Nice Spice
Nice Spice takes JRPG-like elements (in-depth story segments, towns, equipment, leveling, etc) and combines it with randomized action-platformer battles.
SETTING OVERVIEW
In an enigmatic hellish underworld, different queer furry folk on their own journeys find one another and quickly form friendships and band together. They learn of mysterious arcane spices that when consumed, giant monsters and dungeons are summoned. With different personal goals and needs they decide that working together to collect the spices and conquer the dungeon is the best way to move forward, even if the path is full of dangers and peril. They travel through caves of guts and bones, goo, etc.
The story will feature themes of sexuality, mental health, queer comradery, and finding a sense of place in a hostile world.
CHARACTERS
The game has an ensemble cast of playable characters and NPCs, such as:
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Oregano, the perpetually anxious green canine who must rescue his boyfriend captured by a cultist.
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Yonko Donko, the donkey who taps into her inner butch badass when she learns to channel her punk idol.
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Preston, the nudist burnout shopkeeper who scavenges the ground for items.
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Marble, the otherworldly latex-clad being who is a total sweetie.
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A furry dragon with a thing for being tied up.
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Clyde, mysterious mummy, possibly hibernates in an egg made of bandages.
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Two mysterious canine demons who love prophecies, and have a floating head mascot creature pal.
GAMEPLAY
The fighting revolves around action-platforming and randomization. Once you get into an encounter with an enemy in a dungeon or in a random battle, you must complete a series of random-generated rooms with varying terrain and enemy placements, as well as random powerups when you defeat enemies, etc. You’ll also be focusing on managing XP, equipment, coins, finding shops etc.
Aside from the action segments, the other equally major focus of the game is on the story segments. You’ll spend lots of time getting to know the ensemble cast, spending time with eccentric townsfolk, and progressing a large story. The main story will be linear but you’ll be given freedom to explore and find denizens to hang out with to also further the plot.
In all there are several different views and modes used to traverse the game’s world:
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side-view random-gen action platforming battles
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side-view to explore towns and caves, very chill
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a top-down dungeon-crawling view, very trippy
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a SNES-style psuedo 3D overworld
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and scripted story segments will bring you to new areas too
ACCESSIBILITY
A few accessibility options we’ll include:
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turn off screenshake & tone down flashy effects
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slow down time for all battles, to make the game easier to control
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hide nude illustrations
Read More: Best 2D Platformer Action-Adventure Games.
Timespinner
Personal General Impressions
TL;DR: Unlock hardmode with a code, ignore the uneven difficulty curve, ignore the bad narrative and heavy handed politics and poor writing, and the gameplay isn’t bad but I’d easily recommend Hollow Knight, Ori and the Blind Forest, and Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight over this.
I have really mixed feelings on this: I don’t regret my purchase, but I also can’t recommend it when there are alternatives that are so much better.
The game on normal is awful (bad writing, mediocre narrative, and absurdly insanely easy game play). But with a code
! Nightmare777 you can unlock nightmare/hard mode right away; then the difficulty curve is a bit uneven peaking on the second boss and getting too easy by endgame. But overall I had some good times with the game play and I don’t really play metroidvania’s for good narratives or good writing (though I guess I’ve been a bit spoiled by Hollow Knight, Ori and the Blind Forest, and even Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight all of which I easily recommend over Timespinner).
– Real player with 89.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best 2D Platformer Female Protagonist Games.
As someone who backed this game on kickstarter and was a regular on his weekly development livestreams, this game was a massive disappointment. While it gets the basics of a game done right it never bothers to do anything to make itself truly unique amongst the other games of its kind.
I’ll first give this game some credit and say there is some semblance of a quality game in here. Bodie has evolved as a pixel artist through HD index painting, and a majority of the landscapes have a good look to them, save for a couple of isolated areas that have a plain black background, which to me seem unfinished. Another quality is that the soundtrack is also above average, with several tracks approaching that of Michiru Yamane’s level of talent. The game’s basic setup is a revenge story that pits magic against technology. Also, the game controls are tight and responsive, and unlike the GBA Metroid games it doesn’t hold your hand through the whole thing, letting you progress by realizing and learning what each upgrade does. In essence, the game benefits from a strong start.
– Real player with 28.1 hrs in game
Viola: The Heroine’s Melody
I suppose I will put out my 2 cents on this game.
I love it, simply put it that way. Viola takes inspiration from many video game series, yet it still manages to feel unique in its own way. Gameplay is super solid, requiring the proper keyboard presses alongside proper timing to successfully pull off attacks and similar actions. There is also a cool mechanic originating from this game involving defending, in which a character defending has a % chance to protect a teammate from damage. This is a great example of one of the special touches made in the game to help it shine and stand out.
– Real player with 53.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best 2D Platformer JRPG Games.
Take a chance on trust!
Viola is a cute, relaxing, relatable, and fun game. Plain and simple.
Each character has enough depth so you know what they are about as far as character development goes.
The movement of the platforming is spot on, Viola moves exactly where you want her to be.
I have reached the end of early access in 13 hours, about 1.5 hours of that was backtracking to do side quests/story.
The combat keeps you on edge with the buttons needing to be pressed in a timed manner, is very well balanced, and you will not need to grind.
– Real player with 15.6 hrs in game
Lore Finder
Become K.C. Morgan, paranormal investigator, and search a New England mansion for your missing father. Battle the forces of corruption infesting the mansion armed only with your wits and an old .38 revolver, and gather scrolls of forbidden lore. But the more you discover, the more warped and twisted the world – and you – become.
Uncover the story of Lore Finder, a 2D metroidvania and a modern queer reimagining of the cosmic horror genre.
Features
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Traverse a changing world: Individual rooms will transform and hold new surprises as you accumulate powers.
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Find your own path: Non-linear design encourages freeform, exploration-based, and self-directed progression. Complete sections of the game in what order you like.
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Experience atmosphere: From the dark and oppressive living areas, to the impersonal basement with its cold steel and mortar, to the dank caverns that lie even further below.
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Accumulate forbidden powers: Embrace your own corruption, fight fire with fire, and wield dark powers against their own progenitors.
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Face climactic terrors: Within the mansion dwell dangers of elevated strength and influence, often guarding crucial ways and powers.
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Uncover a family’s corruption: Experience the result of the restless emotions of the mansion’s formerly human inhabitants expressed through an eldritch power, from the anxiety of a frustrated would-be scientist to the isolation and anguish of a child unloved.
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Piece together past events: Explore and find scattered evidence of the inhabitants' otherworldly transformation through journal entries and memory-stained objects.
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Girlfriend mode: Beat the game to unlock this mode, allowing you to play as K.C.’s girlfriend, with all new powers and story.
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Speedrun mode: The speedrun mode offers a built-in timer and will streamline play experience for speedrunners.
Background
Lore Finder is a modern queer reimagining of the cosmic horror genre, taking influences from the various games and literary works in the genre first inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, set in the latter half of the 20th century. It is the story of K.C. Morgan (a non-binary character) who is a Private Investigator turned Paranormal Investigator after the disappearance of their father, Richard Morgan, a professor and researcher at Boston University. Eventually, their search takes them to a mansion owned by the Wright family on an island off the New England Coast.
Once there K.C. discovers that the residents and staff have been horribly corrupted by some twisted occult influence, the only clues as to their fate, and the fate of their father seems to be found within scrolls, written on human skin, filled with dark forbidden lore so terrible that it may rend the very fabric of reality itself.
Matters become even more disturbing once K.C. begins to explore the basement. Evidence of terrible, inhuman experiments lie discarded next to twisted bodies and implements of torture.
Alone, and facing terror, madness, and corruption, not only all around them, but also within their very soul, K.C. must work their way through the mansion, risking death, madness or worse in an attempt to uncover what happened to the inhabitants of the mansion, and their father.
Romancelvania
Romancelvania is a both a loving parody of Metroidvanias and fresh take on dating in games. It’s an RPG that features in-depth weapon and magic based combat, exploration based platforming, and a cast of gorgeous monsters that you won’t be able to resist.
You play as the legendary playboy vampire himself, Drac, as he battles and romances his way across Transylvania. After being reluctantly recruited by the Grim Reaper to star in a “reality dating show,” he’s on a mission to find the world’s most eligible monsters, get them to move into his party mansion, and restore his former glory by killing everything in his path along the way.
Introducing the Thirsty Metroidvania - Romance your way across Transylvania, encounter absurd monsters, craft weapons, learn magic, and more.
Build your castle - Grow the party mansion as you convince more cast members to move in, and decide where monsters live to get stat and skill bonuses.
Enjoy the Showmance - Take the cast members on outlandish dates, massage your sweetheart to unlock more conversation options, and spend time getting to know these supernatural hotties.
Trap Genesis
look dude, you already know who it is. you know what i’m about to say.
this series is my lifeblood. learning that this series is ten years old has made me go digging. i’m going to search every nook and cranny i can find for any trap media released in ‘11. i need to know everything there is about this series.
20,000 hours in trap shrine, 10,000 hours in trap legend, and soon to be a million in trap genesis.
i’m too far gone, please don’t try to reason with me.
– Real player with 1923.0 hrs in game
Before I start, congratulation on reaching the 10 year anniversary on the trap series. I do wish to play all the trap games develop from No~strike (including Nounai Kanajo which is mostly the same developer) but at the moment not yet translated. I did play josou sanmyaku and josou kaikyou. Josou Kaiyou did not have an an official english patch but did able to play by downloading the English Unofficial patch while of course trap shrine and legend.
Now here I go with the third game to do it with Hinowa, oh this will be more great.
– Real player with 30.1 hrs in game
Welcome Back To 2007 2
Well I had fun.
The game feels like a joke, an inside joke that you are not in on, and was told in another language (russian)
The games titles welcome back to 2007, I dont know what is so 20007 about it. Emo subculture ?
You play as a dude named emo boy. I beat the game and still have no idea what the story is, you kill people and jump around. That is the game.
Controls are slippery, many deaths many deaths, enemy placement and obsticales feel unfare, you just have to brute force it. Also you have a jetpack, but the fuel runs out quickly. Once you run out of fuel you have to resart, the platforming is based on the jetpack. Also the controls for the jetpack are imprecise, many deaths, many deaths. This is a hard game.
– Real player with 6.5 hrs in game
◄Likes►
• Although a bit repetitive, the music is pretty bumpin’
• I enjoyed levels 6, 7, 11, 15, 16, 24 and 25 as they had interesting concepts or themes that the rest of the levels did not
◄Dislikes►
• Movement feels slippery
• Levels are long and loopy and start to feel similar as you progress
• Enemies are cardboard cutouts that do nothing but stand in your way for you to shoot
• Boss fights leave you feeling hollow as you just walk forward and shoot your way through
• Checkpoints can be far and few between
– Real player with 1.8 hrs in game
Dad Quest
Welcome to an experience that will incite laughter, joy, and relatable drama. I played this game twice through in order to create its first “Dadthrough”. I love its humor, I love its gameplay/mechanics, and its story is filled with detailed anecdoates that capture my imagination.
Dad Quest is a triumph that seeks to demonstrate the power of conviction. We might not be impervious, but we can be resilient! Our will can persevere!
I have shared this game with my friends, family, and social mediums. I hope that our entire world experiences this epic quest that involves nightmares, credit, and a thief.
– Real player with 42.5 hrs in game
Context: Was gifted from a friend to commemorate(?) becoming a real-life dad for the first time a few months back.
Control Method: Xbox 360 controller
‘Thoroughness of playthrough’ - completed 80% of achievements within first playthrough, remaining bonuses completed in 2-3 hours afterwards, though some collectibles left undiscovered,
Plot: The storyline concept was pretty unique and a lovely way to learn about the ‘dad universe’ without over-explaining aspects of the world & lore; Greatly appreciated the variety of dads in the game, and definitely had a few moments that hit close to home!
– Real player with 14.9 hrs in game
Shot in the Dark
TL; DR
Pros:
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Great level design
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Cool music
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Nice Art Direction
Cons:
- Very difficult, at times unfair
Wow!
This game is really cool. The mechanics of the visual design, hiding monsters in the limited colors and backgrounds, is really cool. And the combat being limited to a standstill and aim is a cool way to encourage caution from the player. This game has been on my wishlist since I played the demo at an expo and I hope more people check out this game for the sake of the developer.
Edit: After completing the game my recommendation is even stronger.
– Real player with 6.3 hrs in game
This form of artstyle and game design I’ll forever hold near and dear to my heart, but the feel in Shot in the Dark really captures and sells the genre; tight and responsive platforming, a curious shooting mechanic that is very smooth in action, a story that’s simple but not boring. It impresses me to see decades-old mechanics explored in newer and more creative ways, I wouldn’t know where to begin setting the “pace” for those last few levels.
I look forward to what your crew works on next!
– Real player with 5.8 hrs in game
The Gardener and the Wild Vines
I received am copy of this game for free from the developers
I loved this game so much! I’m fairly new to platformers, so I was expecting to struggle a LOT, but I had so much fun, even when I was struggling! The story made me cry many times, and I think it’s a perfect mix of storytelling and play, and has great parallels to real life situations that people may be struggling with.
Long story short, this game is beautifully written, and is so much fun to play. Definitely give it a go if you can!
– Real player with 7.8 hrs in game
This is good. This is VERY good. For a price as low as this, I was expecting a game that could be finished in half an hour and not give the slightest toss about plot resolution or characterisation.
But no; The Gardener and the Wild Vines is a fantastic game. Took me about six hours to complete and it’s bloody beautiful. Even with the retro-style 3D and pixel art, it’s still a unique game with a cool unique idea that it does very well, it’s very creative, and the characters are well done. Absolutely worth the play.
– Real player with 6.2 hrs in game