Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo

Probably the best top down metroidvania out there

I think it's a good sign when literally the only bad thing I can say about a game is "Well it got a little bit dry trying to 100% it", just pure joy and variety and cool mechanics for the entire playtime.

Pipistrello isn't just another decent indie zelda-like - it's fantastic, and I feel like it deserves more recognition. The main thing that sets it apart is its excellent level design. If you are drawn to this genre for its puzzles, secrets and layered exploration, you'll love this game. [h3]Level Design[/h3] I'm just going to list all the things I enjoyed about the level design: [list] [*]A giant overworld that connects all the main dungeons (and is larger than all of them combined) [*]Lots of secrets, some more hidden that others, some with cool rewards, others with just a little nod from the developer to acknowledge you found a cool spot [*]A large array of "badges" (similar to hollow knight's charms) as rewards for exploration. The badges have a huge amount of utility - build around a certain mechanic you like, make a broken OP build for combat, make the game harder, focus purely on survivability, or go for high-risk/high-reward. I would change my badges often for different situations and it was always fun. [*]Every main dungeon has a unique structure to it. This relates to the theme of the dungeon, and adds some variety in the way you explore it, and the moment-to-moment gameplay within it [*]All major upgrades from dungeons have applications in combat, traversal, puzzle solving, and can be used in other dungeons and the overworld [*]Some ability to do things out of order, sequence break, and find a few unintended solutions to puzzles [*]Lots of mini side-dungeons, many of which are optional [*]Some incredibly creative minigames with extra prizes for higher scores [*]The map is sick as hell - an incredibly useful tool for exploration, but it doesn't spoil anything you haven't found. [*]A completely optional hint system in the late game that will help you track down the last few collectibles if you're going for 100% (it reveals the location on the map but not how to access it) [*]Little bits of worldbuilding everywhere. The lore is not on the level of something like hollow knight, but the game never feels like a random sequence of puzzle/combat rooms. There's plenty of environmental storytelling, quirky NPCs, and small ways that the game responds to your actions. [/list] [h3]Everything Else[/h3] Everything else about the game is great too. It probably won't be the reason you buy the game, but it will certainly enhance the experience. The combat is fun, but definitely the support act to the puzzle solving. It can be tricky in places (especially a few optional areas), but isn't difficult overall. Enemy variety is decent, mostly serving to encourage the use of different moves and badge loadouts, rather than providing significantly higher levels of challenge. There are some fun boss fights, most of which took me 2 to 3 attempts. The pixel art is beautiful and very detailed. I really enjoy the busy, almost cluttered nature of the art. It suits the setting of a dense, slightly disfunctional metropolis, and is a nice break from the more popular examples of 16bit pixel art that tend towards minimalism, highly coordinated colour palletes, and vibey lighting/particle effects. There are also a lot of nice touches beyond the art style, like every item having its own animation when you hit it with the yoyo. The music is incredibly catchy. There aren't a lot of tracks, but they're all good. The game also makes good use of slightly altered versions of tracks when you move to different parts of each dungeon. The story is decent, but like most of these games it isn't a huge focus. It's a (mostly) light-hearted, cartoony satirisation of corrpution, greed, and shady business practices. I think the game did a good job of making all the villains be very locally focused. There's no evil mega-corp trying to take over the whole world in this game, everyone is a local player trying to squeeze someone or something within the city.