which wasnt that far because the most interesting thing i found out was how to quit it and go play mechwarrior or halo, if you are on the fence about buying this, i wouldnt unless its like $5, at full price you should just go buy hollowknight / silksong, its a much better and more memorable experience. Not bad, Not good, Not memorable, Nothing rem…

Never clicked for me, I never finished it.

This was a game recommended to me by a friend introducing me to more metroidvanias. It is overall a solid game for the time I've played it. Amongst the ones I have played this is one is unique even if we go off artistry alone. The style of combat and the colorful world, my first words were "I've never seen anything like this." Though my list is still growing, this is one i can definitely recommend to add to your list of metroidvania list.