We attended BitSummit Drift this past July, the latest edition of Kyoto’s biggest gaming event. At this event we got to play many upcoming indie titles from across the world, but mostly from Japan. NantenJex will be sharing his thoughts on the games he played from his hands-on experience and providing important information on each of the titles. Trailers and links to each of the games Steam pages (or closest equivalent) will be included (although many are coming to multiple platforms so if you want to get the title on a platform other than Steam then please check your system’s digital store).
In this second preview block, NantenJex will be looking at what might be the most common genre of indie game out there: the Metroidvania. There were a ton of great search-action titles at the show so let’s go through each one and see what he thought, with Freaked Fleapit chucked on the end because why not.
The Beauty Cult’s NECTARMANCER
- Platforms: Steam
- Release Date: TBA
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/739790/The_Beauty_Cults_NECTARMANCER/
NECTARMANCER tells the story of Aisa, the conscripted Nectarmancer for The Throne in this visually stunning action platformer and “gardenvania” by The Beauty Cult.
The first ‘Gardenvania’, NECTARMANCER’s big gimmick is that it’s part fast-moving, search-action fun and part resource management gardening simulator, and it somehow manages to combine these two seemingly distinct genres of gameplay extremely well. The core of the game is a quick-paced, action-heavy 2D Metroidvania but many of the games equipment and abilities revolve around finite seeds, fruits and plants that the player has to grow and cultivate while exploring.
In terms of combat, the player has a needle that acts as a sword for quick, close-combat, slashes but the real draw with this weapon is the dash. If players dash into an enemy they get momentum in the direction they were moving, allowing them to gain height/distance and keep a combo going. I love games where the movement is fast and fluid – one that rewards players for accuracy – and the basic combat in NECTARMANCER really exceeded my expectations in this department.
But what about the seeds? At least in the demo, these are the basic projectiles. Some enemies are too far away to be hit physically, or going for close combat is too dangerous due to how weak the player is (in fact, the player is expected to die at least once in a similar vein to the original Demon Souls). This is where the seeds and fruit come in as they can be used as attacks with varying effects. You get some seeds by killing enemies but the primary method of refilling your ammo is to find fertile soil (some in the wild and sometimes by defeating a mini-boss) and grow new plants. The quantity and quality of produce you reap is based entirely around how you grow the plant. How patient you are, how much fertiliser you use and more. You could rush to grow some plants to try and stock up with basic seeds or you can plant fruit trees, leave to explore and come back hours later to harvest the bounty. There’s been a ton of thought around how the farming mechanics could work in a Metroidvania setting and NECTARMANCER’s solutions are impressive and well thought out.
DEVIATOR
- Platforms: Steam
- Release Date: August 2nd 2024 (Early Access)
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2334330/CASSETTE_BOY/
Deviator is a Metroidvania game centered around deflect, featuring exquisite 2D hand-drawn visuals. Exploring unknown wilderness and mysterious cities, delving into enigmatic realms of consciousness and encountering peculiar creatures. Try to find the truth behind this chaotic world.
DEVIATOR wears its inspiration on its sleeve, I think anyone can agree to that. And when you play the game it’s even more apparent. The way movement is handled, the vibe the environments give off, the music and the upgrades the player will find on their journey all resemble Hollow Knight to the extreme. But there is one major difference between the two and that is combat.
In DEVIATOR, parrying is the name of the game. In order to do any damage in DEVIATOR you have to parry/deflect attacks back at opponents, whether they be ranged or close-up, and this leads to the combat a lot harder than in the little bug game. It took some getting used to but once I got it down to the right timing, parrying all attacks left me with a very satisfied feeling. I don’t know how far the mechanic can be pushed to stop it from getting tiring, but at least from what I played it was a rewarding challenge and made the game feel different from any other game in this genre.
Otherwise, this game plays like Hollow Knight and that’s not a bad thing. Those craving a title that could fill the Silksong shaped hole in your soul might want to take a look here. They aren’t anthropomorphic bugs anymore but the same feeling of a lost civilisation you have to explore is still present. The game is in Early Access right now but from my time chatting with the devs, I know they really want to get feedback from fans and improve the game in big ways, to make the best title they can.
Voidwrought
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam
- Release Date: 2024
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2014550/Voidwrought/
Voidwrought is a 2D action-platformer set in a hand-drawn world of cosmic horrors. Explore the thawing ruins of the First Civilisation and strike down the gods that dwell there. Grow your powers with ancient Relics and Souls and expand your shrine amid the wreckage.
Continuing on with another game that might make players think of Hollow Knight, we have Voidwrought – a 2D action-platformer with a real creepy atmosphere. To be honest, the Hollow Knight comparison was really only to create a transition, outside of the way the graphics are drawn, and it being of the same genre, these games are not that similar. Voidwrought is more comparable to Souls-like games than anything else.
This one is more in-line with traditional Metroidvania in my opinion, kind of like the recent Prince of Persia game from earlier this year. The flow of movement is fantastic and many of the upgrades feel in-line with the expected upgrades you would find in this game (like an aerial dash or grapple beam). What really made Voidwrought stand out to me wasn’t anything in the gameplay but its atmosphere.
Voidwrought is a dark, gross and ghastly game and I loved it. The way the player character moves in particular, as a mass of black goo taking a human shape, is just very unique. It has a charm to it that I haven’t seen captured in many other recent Metroidvania titles. The enemy designs are equally as disturbing but they also provide a clear demonstration of what that enemy can do and where its weak point might be, which is great design.
While there isn’t anything super unique about Voidwrought from a gameplay perspective, its flow and atmosphere more than make up for it and I’m looking forward to playing the full game whenever I can.
Altered Alma
- Platforms: Steam
- Release Date: TBA
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2190700/Altered_Alma/
Altered Alma combines the beloved classic Metroidvania formula with RPG elements, dating sim features, a slick pixel-art presentation, and a gripping story. Whether you want to beat up bad guys, find love, or just explore the beautiful cityscape, Neo-Barcelona awaits!
We go from ancient ruins and mysterious alien worlds to cyberpunk cityscapes with the next Metroidvania on this list: Altered Alma. The main thing pushing this game seems to be its pedigree, with a strong writing team behind it made up of Antony Johnston (Resident Evil: Village, Dead Space) and Emma Beeby (Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension, Judge Dredd: The Darkest Judge). But that was pretty irrelevant to me in my time playing this game on the showfloor. It was the gameplay instead I focused, so how does Altered Alma hold up in that regard.
Well it’s pretty standard stuff for the genre, leaning more towards the -vania in Metroidvania but there is one pretty stand-out mechanic I experienced and that was the warp dash. The player will throw a bolt of light forward and then with the tap of a button will warp to its location. This is used not only to get past obstacles but as a way of dodging opponents and quickly chaining together attacks to keep up a combo. It’s pretty fun and well thought out, and if there are other upgrades like this one further into the game then I think Alma will have some fun mechanics to play around with.
Otherwise, the only other part of Altered Alma I can really comment on at this point is its cyberpunk setting, which is kinda novel after all the other games I’ve played in this genre seem to lean towards space aliens or lost civilisations. This leans into the over-the-top, horny and grimey, cyberpunk motif that has become popular through Bladerunner and more recently – Cyberpunk 2077. This locale gives the game a different flavour, which I can appreciate.
Chikaro
- Platforms: Steam
- Release Date: 2025
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2780200/Chikaro/
A boy and an android girl wake up without their memories in a world where deadly robots roam the streets. With the boy’s powers, they can leave their bodies to walk through walls or possess enemies. The two follow the trail of the intentions left behind by those who once perished above the ground.
The final Metroidvania game on this list and the one that might be the most unique. Chikaro is a very ethereal game and stands out by not being very combat-focused. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t have combat – it certainly has enemies you battle and big boss fights to deal with, but the player’s primary ability isn’t a combat-focused power: it’s the ability to possess enemies.
The main character can have their soul leave their body and possess creatures and robots in the world and then use their unique abilities to solve puzzles. Whether it be possessing a block-shaped robot and using it to press a switch down or possessing a stunned boss and having it run headfirst into its own attack. Making use of the unique attributes of each enemy to advance to story is the main form of progression, rather than getting any upgrades yourself.
In a way, it’s more of a puzzle-adventure game than it is a Metroidvania, but it has the typical Metroidvania staples in its level and map design that I decided to include here. The lighting and VFX of Chikaro stand out to me more than its actual graphics, so from a visual stand-point I don’t think its doing anything too unique – but players who want a more thoughtful game of this genre might find more enjoyment with Chikaro than any other game I’ve previewed so far.
The Good Old Days
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam
- Release Date: 2024
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2996540/THE_GOOD_OLD_DAYS/
A nostalgic metroidvania from the good old days back in 19XX. Take on the role of Sean, a young boy who ventures into the fictional city of Arostia to repay his father’s debt. Rescue your 3 friends from imprisonment, defeat strong enemies, all while getting your debt paid in time!
The Good Old Days is a Metroidvania with an atmosphere and open nature that is a very unique take on the genre. The game is harkening back to the aesthetics of the 80s and movies like The Goonies, but with a dark comedy undertone that you might expect to see from a game like Earthbound (or the many games inspired by it).
So what makes The Good Old Days gameplay unique? Well that would be how open it really is. It would be easy to claim Metroidvania games are open-world but really there is a set-path the player has to follow throughout. Not here though, because the aim of the game isn’t to beat some evil force threatening the world – the aim is to earn enough money to pay off your deceased father’s debt before the loan sharks take your home and you with it. That means the aim of the game is to earn money and how you do this is entirely up to you.
Objectives in this game can include doing chores for your neighbours, scrounging up any coins you can on the side of the road, gambling what little cash you have and hoping for big bucks, or searching for the secret hidden treasure somewhere in the world. Whatever path you take, you better do it fast as there is an actual in-game countdown to the end of the day and when the loan sharks will be back to claim what you owe them. So this isn’t a Metroidvania where you can take your time exploring – you need to find some moolah and fast.
Most of my time with the game was spent exploring though, and figuring out where to go. I did a bit of everything from fetch-quests to finding small treasure chests at the end of difficult platforming challenges, and I learnt that my three friends had all been kidnapped by the nefarious Malign Gang and so I would need to try and save them as well. I didn’t manage to save one but my understanding is that you can play as your friends when you unlock them and they all have different abilities that help you navigate the environment. They’re essentially the usual Metroidvania power-ups.
The Good Old Days was very charming and a ton of fun. I can imagine the timer might be quite stressful for some players but it didn’t count down too quickly. This isn’t a 15 minute game after all, but it’s clearly one that asks for multiple playthroughs, with different endings based on your actions. A Metroidvania that asks the player to speedrun it, in a different way.
Freaked Fleapit
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam
- Release Date: TBA
- Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1840880/Freaked_Fleapit/
Hell never looked this good! Save your soul in a wild cocktail of rhythm-based dungeon crawling and date sims, and dance your way through 9 circles of Hell to heart-pumping music. Which lady of the Fleapit will be the one to join you on your trip out of Purgatory?
Have you ever played Crypt of the Necrodancer, or any rhythm game for that matter, and said to yourself: “I’m having a lot of fun with this game, but I wish it would make me horny as well” Then I have the game for you!
Ok I’m being pretty tongue in cheek here. There’s more to this game than bringing out the player’s inner gooner, but from a surface level look that’s very clearly the main thing Freaked Fleapit is trying to accomplish. It’s taking the formula put-forward by rhythm rouge-like titles like Crypt of the Necrodancer but adding on several social-sim and dating game elements to it. In-between missions you hang out in your hellish homebase and can chat with the many waifu characters designed to fit any and all fetish. You have the psychotic girl, the tomboy, the furry and more, and each of these girls are fully voiced with tons of quest lines and scenes that provide the player an in-depth look into their characters. Clearly, a ton of time and effort has gone into designing and fleshing out each girl to make them appealing to the player and judging by the marketing I’ve seen so far for the game, the developers see this part of it as their main draw.
But don’t let that fool you into thinking the rest of the game is bad or mediocre. It’s fairly well-polished. The dives into each layer of hell play out as you might expect but unlike Crypt of the Necrodancer, Freaked Fleapits levels are more segregated, at least from what I played. Rather than a big, procedurally generated, open-world, the player goes through a series of rooms – the order of which is randomised, and you have to fight all the enemies in that room to advance. As you progress you’ll pick up relics and other items that provide both passive and active effects, and it will all culminate in a boss fight.
The presentation of the game is also very strong. It’s certainly going for a specific style in both its 2D art and music. The game has a crazy, rave-like, vibe going on, but I kind find the pixel art to be very cute. It’s very detailed and bouncy, and that really appeals to me. It reminds me of the Scott Pilgrim video game.
This is another title that has a demo available on Steam so if anything here sounds like it would be up your alley then go check the game out. I won’t tell on you.
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I have seen Freaked Fleapit once before so I’m keeping my eye on that. I like the artwork style and the potenial love interests.
The other games looks okay, not my cup of tea though.