Column on the Sea

This is one of those games that as soon as I started it, I knew it was something special, and the developer really knows what they're doing. This game is simple on the surface, a fairly minimal art and music style without a ton of "flair" to it, but moment to moment it feels so smooth and it's a joy to play. The controls are easy, my one complaint is the only keybinding is not what I would've chosen and can't be changed, but this is far from ruining the experience. The movement feels sort of like a retro Nintendo game which works really well with the level design and I never feel like I'm fighting the controls. But where the game really shines is in the story, dialogue, and world building. The world feels cohesive and alive from the beginnning, and feels varied and dynamic despite the limited color palette. The story isn't anything super groundbreaking so far but the setting is really interesting. And in particular, the dialogue is excellent. It feels silly and lighthearted without ever crossing the line into annoying, and it's serious enough when it needs to be. In particular this helps bring the characters to life which can be a weak point in some Metroidvanias. As of now I'm through the first major boss so I'll probably update this when I get further with more extensive thoughts but for now I can say this is definitely worth picking up.

I didn't enjoy it all that much. I understand that it imitates old-school games, but it also imitates some of their problems and thus it becomes a chore to play. The combat is clunky, with bad collision detection and attack animations that can't be canceled, bosses are damage sponges (the final boss especially is a slog) and you never feel powerful even after getting most of the upgrades. The spells seem interchangeable and barely useful, mostly used to break doors down. The exploration feels like a chore as well, because of all the backtracking that leads to minimal rewards. And the grating soundtrack and overly long, unskippable dialogues are annoying as well. Some things are just weird too, like toggling the run on and off despite there being no reason to walk instead of running, at all. However, under all that jank there's a somewhat nice metroidvania, though not a particularly original one.

Not the best looking, sounding or playing indie Metroidvania on Steam, but the game has a lot of heart. The solo dev who made it certainly had fun doing so, and it clearly comes across.

The visuals and sound are intentionally dated. The movements are fluid but follow no laws of physics. If you can live with those problems, you get a solid platformer. 25 years ago it would have been state of the art but don't expect a Metroid competitor. Where it shines is the pacing and the narrative. The conversations between your protagonist and her boss are well written. They tread a thin line between 4th wall breaking, campy and irreverent which is just perfect for me. Some configuration options would be nice - like 'always run', dialogue speed etc

Slow-paced and repetitive. I kept thinking that second part was going to change, but it never really did.

This is a really good action / adventure / metroidvania. Don't really have any major complaints tbh. The difficulty is adjustable so you can play however YOU want to play and the art is quite nice. Highly recommended.

If 2 or more of these descriptions fit you, you should buy this. - You like Metroidvanias - You like humor - You like very hard bosses - You like women protagonists - You like red beans and pasta - You appreciate near pixel-perfect combat I just beat this game in 10 hours(according to the end game card) on the 2nd hardest difficulty.

[i]---see where this game landed on my Metroidvania tier list beneath this review!---[/i] Column on the Sea is a totally obscure minimalist metroidvania that feels a bit like a gameboy/NES game. I played it on the harder difficulty, and it took me about 12 hours to complete. The game consists of a main hub with areas/biomes branching off of it. You will return to these areas for collectables that you may lack the upgrade to get on the initial pass. Most powerups are unfortunately glorified keys, but there are a few exceptions (mostly stock standard). You don't map as you go, but rather you acquire an areas map when you find the map room contained within it. Each area also has a compass room, which will reveal collectables that you haven't found yet. I found this system to work fine, I was rarely confused on where to try and explore. Sometimes you might miss the map room in a biome and struggle to get your bearing for a little bit, but none of this felt egregious to me, I enjoyed the system. There are also save points where you can restore your health, and you can teleport between these. Once you get quite deep into the game, enemies and bosses will become HP sponges. Now this I found egregious/repetitive to deal with, it inflated the difficulty quite a lot. What I did like though, was that some of the last areas were really turning into dangerous gauntlets where I had to play very well to get through alive. You really need to memorise the enemy and boss patterns and be quick but patient. At least, this was the case for me on hard difficulty. The writing seemed decent 'in a way', however the characters are very silly. Your boss is an exaggerated pervy anime stereotype like Master Roshi from Dragonball Z or something, and the banter seems aimed at young teenagers/fans of exaggerated anime characters, so It didn't take long for me to start ignoring and skipping through all of the dialogue. The music is decent, it adds to the game, it sounds very gameboy. While nothing here will enter my favourites playlist, there was a highlight or two, like the track that plays in the mushroom biome. A game as minimalist as Column on the Sea is probably not going to wow or amaze, but it is a solid old-school feeling game that was much better than I thought it would be. I'm glad to have experienced and played it. I appreciated the simplicity and occasional challenging bits, It was fun. ===================== [b]My Metroidvania Tier List[/b] [i] (excluding Metroid & Castlevania titles)[/i] ===================== [i]-Not an objective list, purely how much I enjoyed the games-[/i] [b]S+[/b] Aeterna Noctis | [b]S Tier [i](Truly Special)[/i][/b] Astalon: Tears of the Earth | Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom | Hollow Knight | [b]S-[/b] Blasphemous 2 | The Last Faith | Cathedral | [b]A+[/b] Afterimage | [b]A Tier [i](Amazing)[/i][/b] Elderand | Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Environmental Station Alpha | Doomblade^ | [b]A-[/b] Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights | Depths of Sanity | [b]B+[/b] Blast Brigade | Haak | Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | [b]B Tier [i](Really Enjoyed)[/i][/b] Alwa’s Legacy | Steamworld Dig 2 | Islets | Blasphemous | After Death | Pronty^ | Mortal Manor* | Escape From Tethys | Outbuddies DX* | Monster Sanctuary | Elliot Quest | [b]B-[/b] Haiku, the Robot | [b]C+ [i](Fun)[/i][/b] Lone Fungus | Ghost Song | Death’s Gambit: Afterlife | Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Kunai | Kingdom Shell | Axiom Verge | Rabi-Ribi | TEVI | Treasure Adventure Game | [b]C Tier [i](More or Less Enjoyed)[/i][/b] Flipwitch | Infernax | Plague of Yamorn* | [b]Column on the Sea[/b] | Jrago* | MF-01 Aerostrike^ | Laika: Aged through Blood | Xanthiom Zero | Carrion^ | Chasm | Wuppo | The Mummy Demastered | Momodora 4 | Momodora 5 | Catmaze | Omega Strike | HunterX | HunterX: code name T | Aggelos | [b]C- (Meh)[/b] Sheepo | Ato | Cookie Cutter | Elephantasy | Rusted Moss^ | Grime | Moonscars | The Messenger | Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth | Iconoclasts | MindSeize | Ebenezer and the Invisible World | [b]D Tier [i](Didn’t enjoy enough to play through)[/i][/b] Castle In The Darkness | Alwa’s Awakening | Pharaoh Rebirth | Yoku’s Island Express | Guacamelee! 2 | Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse | Beholgar* | Phoenotopia: Awakening | Insect Adventure* | Clunky Hero* | Headlander | Strider | Minoria* | Souldiers | Bone Appetit | The Witch & the 66 Mushrooms | Transiruby | Destroy Space Aliens | La-Mulana | Guacamelee! | 8Doors | Gato Roboto | Super Panda Adventures | [b]E-Tier [i](Didn't like)[/i][/b] Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap | Ginsha | Dandara | Vernal Edge | Blaster Master Zero | Medusa* | Lost Ruins | Sundered | Salt & Sanctuary | Valdis Story | Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet | Touhou Luna Nights | Chronicles of Teddy | B.I.O.T.A. | Shadow Complex | Timespinner | Rex Rocket | Aquaria | Nyaruru Fishy Fight | Apotheon | Gungirl 2 | Bad Pad* | Lootbox Lyfe | Angel’s Gear* | Fearmonium | Magicians & Looters* | Tres-Bashers* | Dust: An Elysian Tale | =================== [i]^ = Mouse & Keyboard are STRONGLY advised.[/i] [i]* = Very raw indie or contains some jank or lack of polish.[/i] ---------------------------------

Disclosure: I backed this game on Kickstarter well above the highest tier (a few hundred dollars), and so you may say that I am biased in its favor. I do like this game very much, its controls are solid (very solid, actually, it's impressive) and the explorability of the levels is very fun. I quite liked getting a new ability, and then doubling back to a dungeon I've been in before to unlock some new secret. There is a sort of "hub world" between dungeons in that you can access all the other dungeons from within, but there are plenty of enemies here - so don't expect a safe hub. That was fun. Now, the story is simple and rather uninteresting. That's probably my only "complaint" if you can call it that, but it's not that big an issue. The story's not bad, it's just sort of okay. Nothing that made me excited to learn more about the lore of the world or what would come next. Still, a great game and I will definitely back any future games that this guy puts out! P.S, If you were wondering about those notes that appear near the end of the game, those were notes written by Kickstarter backers. Mine said "Tammy is the true hero of Rick & Morty! Birdperson deserved it, Rick - you're next!" or something to that effect. (LOL) I definitely stand by that message, but I wish I could have had the wisdom to put something more important into the game than that. If I could redo it, I would place an anti-smoking message in there instead, but oh well! By the way, the Ranger Girl boss was created by me. I think the dragons that guard secrets were also submitted by a Kickstarter backer, but I'm not sure.

"Column on the Sea" is the kind of game I am always excited to play: a game none talk about and have less than 10 reviews on Steam. I know it sounds wrong I wish to play games which didn't have a high recognition from the gaming community, but hey, I like to discover new unknown stuff. Laika and Erhardt, a group of treasure hunters, reach the lost ruins of Big Twin Island and find its many secrets and riches. Laika is indeed the little girl who holds the big freaking knife, ready to use it to unexpected monsters and other foes. Erhardt stayed behind on their ship to give moral support and headaches to Laika. The story has many anime tropes present which either you hate or love. Yes, there is even a scene where Laika complains that it is normal to have small boobs (because she is under 18 you see…) and it is a running gag for a long duration in the game. There are also some references to other games but they don't hit the mark… An early tip on the house: go to the options and switch to always run. You will thank me later. The gameplay starts very simply and it gets a bit more demanding with each upgrade you get. There are many classic ones like wall jump, breathing underwater, etc. so don't expect something new to rock your world. Aside from those you can also update your health/magic/rockets…annoyingly multiples times. There are the only extra upgrades you get and you will need them. Oh, yeah, you can also max the damage of your knife. Pointless. The biggest problem in the game are some of the bosses. The early ones are fairly easy, this changes really quick when you realize you need extra rockets and health to have a better chance to survive a fight. Also the hit detection is problematic for both sides. My most annoying boss I fought was a tiny little ♥♥♥♥ with a giant sword. You can imagine how many times I screamed when I was missing hitting him. With that said…I won't hide it was satisfying defeating them. Plus the final boss fight was solid. Another problem I had is the way you get a map of an area. You need to blindly search for them which sadly you can easily miss and you need to do this a 2nd time to see where you can get the upgrades and find the bosses. Also the checkpoint are far between so dying without finding them add to the cons I have. Overall I recommend it only if you love metroidvania games and are curious like me. It is fun or frustrating based on the situation you are into. A dangerous combo. 6/10