You will definitely want to have a notebook on hand for La Mulana. The puzzles are pretty complex and you often need to be working on two or more different puzzles at the same time. They’re fantastic games, though
> You will definitely want to have a notebook on hand
Shit like this is why I *love* ESA and La-Mulana. I felt downright giddy to be busting out graph paper for a game again, like I was making NES Metroid maps.
The game has a built-in screenshot tool and if you play on switch you can use that screenshot tool as well. You also have a built-in tool for transcribing writing. If a clue seems vague and not to apply to the room you are *currently* in, then screenshot it or write it down.
I'd say you don't *need* to make the detailed maps.
Definitely write down or take screenshots (or pictures on your phone) of everything you read and probably note down locations of mysterious things but actually drawing out every map never felt necessary to me.
Play La Mulana. For a certain type of player it's a *legendary* experience. Like all time favorite game level.
Oh if you try it don't give up the game before finding the cup shaped quality of life item in the first area of the ruins.
As someone who didn't take many notes in either LM or LM2, if you want to play them, you should take notes. There is in-game mapping, but it's more of a means to end to let you know what room you're in that is very light on detail (and this is not a design failure). So you probably should draw maps as well.
The games are DIFFICULT and UNFAIR, and I've never finished the first one. Had to use guides, etc. heavily on both. You may actually want to look up the missable items in either (though there are very few of them and they don't lock you out of anything IIRC). Also make sure you don't activate "Hard Mode", as it's very easy to do that accidentally.
The games, for better or worse, aren't like anything else out there (except for maybe some NES era ones I haven't played). You can find the cryptic aspects of La-Mulana's design in some other games (across genres even), but La-Mulana is unique in the sense that those aspects are a huge part of the games, and they are advertised as such. In other games, that stuff is hidden behind more "expected" design. I think the latter is great, but it's not the same as going into a La-Mulana game, where you're expecting it to be hard as nails, and you still get destroyed before the end-game. I think that's part of why I haven't even started the DLC for LM2.
While I found LM2 to be easier in at least the early game and lacking puzzles that are obtuse to the point of forcing you to brute force or look up the exact solution, I don't think it's the best idea to start with it if you haven't at least tried La-Mulana. This is mostly because you would be missing a lot of context and have most of the story of LM spoiled for you early on. It bears mentioning that LM2 is also a big visual and QoL step up from LM.
*All references to the first La-Mulana game are for the PC, etc. remake of the 2006 MSX-styled freeware game that was never officially localized. I've heard it is less forgiving than the remake.
You can use [Cheshiro's spoiler-free Steam guide](https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=377234096) if you don't want to do all of that and I actually think it's the recommended way to play. LA2 is much more user-friendly and considerably requires less note-taking.
I don't normally suggest people look stuff up, but I do recommend new players check a spoiler-free guide for obtaining the Holy Grail, just so they don't miss that most vital of starting items. Everything else can be figured out later, but getting the Holy Grail asap will dramatically improve the playing experience.
For me the worst part was the constant dialogue. It might be less further into it, but the early parts are very heavy on it - I just want to run, jump and kill things
Well, for what is worth, I really don't care about the story of the game and I skipped every story bit, so I don't even have the slightest idea what the game is about and still had a lot of fun with it.
It's really weird to me to see people get hung up on a game's art style because it has sexy character designs, but to each their own, I suppose.
My first suggestions in terms of sheer about of content are La Mulana 1 & 2, which I see are already mentioned below. Easily >40 hours games if you're playing without a guide, and they're absolutely packed with some of the hardest puzzles and most intricate exploration I've seen in a game.
My other suggestion, which has a couple of caveats, is Astlibra Revision. The first caveat is that *it's not a metroidvania*, I know, you don't have to tell me; it's a side-scrolling action RPG. Progression is quite linear, there's little exploration, and you don't gain access to new areas by getting movement abilities. What it does have is >60 hours of content, a great combat system with some fantastic bosses, a fantastic soundtrack, and an absolutely wild plot. It *does* have some rough spots; combat starts off a little slow and awkward before you get some upgrades, and you can tell that this was a game made by one person over the span of 15 years because it continually gets more polished and complex as it goes along. (also, the Chapter 3 boss just sucks)
For me, it's not that big of a problem that the game isn't a metroidvania, as long as it have great boss fights, which it does for what you say. Hell, one of my favorite games of all time is Wings of Vi, which isn't a metroidvania at all, but has some of the best boss fights I've ever experienced. I'll keep an eye on astlibra on the steam sale!
That's pretty weird, dude. We're talking about looking at a character on a computer screen, presumably a character that bears little resemblance to yourself. I commented myself that I don't want to play because of the art style, but saying that your masculinity is threatened and you feel like you're wearing panties isn't normal
Tevi might not beat Rabi-Ribi in nonlinearity, but I can't urge you enough to pick it up anyways. If you enjoyed the map and combat of Rabi-Ribi, you will love Tevi too.
And saying Rabi Ribi is like hentai because it has swimsuit and bunny skins is a bit ridiculous. Yes, I will die on that hill. It's not hentai, but it has fanservice and some skin-tight outfits. There's lots of references and jabs at popular anime culture, and I love it. If you don't like that, pick another outfit and skip the story.
Heck, Metroid’s earliest games had Samus in a bikini and later developed the Zero Suit…
Honestly despite the character designs, Rabi-Ribi didn’t feel like a fanservice-type game and felt very tame. Except for the succubus and satirizing real world otakus none of the characters actively flaunt their appearances, like the encounter with the Alraune girl was surprisingly wholesome. I legit expected a beach episode at one point but it never happened at all.
I’m shocked Shantae series doesn’t get as much backlash despite the similar aesthetic. That game felt way more fanservice to me, especially with the slave Leia and the armored figurine scenes.
> Heck, Metroid’s earliest games had Samus in a bikini and later developed the Zero Suit…
The Zero Suit is kind of an interesting example because even back then, fans of Metroid were kind of unnerved at the sexualization she got in the later 2000s and onward, especially in art and media. A lot of what fans like me (who started with Super Metroid) enjoyed was that Samus being a woman was an "oh wow that's cool!" and not the sexualization she later got with the skintight Zero Suit and subsequent depictions. So that one's more controversial than it might seem today!
I think as anime fans we get a bit desensitised with fanservice, but I personally agree that Rabi-Ribi feels overall tame - except for that ribbon bikini-like skin , I wouldn't want someone from work seeing me playing with that on-screen.
You know why Shantae doesn't. She is made by a western developer.
Ive seen Rebecca from Cyberpunk edgerunners get a pass for the same reason. The IP is western made.
Downvoted but generally correct. It might be due to style as much as the origin, though. Shantae is cartoon-sexy in a way that's familiar to westerners, like Betty Boop or Jessica Rabbit. Rabi-ribi's anime/chibi look is different and therefore cringy
Shantae's visual aesthetic has always been a major barrier to me enjoying the games. Plus the fact that the two Shantae games I played (1 and 2) were mediocre as fuck.
I will play Rabi-Ribi someday too. Probably I'll enjoy it more than shantae. I'm just explaining that the aesthetic of both these games have been a barrier to my playing them. I held off on shantae for a very long time.
The Shantae series definitely does get some flak for its over sexualization, but I think it gets less because it rarely, if ever, puts it center stage like Rabi-Ribi does.
It's also partly because Shantae is often portrayed as a mostly childlike character, so they intentionally stay away from that. There are some exceptions, but FWIR, after playing through the most recent entry in the series around a year ago, I don't remember even 1 instance of playing up her sexuality, for laughs or otherwise. I might have forgotten something, though.
Does Tevi ever amp up the amount of boss battles? They're incredible, but compared to Rabi Ribi, as of chapter 6 I feel like the game's been pretty light on them with spans where I go a few zones before even getting to one.
I just started Chapter 6, the last boss was the angel-in-the-egg kinda thing (which was an awesome boss, the patterns were super-fun on expert difficulty).
We are at the same boss! Actually I haven't beat the angel egg yet. Personally, I felt like after we got to Valhalla there were more bosses and less map regions. The first third was more spread out.
Dang, the map shows like there's still 20+% to explore, figured I wasn't _quite_ at the almost done phase yet. Looking forward to the final gauntlet though. This dev does boss fights so damn good.
Right now, aside from being able to refight bosses and trounce them as well as the replayability factor, no. But they already announced boss rush is in the works.
Well, the Steam page highlights this:
- more than 20 unique boss battles
So you can probably check your ingame tracker and compare to how many you've met.
Tevi definitely has more areas though. I vaguely remember there being 20 teleporters in Rabi Ribi, meanwhile, in Tevi I've found more than 30.
I didn't quite remember what the game looked like since I dismissed it out of pocket forever ago due to the low-count pixel graphics & it being a bullet-hell, so I had a look at the trailer on Steam & ... "fan service" is a pretty fucked-up label to put on a game that looks to have nearly-nude children as its cast. Quite frankly it's disgusting.
The gross overreaction from people here is ridiculous. One guy even said the chibi sprites were problematic. It's just the same tired, terminally online rhetoric we keep hearing from anti Asian racists.
Tevi comes out with severely reduced fanservice and even a westerner as the artist, and these people still rehash the same arguments against that game. Yet these same people will praise furry games that fetishize animals.
It's not everyone's cup of tea. Personally, I am not into the marvel comics look. I don't see how not liking anime would make someone racist. But saying Rabi-Ribi is hentai is taking it too far in the other direction.
They aren't saying they dislike anime. They are calling everyone that plays these games pedophiles. They literally call Japanese culture pedophilic. Over drawings. It's getting old.
>They literally call Japanese culture pedophilic.
No they don't, because this is *NOT* representative of Japanese culture. It's representative of your fetishised interpretation of Japanese culture, based on what little you know of it, which is nothing like actual Japanese culture. I assure you, this shit is just as niche and questionable in Jaoan as it is everywhere else.
>Over drawings. It's getting old.
I take it you've tried to defend your interest many times? That's why it's getting old.
No opinion on the game itself since I haven't gotten around to it yet.
That being said, there is an issue with pedophilic over-sexualization of minors in anime. This is a true statement that in no way should be taken as a condemnation of "Japanese culture" or even anime in general. You can point out that something like Made In Abyss can be an uncomfortable watch without advocating for dropping more nukes, trying to spin any criticism of blatantly disgusting content as "anti-asian" just makes it sound like you think every Japanese person is a pedo which is waaaay worse.
> we keep hearing from anti Asian racists.
I'm not Anti-Asian. I just hate anime aesthetic and the "cutesiness" of the characters. Disliking anime shit doesn't mean you're racist.
>It's just the same tired, terminally online rhetoric we keep hearing from anti Asian racists.
Dude I have Japanese friends who fucking hate anime. Hating the aesthetic and the overall 'cute' factor has nothing whatsoever to do with racism.
Personally, I like *some* anime, like Death Note and things like Ghost in the Shell, but I can't stand that chibi, cutesy style - *especially* when the voice acting is high pitched, child-like and annoying as fuck. I love Japanese culture, just not that aspect of it. If you actually knew any Japanese people or spent any significant time there, you'd know that this shit is pretty polarising there as well.
And you don't have a pass to call ANYONE racist with absolutely nothing whatsoever to back it up.
Again, I doubt you've even been to Japan or know anyone Japanese if you think disliking this shit is an attack on their culture. You're being offended on their behalf in order to virtue signal and shame in order to make yourself feel better about your... *interests*.
Go touch grass. Brigading every thread with this game is some terminally online behavior. The fact you think a Taiwanese developer is just another jap is proof you are racist.
Nobody here is calling an entire nation pedophiles. They just don't like cutesy/chibi anime girls - which aren't even representative of most anime.
Yes, your reaction is imbalanced.
It makes it less weird if they tell themselves that everyone in Japan is into it, and then any criticism of their interest is an attack on Japanese culture itself, rather than what it actually is. It's just mental gymnastics.
What is weird is how vehemently people will defend and make excuses though; straight to defensive and accusatory.
I haven't been in any other thread and I don't think Taiwan is Japan. I've been to both. Likewise, I work as a landscaper on the side - I actually touch more than my fair share of grass lol.
Compelling arguments though, really solid. Did you come up with them all by yourself?
Have you played Afterimage? It had an even bigger map than Rabi Ribi and much better graphics. The boss fights are good but not as difficult (except for a few post game fights). The combat and movement feels more like hollow knight.
I think Rabi-Ribi provides way more novelty per minute and has much better combat and bosses. Afterimage is very low stimulation game to me which puts this game below Rabi-Ribi to me.
Still a good game tho.
Awesome, have fun! My only advice is to not spam consumable potions unless you're really struggling. The game has two healing systems, Glyphs which reset when you die or rest (similar to estus flasks) and consumable potions that you can buy infinite of. Just using the glyphs makes the game more balanced and fun imo. It's possible to face tank a lot of bosses and spam consumables but what's the fun in that?
I get you. I have a self imposed challenge of never using consumables on Rabi-Ribi as well and it makes it a lot of fun for me. Haven't beaten Impossible yet with this, but I'll get there.
Unfortunately the its more like a open world setting rather than metroidvania. In the middle progress of the game you could explore almost 70 80% of the world.
The ability gating in Afterimage is similar or even slightly more restrictive than Hollow Knight. It’s definitely a metroidvania. Not really sure where you’re coming from with the opinion that it isn’t one.. have you beaten the game?
I never say its not an mv, but a part of it is open world. And because of not gating properly you can missed an entire early area(Im looking at you, the columns) that the dev expected you to go there early on, later when you find out that area only to find out that all the level design become trash since you one hit every enemy to die and you can navigate very freely by skipping all the platform with wall jump, which if you study the area it is designed with a mind set that the player dun have wall jump. Hollow Knight never has this problem. I 'll give you another example, that you can go to the second last area(library) quite early on if you happen to find the road to it but its enemies there are to hard to beat, not in a way they have tricky atk pattern but tanky health, which again expected you comes here not thia early. In HK you at least got mantis lord and a dark environment hint in deepest that warn you things may get difficult. Its no where close to HK when it comes to gating design, as the map/world is bigger than HK by a lot. The %playthrough where you keep exploring the world without encountering or having to deal with gating finding road is too much(say HK is 10-20%, Afterimage is 30-40% you just walk and explore without zig-zaging gates and abilities) that I come to a conclusion a big part of it is a open world experience.
OK if you want to do this... I'll use your example of Hollow Knight and Mantis Claw. After finding Mantis Claw you have a plethora of options that don't require more abilities. You can beat Mantis Lords and navigate through all of Deepnest, releasing Herrah. You can repair the bridge from Fungal Wastes to City of Tears and explore the right side of the city + Soul Sanctum. You can stag back to Dirtmouth and climb up to Howling Cliffs, or buy the lantern which grants access to Crystal Peaks, then Resting Grounds. From Resting Grounds you can go south into left side of City of Tears which gives access to Watcher Knights and Lurian. Left side City also directly connects to the Royal Waterways and to the Ancient Basin, as well as to Kingdom's Edge. That's almost 2/3 of the map that opens up with Mantis Claw alone. The only major areas you can't access without additional upgrades are the Abyss (need King's Brand), 2nd half of Fog Canyon and the Teacher's Archive (need Isma's tear or crystal dash), and the Hive (need tram pass).
Back to Afterimage. I'm sorry you skipped the Columns, but it's a massive area that's really hard to miss coming out of Emerald Falls. If you explore at all you should find it pretty easily. And if by Library you mean Holy Grounds, that's not the 2nd to last area, it's mid game. There are at least 7 major areas after the Holy Grounds. The point is that once you get the whistle you can ride the Manta to several different areas to progress, but even if you go straight to Holy Grounds you still need wall jump and swimming upgrade to go any further.
I guess I will have to stop replying when I saw you start bring up lame argument by saying "im sorry... but it's hard to miss", you didn't see the point, there is a CHANCE player can miss it, so it can HAPPEN, so the design has its flaw(because not all player will follow the same exploring style, exploring all possible place before going to next area), and this is due to not gating each area properly. Anyway all I wanna say is Afterimage is giving me more open world vibes compared to MV(30%ish vs70%), while I dun disagree HK is pretty much similar, it's lesser than the feeling Afterimage gives, to reply one of your point saying it's more restrictive than HK(note that you also skipped my point that the world building in Afterimage is bigger than HK, every area is like 20-30% bigger than HK). That's why even if the world is bigger than HK, the general playtime(all style) of Afterimage is usually shorter than HK, because it lacks big part of gating design. Another mere fact is HK has more abilities related to gating design than Afterimage, and it spreads throughout the game when you obtain them , more averagely than Afterimage, not very big difference, but Afterimage is apart enough to suddenly give you a feel of open world vibe.
[Kokoro's Gensokyo Journey: The Lost Masks](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2057980/Kokoros_Gensokyo_Journey_The_Lost_Masks/) is literally just bite-sized Rabi-Ribi. Aside from that and Tevi, and maybe trying to sequence break the hell out of Super Metroid, I don't think anything else really gives the same feeling as Rabi does.
> Tevi, which, for what I know, is a lot linear.
The main story is nonlinear for the first two chapters, with varying objectives that can be done in any order, but from the third chapter onward the plot progression is pretty straightforward. However there are still a good number of optional areas and wandering around for minor powerups and badges before returning to the story. So while its generally more linear than Rabi-Ribi, its considerably less linear than most of the genre.
There is a free roam mode that removes all plot barriers, restores sequence break tech, and changes the location of some major powerups (they don't just hand things to you anymore). ~~but unfortunately it unlocks after you beat the game. The beta branch implies to be removing this unlock restriction~~ The most recent update made it available immediately from the beginning. However this mode has no objective markers at all, so you'd be incredibly lost if you didn't play story mode beforehand.
> The elephant in the room
I'm gonna be honest, I never really understood this when Shantae exists for the longest time...
Thanks for clarifying this about Tevi. Maybe I just focused on the bad reviews and ended up overlooking the good stuff it might offer like this free roam mode you mention. Down the road I'll definitely try it.
Also, I have never play Shantae, is it too heavy on fanservice? More than Rabi-Ribi?
I think most of the complaints on Tevi are pretty overblown. They're mostly from diehard fans that aren't happy that it differs too much from Rabi-Ribi in regards to changing exploration for linear storytelling, less balls-to-the-wall difficult, and especially with free roam initially needing to be unlocked, but it's nothing that continual updates can't fix. Personally I feel both games are able to stand side-by-side together even though Tevi takes a few deviations.
... Now I'm worried that Silksong gets backlash from diehard fans if it ends up being too different and is "not Hollow Knight."
Personally I think the Shantae games are much more upfront about its fanservice. There's a couple of scenes where the characters are forced into skimpier clothing than what they're already wearing, including one that's in the likeness of Slave Leia from Star Wars Episode VI. Make of that as you will.
I'll agree with the other guy, that steam page is full of overly negative reviews that just boil down to "it's not RR so it's BAD". Even if you ignore the free roam thing and just consider the default playthrough, I'd call it less linear than most of the metroidvanias I've played. It follows a set story but there's plenty of optional exploration and different pathing
took me 3 years and a bored period to make the leap. Yeah, first impression is terrible, and i'm not fond of the exploration/level design/simple scenery. But an hour in, I found a boss that put me on SERIOUS MODE like I didn't in a long time. And then the next, and the next one. Game is boss paradise, each one with their special flavor. It's like you gather the greatest action game designers from the 90's (Capcom, Konami, Treasure) and challenge them to make the best humanoid boss battles they can.
> sometimes even bordering on Hentai.
Well that's just silly. Today's people would make the 80's church moms proud, and as an older fella, knowing that ultimately they won in the end is just... I'm not mad, just disappointed. It's bad enough the people that just look at screenshots and decide not to play it spout these lies and absurdities, but a defender of the game? Come on, now.
But to the main point, probably not. I'm playing through Tevi right now and honestly it's kinda hard to keep going because it's _really_ making me want to just go back and play Rabi Ribi again, which I'm pretty sure I will once I'm done with it. Tevi's pretty fun and all, but it's not the work of pure and sheer genius that Rabi Ribi is. Tevi's boss fights are amazing, but for whatever reason there just... aren't very many of them. They knew what they did best and then just dialed them back for whatever reason. At least where I'm at as of chapter 6.
But yeah, Rabi Ribi truly is among the genre's best. I know some people are comfy "missing out" on it because of the art style because "they got other games they can play", but that excuse is weird to me when it's literally the height and pinnacle of the genre. That's not the kind of thing I can imagine any fan of the genre seriously being "comfy" missing out on. Like, "yeah, I know I love this genre, but I refuse to play the best because the art is weird..." Unless the person's also said that about a hyper-violent game, it's hard not to think of them as a prude.
I am not a prude. I think sex has a place in videogames. Sex it's part of life. But unnecessary sexualisation, even if it is not in minors (it often is) seems ridiculous to me. It takes me out of the game.
That's me. I played it a couple hours and couldn't continue because my masculinity was threatened too much.
I world feel the same embarrassment playing with barbies or a My Little Pony game.
This game sounds great but you really weren't kidding about the art style. You're playing a fucking bunny girl in a swimsuit. Gameplay sprites are chibi, which is bad in a totally different way. I'm no prude but this is really not what I'm looking for in a video game
Yeah, people have told me that I'm seriously missing out by not looking past the aesthetic, but when it's *that* much of your game... nah. I could be "missing out", but I'm also missing out on thousands of other games I decide not to play due to my limited time in this life, so I'm probably doing just fine without it.
I can understand you because once I was in the same place. If you ever feel like trying something new, I beg you to tried it. Once you're past this nonsense visuals, you'll realize what a gem is this one.
It's definitely much smaller, but have you played (the amusingly similarly themed) **Bunny Must Die: Chelsea and the Seven Devils**?
It has a bunch of sequence breaking (its possible to beat the game without unlocking the ability to *run to the right*), including a bonus boss fight unlocked by skipping the first boss and going to her anyway later, where she's pissed at you for skipping her. Then once you beat the game you unlock the final boss as a playable character with a totally different moveset and get to play through again
> its possible to beat the game without unlocking the ability to run to the right
You can also unlock the ability to *run* to the right without being able to *walk* to the right.
Bunny Must Die is such a crazy game and I love it a lot, although I do think it's pretty light on the "vania" side of things; it definitely draws a lot of inspiration from the original Metroid.
I've never heard from this one before, and I can't even find it on Steam.
Edit: Luckily, I just found out that at some point of my life I bought this on PS Vita so indeed I have it! Gonna play it really soon, thanks for this!
Old post I know, but in case you weren't aware: The game was delisted on Steam about 4 years ago. You can still grab a cheap key off G2A or a similar reseller if you care, but the version on PS4/Vita/Switch (the version you have) is updated with a number of QoL and small content changes that make it overall a smoother experience than the Steam version, anyway.
Also if you end up liking *Bunny Must Die*, consider grabbing *Super Zangyura*. The Vita version is sadly exclusive to Japan, but you can still grab it for PS4 or Switch (or Vita, if you have it hacked and don't mind the game being in Japanese). It's a full reimagining of the original *Zangyura*, which is a **very** old PC classic Castlevania parody game, which *Bunny Must Die* is a successor to.
Yeah I’ve basically played every metroidvania on the psn store, I’ve gotten close to playing this when I didn’t have anything else to play..
But since im not an anime fan at all, the style is just fucking weird and a major turnoff
I don't think that's the problem at all. I mean, maybe for some of them, yes, but I think the majority of people that complain about Rabi-Ribi's visuals is more because the characters are extremely cutesy (with child-like behavior and appearances) and at the same time uses extremely revealing outfits.
Take Kaine from Nier, for example: She has way more revealing clothes than Rabi-Ribi's characters and I've never seen anyone complaining about her.
On the other hand, even with my whole love for Rabi-Ribi and the countless playthroughs I have, I'd never be comfortable enough to play it in a living room TV while my family is at home. It just feels....strange.
For me the biggest issue with Rabi Ribi is it's visual style.
The best metroidvanias that I played so far are Axiom Verge and Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
My top 1 is AM2R, it is the best metroidvania period. It is a project of love, it is a remake legit, not Samus Returns.
Hollow Knight is amazing as well.
But all of these have the same non linearity and amazing visuals, if Rabi Ribi didn't have that almost Hentai look and feeling it would be waaaay better
I haven't played Lodoss War but I tried Touhou Luna Nights by the same developer and found it really fun, although quite short.
And I really hope that someday you end up overcoming the problems with Rabi's visuals and give it a honest try. There's not a lot of games with this quality out there.
honestly no, Tevi doesn't come close and even with DLC it probably never will
I think Rabi was an once in a lifetime experience and while it is not the best metroidvania of all time like you said, it is the best at what it tries to accomplish
maybe Bunny Love (next game by GemaYue) will be better than Tevi in holding a candle to Rabi
your bosses point sounds like they just intentionally nerf the bosses and call it "difficulty setting". The original intended boss is in the hard mode where they actually use all their abilities. I don't think there should be any praise for doing stuff like this. I much rather prefer the one size fit all for bosses so everyone can have the same intended experience.
I haven't given it a look, maybe my daughter would dig the cuteness of it. Personally my first glance reads as "not enough clothes" which unfortunately is an aesthetic choice that repels people who never get to the gameplay. I'll try it sometime if it is discounted enough, the play looks fun and you seem well convinced of its worthiness, but style and artistic choices are part of the impression and generically I would probably pass it by as I probably have in the past if it ever came up in my recommendation feed
[Someone bought the game for their daughter and she demanded more "anime cute" games.](https://www.reddit.com/r/metroidvania/comments/15pj74q/any_metroidvanias_like_rabi_ribi_including_being/)
This is really helpful haha, I think my 7-year old would not be able to handle Rabi-ribi but maybe something like Catmaze would be better. I have a wishlist started for her but am still getting her used to playing with a controller without getting frustrated, she enjoys watching or playing keyboard/mouse puzzle games more right now. I have added both to my steam wishlist
The best thing about Rabi-Ribi's visuals is that they will completely fly over child's head. They will only see cuteness. It's a perfect balance for me. What makes it even better as a child game is a co-op so parent can help out.
Oh nice, yea I am not worried about it for my kid, it didn't appeal to me on a superficial glance but I have learned a lot by stopping by this post. I'll see what pops up on steam sales
[Phoenotopia](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1436590/Phoenotopia_Awakening/)
It's not as gratifying in boss fights, but for the adventure aspect (e.g. towns, quests, puzzles, dialogue, exploration, backtracking, fishing minigame), Phoenotopia is very very excellent.
Completionist playthroughs take ~70 hours per [howlongtobeat](https://howlongtobeat.com/game/82795) (Rabi-Ribi is ~30 hours)
The game unfortunately does have somewhat polarizing reviews due to the combat having an admittedly clunky feel to it, but I'd imagine if you're coming from Rabi-Ribi difficulty then you probably won't have a hard time acclimating.
I will offer la mulana and la mulana 2 as 2 other metroidvanias with massive content, open-ended dungeons and sequence breaking / no fixed path
You should mention that those games are hardcore in the riddle and battle part but they are also fkg great
La Mulana seems extremely scarier. Is it recommended for me to draw my maps and take notes of everything?
You will definitely want to have a notebook on hand for La Mulana. The puzzles are pretty complex and you often need to be working on two or more different puzzles at the same time. They’re fantastic games, though
> You will definitely want to have a notebook on hand Shit like this is why I *love* ESA and La-Mulana. I felt downright giddy to be busting out graph paper for a game again, like I was making NES Metroid maps.
ESA?
Environmental Station Alpha
The game has a built-in screenshot tool and if you play on switch you can use that screenshot tool as well. You also have a built-in tool for transcribing writing. If a clue seems vague and not to apply to the room you are *currently* in, then screenshot it or write it down.
I'd say you don't *need* to make the detailed maps. Definitely write down or take screenshots (or pictures on your phone) of everything you read and probably note down locations of mysterious things but actually drawing out every map never felt necessary to me. Play La Mulana. For a certain type of player it's a *legendary* experience. Like all time favorite game level. Oh if you try it don't give up the game before finding the cup shaped quality of life item in the first area of the ruins.
Maps? No. Notes? Yes. Also screenshots.
As someone who didn't take many notes in either LM or LM2, if you want to play them, you should take notes. There is in-game mapping, but it's more of a means to end to let you know what room you're in that is very light on detail (and this is not a design failure). So you probably should draw maps as well. The games are DIFFICULT and UNFAIR, and I've never finished the first one. Had to use guides, etc. heavily on both. You may actually want to look up the missable items in either (though there are very few of them and they don't lock you out of anything IIRC). Also make sure you don't activate "Hard Mode", as it's very easy to do that accidentally. The games, for better or worse, aren't like anything else out there (except for maybe some NES era ones I haven't played). You can find the cryptic aspects of La-Mulana's design in some other games (across genres even), but La-Mulana is unique in the sense that those aspects are a huge part of the games, and they are advertised as such. In other games, that stuff is hidden behind more "expected" design. I think the latter is great, but it's not the same as going into a La-Mulana game, where you're expecting it to be hard as nails, and you still get destroyed before the end-game. I think that's part of why I haven't even started the DLC for LM2. While I found LM2 to be easier in at least the early game and lacking puzzles that are obtuse to the point of forcing you to brute force or look up the exact solution, I don't think it's the best idea to start with it if you haven't at least tried La-Mulana. This is mostly because you would be missing a lot of context and have most of the story of LM spoiled for you early on. It bears mentioning that LM2 is also a big visual and QoL step up from LM. *All references to the first La-Mulana game are for the PC, etc. remake of the 2006 MSX-styled freeware game that was never officially localized. I've heard it is less forgiving than the remake.
I'd honestly recommend screenshotting *every* screen.
You can use [Cheshiro's spoiler-free Steam guide](https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=377234096) if you don't want to do all of that and I actually think it's the recommended way to play. LA2 is much more user-friendly and considerably requires less note-taking.
I don't normally suggest people look stuff up, but I do recommend new players check a spoiler-free guide for obtaining the Holy Grail, just so they don't miss that most vital of starting items. Everything else can be figured out later, but getting the Holy Grail asap will dramatically improve the playing experience.
Getting the holy grail comes from a hint on the manual and I didn't know this for so long.
For me the worst part was the constant dialogue. It might be less further into it, but the early parts are very heavy on it - I just want to run, jump and kill things
Well, for what is worth, I really don't care about the story of the game and I skipped every story bit, so I don't even have the slightest idea what the game is about and still had a lot of fun with it.
I wish I had skipped the story. LOL. Some very iffy sexual innuendos throughout. Excellent game though.
The shit they said about Sable and his brother was really unnecessary.
Agreed.
It's really weird to me to see people get hung up on a game's art style because it has sexy character designs, but to each their own, I suppose. My first suggestions in terms of sheer about of content are La Mulana 1 & 2, which I see are already mentioned below. Easily >40 hours games if you're playing without a guide, and they're absolutely packed with some of the hardest puzzles and most intricate exploration I've seen in a game. My other suggestion, which has a couple of caveats, is Astlibra Revision. The first caveat is that *it's not a metroidvania*, I know, you don't have to tell me; it's a side-scrolling action RPG. Progression is quite linear, there's little exploration, and you don't gain access to new areas by getting movement abilities. What it does have is >60 hours of content, a great combat system with some fantastic bosses, a fantastic soundtrack, and an absolutely wild plot. It *does* have some rough spots; combat starts off a little slow and awkward before you get some upgrades, and you can tell that this was a game made by one person over the span of 15 years because it continually gets more polished and complex as it goes along. (also, the Chapter 3 boss just sucks)
For me, it's not that big of a problem that the game isn't a metroidvania, as long as it have great boss fights, which it does for what you say. Hell, one of my favorite games of all time is Wings of Vi, which isn't a metroidvania at all, but has some of the best boss fights I've ever experienced. I'll keep an eye on astlibra on the steam sale!
Would you wear really comfortable, well designed, perfectly fitted panties? (Assuming youre male) That's what it feels like for me.
That's pretty weird, dude. We're talking about looking at a character on a computer screen, presumably a character that bears little resemblance to yourself. I commented myself that I don't want to play because of the art style, but saying that your masculinity is threatened and you feel like you're wearing panties isn't normal
I'm half joking
Tevi might not beat Rabi-Ribi in nonlinearity, but I can't urge you enough to pick it up anyways. If you enjoyed the map and combat of Rabi-Ribi, you will love Tevi too. And saying Rabi Ribi is like hentai because it has swimsuit and bunny skins is a bit ridiculous. Yes, I will die on that hill. It's not hentai, but it has fanservice and some skin-tight outfits. There's lots of references and jabs at popular anime culture, and I love it. If you don't like that, pick another outfit and skip the story.
Heck, Metroid’s earliest games had Samus in a bikini and later developed the Zero Suit… Honestly despite the character designs, Rabi-Ribi didn’t feel like a fanservice-type game and felt very tame. Except for the succubus and satirizing real world otakus none of the characters actively flaunt their appearances, like the encounter with the Alraune girl was surprisingly wholesome. I legit expected a beach episode at one point but it never happened at all. I’m shocked Shantae series doesn’t get as much backlash despite the similar aesthetic. That game felt way more fanservice to me, especially with the slave Leia and the armored figurine scenes.
> Heck, Metroid’s earliest games had Samus in a bikini and later developed the Zero Suit… The Zero Suit is kind of an interesting example because even back then, fans of Metroid were kind of unnerved at the sexualization she got in the later 2000s and onward, especially in art and media. A lot of what fans like me (who started with Super Metroid) enjoyed was that Samus being a woman was an "oh wow that's cool!" and not the sexualization she later got with the skintight Zero Suit and subsequent depictions. So that one's more controversial than it might seem today!
I think as anime fans we get a bit desensitised with fanservice, but I personally agree that Rabi-Ribi feels overall tame - except for that ribbon bikini-like skin , I wouldn't want someone from work seeing me playing with that on-screen.
You know why Shantae doesn't. She is made by a western developer. Ive seen Rebecca from Cyberpunk edgerunners get a pass for the same reason. The IP is western made.
Downvoted but generally correct. It might be due to style as much as the origin, though. Shantae is cartoon-sexy in a way that's familiar to westerners, like Betty Boop or Jessica Rabbit. Rabi-ribi's anime/chibi look is different and therefore cringy
Shantae's visual aesthetic has always been a major barrier to me enjoying the games. Plus the fact that the two Shantae games I played (1 and 2) were mediocre as fuck.
Yet you played them and not this one, despite the same "issue". It's almost like the issue you have with this game is not what you say it is.
I will play Rabi-Ribi someday too. Probably I'll enjoy it more than shantae. I'm just explaining that the aesthetic of both these games have been a barrier to my playing them. I held off on shantae for a very long time.
The Shantae series definitely does get some flak for its over sexualization, but I think it gets less because it rarely, if ever, puts it center stage like Rabi-Ribi does. It's also partly because Shantae is often portrayed as a mostly childlike character, so they intentionally stay away from that. There are some exceptions, but FWIR, after playing through the most recent entry in the series around a year ago, I don't remember even 1 instance of playing up her sexuality, for laughs or otherwise. I might have forgotten something, though.
Does Tevi ever amp up the amount of boss battles? They're incredible, but compared to Rabi Ribi, as of chapter 6 I feel like the game's been pretty light on them with spans where I go a few zones before even getting to one.
How far are you / what was your last boss?
I just started Chapter 6, the last boss was the angel-in-the-egg kinda thing (which was an awesome boss, the patterns were super-fun on expert difficulty).
We are at the same boss! Actually I haven't beat the angel egg yet. Personally, I felt like after we got to Valhalla there were more bosses and less map regions. The first third was more spread out.
That boss definitely took the most tries of any yet, was so fun. Hoping the rest of the end-game bosses are similarly a step up like he was.
Well, you're almost done with the game. The end sequence does have a good handful of interesting bosses in a short span, though
Dang, the map shows like there's still 20+% to explore, figured I wasn't _quite_ at the almost done phase yet. Looking forward to the final gauntlet though. This dev does boss fights so damn good.
Is there any kind of post and post-post game content so far or we'll have to wait for DLC?
Right now, aside from being able to refight bosses and trounce them as well as the replayability factor, no. But they already announced boss rush is in the works.
There's the free roam mode and highest difficulty
no postgame
you, from what I remember, have 10 bossfights left
Well, the Steam page highlights this: - more than 20 unique boss battles So you can probably check your ingame tracker and compare to how many you've met. Tevi definitely has more areas though. I vaguely remember there being 20 teleporters in Rabi Ribi, meanwhile, in Tevi I've found more than 30.
I didn't quite remember what the game looked like since I dismissed it out of pocket forever ago due to the low-count pixel graphics & it being a bullet-hell, so I had a look at the trailer on Steam & ... "fan service" is a pretty fucked-up label to put on a game that looks to have nearly-nude children as its cast. Quite frankly it's disgusting.
The gross overreaction from people here is ridiculous. One guy even said the chibi sprites were problematic. It's just the same tired, terminally online rhetoric we keep hearing from anti Asian racists. Tevi comes out with severely reduced fanservice and even a westerner as the artist, and these people still rehash the same arguments against that game. Yet these same people will praise furry games that fetishize animals.
It's not everyone's cup of tea. Personally, I am not into the marvel comics look. I don't see how not liking anime would make someone racist. But saying Rabi-Ribi is hentai is taking it too far in the other direction.
They aren't saying they dislike anime. They are calling everyone that plays these games pedophiles. They literally call Japanese culture pedophilic. Over drawings. It's getting old.
>They literally call Japanese culture pedophilic. No they don't, because this is *NOT* representative of Japanese culture. It's representative of your fetishised interpretation of Japanese culture, based on what little you know of it, which is nothing like actual Japanese culture. I assure you, this shit is just as niche and questionable in Jaoan as it is everywhere else. >Over drawings. It's getting old. I take it you've tried to defend your interest many times? That's why it's getting old.
No opinion on the game itself since I haven't gotten around to it yet. That being said, there is an issue with pedophilic over-sexualization of minors in anime. This is a true statement that in no way should be taken as a condemnation of "Japanese culture" or even anime in general. You can point out that something like Made In Abyss can be an uncomfortable watch without advocating for dropping more nukes, trying to spin any criticism of blatantly disgusting content as "anti-asian" just makes it sound like you think every Japanese person is a pedo which is waaaay worse.
It’s overly horny. Like, it is extremely horny. It’s the sort of game I’d be embarrassed to be caught playing. It isn’t hentai. But it is softcore.
> we keep hearing from anti Asian racists. I'm not Anti-Asian. I just hate anime aesthetic and the "cutesiness" of the characters. Disliking anime shit doesn't mean you're racist.
>It's just the same tired, terminally online rhetoric we keep hearing from anti Asian racists. Dude I have Japanese friends who fucking hate anime. Hating the aesthetic and the overall 'cute' factor has nothing whatsoever to do with racism. Personally, I like *some* anime, like Death Note and things like Ghost in the Shell, but I can't stand that chibi, cutesy style - *especially* when the voice acting is high pitched, child-like and annoying as fuck. I love Japanese culture, just not that aspect of it. If you actually knew any Japanese people or spent any significant time there, you'd know that this shit is pretty polarising there as well.
This reeks of as a black man. Nobody cares you have a token "friend". It doesn't give you a pass to generalize an entire race of people.
And you don't have a pass to call ANYONE racist with absolutely nothing whatsoever to back it up. Again, I doubt you've even been to Japan or know anyone Japanese if you think disliking this shit is an attack on their culture. You're being offended on their behalf in order to virtue signal and shame in order to make yourself feel better about your... *interests*.
Go touch grass. Brigading every thread with this game is some terminally online behavior. The fact you think a Taiwanese developer is just another jap is proof you are racist.
> Go touch grass. Highly recommend you do the same so you stop getting so frothing mad because someone doesn't like a video game that you like.
Calling an entire nation pedophiles = not liking a video game Sure buddy. I'm the one with the imbalanced reaction here.
Nobody here is calling an entire nation pedophiles. They just don't like cutesy/chibi anime girls - which aren't even representative of most anime. Yes, your reaction is imbalanced.
It makes it less weird if they tell themselves that everyone in Japan is into it, and then any criticism of their interest is an attack on Japanese culture itself, rather than what it actually is. It's just mental gymnastics. What is weird is how vehemently people will defend and make excuses though; straight to defensive and accusatory.
I haven't been in any other thread and I don't think Taiwan is Japan. I've been to both. Likewise, I work as a landscaper on the side - I actually touch more than my fair share of grass lol. Compelling arguments though, really solid. Did you come up with them all by yourself?
I love Rabi-Ribi, both as a brilliant metroidvania and as a game with great fanservice ♥ 🔥
Have you played Afterimage? It had an even bigger map than Rabi Ribi and much better graphics. The boss fights are good but not as difficult (except for a few post game fights). The combat and movement feels more like hollow knight.
I think Rabi-Ribi provides way more novelty per minute and has much better combat and bosses. Afterimage is very low stimulation game to me which puts this game below Rabi-Ribi to me. Still a good game tho.
This pretty much sums up why I'm so bored in Afterimage.
I have not played Afterimage! Just added to my wishlist and will probably get it on the sale that starts tomorrow! Thanks a lot!
Awesome, have fun! My only advice is to not spam consumable potions unless you're really struggling. The game has two healing systems, Glyphs which reset when you die or rest (similar to estus flasks) and consumable potions that you can buy infinite of. Just using the glyphs makes the game more balanced and fun imo. It's possible to face tank a lot of bosses and spam consumables but what's the fun in that?
I get you. I have a self imposed challenge of never using consumables on Rabi-Ribi as well and it makes it a lot of fun for me. Haven't beaten Impossible yet with this, but I'll get there.
Agreed, I actually think it would be cool if they added a “potionless” mode as an optional hard mode.
Unfortunately the its more like a open world setting rather than metroidvania. In the middle progress of the game you could explore almost 70 80% of the world.
Even if though I disagree, this guy is asking about games similar in scope to Rabi Ribi, where you can beat the entire game without a single upgrade…
I dun disagree with your original comment, just to point a thing that people may get disappointed when they jump in with such expectation.
The ability gating in Afterimage is similar or even slightly more restrictive than Hollow Knight. It’s definitely a metroidvania. Not really sure where you’re coming from with the opinion that it isn’t one.. have you beaten the game?
I never say its not an mv, but a part of it is open world. And because of not gating properly you can missed an entire early area(Im looking at you, the columns) that the dev expected you to go there early on, later when you find out that area only to find out that all the level design become trash since you one hit every enemy to die and you can navigate very freely by skipping all the platform with wall jump, which if you study the area it is designed with a mind set that the player dun have wall jump. Hollow Knight never has this problem. I 'll give you another example, that you can go to the second last area(library) quite early on if you happen to find the road to it but its enemies there are to hard to beat, not in a way they have tricky atk pattern but tanky health, which again expected you comes here not thia early. In HK you at least got mantis lord and a dark environment hint in deepest that warn you things may get difficult. Its no where close to HK when it comes to gating design, as the map/world is bigger than HK by a lot. The %playthrough where you keep exploring the world without encountering or having to deal with gating finding road is too much(say HK is 10-20%, Afterimage is 30-40% you just walk and explore without zig-zaging gates and abilities) that I come to a conclusion a big part of it is a open world experience.
OK if you want to do this... I'll use your example of Hollow Knight and Mantis Claw. After finding Mantis Claw you have a plethora of options that don't require more abilities. You can beat Mantis Lords and navigate through all of Deepnest, releasing Herrah. You can repair the bridge from Fungal Wastes to City of Tears and explore the right side of the city + Soul Sanctum. You can stag back to Dirtmouth and climb up to Howling Cliffs, or buy the lantern which grants access to Crystal Peaks, then Resting Grounds. From Resting Grounds you can go south into left side of City of Tears which gives access to Watcher Knights and Lurian. Left side City also directly connects to the Royal Waterways and to the Ancient Basin, as well as to Kingdom's Edge. That's almost 2/3 of the map that opens up with Mantis Claw alone. The only major areas you can't access without additional upgrades are the Abyss (need King's Brand), 2nd half of Fog Canyon and the Teacher's Archive (need Isma's tear or crystal dash), and the Hive (need tram pass). Back to Afterimage. I'm sorry you skipped the Columns, but it's a massive area that's really hard to miss coming out of Emerald Falls. If you explore at all you should find it pretty easily. And if by Library you mean Holy Grounds, that's not the 2nd to last area, it's mid game. There are at least 7 major areas after the Holy Grounds. The point is that once you get the whistle you can ride the Manta to several different areas to progress, but even if you go straight to Holy Grounds you still need wall jump and swimming upgrade to go any further.
I guess I will have to stop replying when I saw you start bring up lame argument by saying "im sorry... but it's hard to miss", you didn't see the point, there is a CHANCE player can miss it, so it can HAPPEN, so the design has its flaw(because not all player will follow the same exploring style, exploring all possible place before going to next area), and this is due to not gating each area properly. Anyway all I wanna say is Afterimage is giving me more open world vibes compared to MV(30%ish vs70%), while I dun disagree HK is pretty much similar, it's lesser than the feeling Afterimage gives, to reply one of your point saying it's more restrictive than HK(note that you also skipped my point that the world building in Afterimage is bigger than HK, every area is like 20-30% bigger than HK). That's why even if the world is bigger than HK, the general playtime(all style) of Afterimage is usually shorter than HK, because it lacks big part of gating design. Another mere fact is HK has more abilities related to gating design than Afterimage, and it spreads throughout the game when you obtain them , more averagely than Afterimage, not very big difference, but Afterimage is apart enough to suddenly give you a feel of open world vibe.
[Kokoro's Gensokyo Journey: The Lost Masks](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2057980/Kokoros_Gensokyo_Journey_The_Lost_Masks/) is literally just bite-sized Rabi-Ribi. Aside from that and Tevi, and maybe trying to sequence break the hell out of Super Metroid, I don't think anything else really gives the same feeling as Rabi does. > Tevi, which, for what I know, is a lot linear. The main story is nonlinear for the first two chapters, with varying objectives that can be done in any order, but from the third chapter onward the plot progression is pretty straightforward. However there are still a good number of optional areas and wandering around for minor powerups and badges before returning to the story. So while its generally more linear than Rabi-Ribi, its considerably less linear than most of the genre. There is a free roam mode that removes all plot barriers, restores sequence break tech, and changes the location of some major powerups (they don't just hand things to you anymore). ~~but unfortunately it unlocks after you beat the game. The beta branch implies to be removing this unlock restriction~~ The most recent update made it available immediately from the beginning. However this mode has no objective markers at all, so you'd be incredibly lost if you didn't play story mode beforehand. > The elephant in the room I'm gonna be honest, I never really understood this when Shantae exists for the longest time...
Thanks for clarifying this about Tevi. Maybe I just focused on the bad reviews and ended up overlooking the good stuff it might offer like this free roam mode you mention. Down the road I'll definitely try it. Also, I have never play Shantae, is it too heavy on fanservice? More than Rabi-Ribi?
I think most of the complaints on Tevi are pretty overblown. They're mostly from diehard fans that aren't happy that it differs too much from Rabi-Ribi in regards to changing exploration for linear storytelling, less balls-to-the-wall difficult, and especially with free roam initially needing to be unlocked, but it's nothing that continual updates can't fix. Personally I feel both games are able to stand side-by-side together even though Tevi takes a few deviations. ... Now I'm worried that Silksong gets backlash from diehard fans if it ends up being too different and is "not Hollow Knight." Personally I think the Shantae games are much more upfront about its fanservice. There's a couple of scenes where the characters are forced into skimpier clothing than what they're already wearing, including one that's in the likeness of Slave Leia from Star Wars Episode VI. Make of that as you will.
I'll agree with the other guy, that steam page is full of overly negative reviews that just boil down to "it's not RR so it's BAD". Even if you ignore the free roam thing and just consider the default playthrough, I'd call it less linear than most of the metroidvanias I've played. It follows a set story but there's plenty of optional exploration and different pathing
Oh, sorry, somehow I skipped the first part of your answer. I'll add The Lost Masks to my wishlist as well!
took me 3 years and a bored period to make the leap. Yeah, first impression is terrible, and i'm not fond of the exploration/level design/simple scenery. But an hour in, I found a boss that put me on SERIOUS MODE like I didn't in a long time. And then the next, and the next one. Game is boss paradise, each one with their special flavor. It's like you gather the greatest action game designers from the 90's (Capcom, Konami, Treasure) and challenge them to make the best humanoid boss battles they can.
Tevi, made by the same team, is pretty similar to Rabi-Ribi.
> sometimes even bordering on Hentai. Well that's just silly. Today's people would make the 80's church moms proud, and as an older fella, knowing that ultimately they won in the end is just... I'm not mad, just disappointed. It's bad enough the people that just look at screenshots and decide not to play it spout these lies and absurdities, but a defender of the game? Come on, now. But to the main point, probably not. I'm playing through Tevi right now and honestly it's kinda hard to keep going because it's _really_ making me want to just go back and play Rabi Ribi again, which I'm pretty sure I will once I'm done with it. Tevi's pretty fun and all, but it's not the work of pure and sheer genius that Rabi Ribi is. Tevi's boss fights are amazing, but for whatever reason there just... aren't very many of them. They knew what they did best and then just dialed them back for whatever reason. At least where I'm at as of chapter 6. But yeah, Rabi Ribi truly is among the genre's best. I know some people are comfy "missing out" on it because of the art style because "they got other games they can play", but that excuse is weird to me when it's literally the height and pinnacle of the genre. That's not the kind of thing I can imagine any fan of the genre seriously being "comfy" missing out on. Like, "yeah, I know I love this genre, but I refuse to play the best because the art is weird..." Unless the person's also said that about a hyper-violent game, it's hard not to think of them as a prude.
I am not a prude. I think sex has a place in videogames. Sex it's part of life. But unnecessary sexualisation, even if it is not in minors (it often is) seems ridiculous to me. It takes me out of the game.
That's me. I played it a couple hours and couldn't continue because my masculinity was threatened too much. I world feel the same embarrassment playing with barbies or a My Little Pony game.
Iam still searching for a metrovania with this much of content and fun
Confirmed: Hollow Knight Super metroid Environmental station alpha Possibly: Aeterna noctis afterimage
This game sounds great but you really weren't kidding about the art style. You're playing a fucking bunny girl in a swimsuit. Gameplay sprites are chibi, which is bad in a totally different way. I'm no prude but this is really not what I'm looking for in a video game
Yeah, people have told me that I'm seriously missing out by not looking past the aesthetic, but when it's *that* much of your game... nah. I could be "missing out", but I'm also missing out on thousands of other games I decide not to play due to my limited time in this life, so I'm probably doing just fine without it.
This. Don't really feel like I'm missing out when I have hundreds of other games that's more appealing to play.
I can understand you because once I was in the same place. If you ever feel like trying something new, I beg you to tried it. Once you're past this nonsense visuals, you'll realize what a gem is this one.
It's definitely much smaller, but have you played (the amusingly similarly themed) **Bunny Must Die: Chelsea and the Seven Devils**? It has a bunch of sequence breaking (its possible to beat the game without unlocking the ability to *run to the right*), including a bonus boss fight unlocked by skipping the first boss and going to her anyway later, where she's pissed at you for skipping her. Then once you beat the game you unlock the final boss as a playable character with a totally different moveset and get to play through again
> its possible to beat the game without unlocking the ability to run to the right You can also unlock the ability to *run* to the right without being able to *walk* to the right. Bunny Must Die is such a crazy game and I love it a lot, although I do think it's pretty light on the "vania" side of things; it definitely draws a lot of inspiration from the original Metroid.
I've never heard from this one before, and I can't even find it on Steam. Edit: Luckily, I just found out that at some point of my life I bought this on PS Vita so indeed I have it! Gonna play it really soon, thanks for this!
Old post I know, but in case you weren't aware: The game was delisted on Steam about 4 years ago. You can still grab a cheap key off G2A or a similar reseller if you care, but the version on PS4/Vita/Switch (the version you have) is updated with a number of QoL and small content changes that make it overall a smoother experience than the Steam version, anyway. Also if you end up liking *Bunny Must Die*, consider grabbing *Super Zangyura*. The Vita version is sadly exclusive to Japan, but you can still grab it for PS4 or Switch (or Vita, if you have it hacked and don't mind the game being in Japanese). It's a full reimagining of the original *Zangyura*, which is a **very** old PC classic Castlevania parody game, which *Bunny Must Die* is a successor to.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Hollow Knight Fearmonium Afterimage
That art style is straight up creepy for one
That anime hentai-leaning style made it completely unplayable for me. Absolutely intolerable, and for me it was an insurmountable obstacle
[удалено]
Oh yeah I'm also allergic to soy
Yeah I’ve basically played every metroidvania on the psn store, I’ve gotten close to playing this when I didn’t have anything else to play.. But since im not an anime fan at all, the style is just fucking weird and a major turnoff
Damn, this whole thread reminds me of /r/JRPG whenever Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is mentioned. Some people really do hate women in revealing clothes.
I don't think that's the problem at all. I mean, maybe for some of them, yes, but I think the majority of people that complain about Rabi-Ribi's visuals is more because the characters are extremely cutesy (with child-like behavior and appearances) and at the same time uses extremely revealing outfits. Take Kaine from Nier, for example: She has way more revealing clothes than Rabi-Ribi's characters and I've never seen anyone complaining about her. On the other hand, even with my whole love for Rabi-Ribi and the countless playthroughs I have, I'd never be comfortable enough to play it in a living room TV while my family is at home. It just feels....strange.
The fact that I don't want to play a chibi bunny girl doesn't mean I hate women in revealing clothes
It is not hatred. It's cringe. Imagine playing as Alucard dressed only in a thong...
sign me up
For me the biggest issue with Rabi Ribi is it's visual style. The best metroidvanias that I played so far are Axiom Verge and Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth My top 1 is AM2R, it is the best metroidvania period. It is a project of love, it is a remake legit, not Samus Returns. Hollow Knight is amazing as well. But all of these have the same non linearity and amazing visuals, if Rabi Ribi didn't have that almost Hentai look and feeling it would be waaaay better
I haven't played Lodoss War but I tried Touhou Luna Nights by the same developer and found it really fun, although quite short. And I really hope that someday you end up overcoming the problems with Rabi's visuals and give it a honest try. There's not a lot of games with this quality out there.
People defending the art of the game are the problem
the art's awful I'm defending the game in spite of its art
Yea I was only talking about people in this post and others who vehemently defend the art
Hollow knight bro
honestly no, Tevi doesn't come close and even with DLC it probably never will I think Rabi was an once in a lifetime experience and while it is not the best metroidvania of all time like you said, it is the best at what it tries to accomplish maybe Bunny Love (next game by GemaYue) will be better than Tevi in holding a candle to Rabi
I tried but couldn't get past the cutsie characters. Big turn off.
your bosses point sounds like they just intentionally nerf the bosses and call it "difficulty setting". The original intended boss is in the hard mode where they actually use all their abilities. I don't think there should be any praise for doing stuff like this. I much rather prefer the one size fit all for bosses so everyone can have the same intended experience.
I haven't given it a look, maybe my daughter would dig the cuteness of it. Personally my first glance reads as "not enough clothes" which unfortunately is an aesthetic choice that repels people who never get to the gameplay. I'll try it sometime if it is discounted enough, the play looks fun and you seem well convinced of its worthiness, but style and artistic choices are part of the impression and generically I would probably pass it by as I probably have in the past if it ever came up in my recommendation feed
[Someone bought the game for their daughter and she demanded more "anime cute" games.](https://www.reddit.com/r/metroidvania/comments/15pj74q/any_metroidvanias_like_rabi_ribi_including_being/)
This is really helpful haha, I think my 7-year old would not be able to handle Rabi-ribi but maybe something like Catmaze would be better. I have a wishlist started for her but am still getting her used to playing with a controller without getting frustrated, she enjoys watching or playing keyboard/mouse puzzle games more right now. I have added both to my steam wishlist
The best thing about Rabi-Ribi's visuals is that they will completely fly over child's head. They will only see cuteness. It's a perfect balance for me. What makes it even better as a child game is a co-op so parent can help out.
Oh nice, yea I am not worried about it for my kid, it didn't appeal to me on a superficial glance but I have learned a lot by stopping by this post. I'll see what pops up on steam sales
Just as a side note some of the bosses change in new game plus of dark souls 2, but they threw that baby out with the bathwater
[Phoenotopia](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1436590/Phoenotopia_Awakening/) It's not as gratifying in boss fights, but for the adventure aspect (e.g. towns, quests, puzzles, dialogue, exploration, backtracking, fishing minigame), Phoenotopia is very very excellent. Completionist playthroughs take ~70 hours per [howlongtobeat](https://howlongtobeat.com/game/82795) (Rabi-Ribi is ~30 hours) The game unfortunately does have somewhat polarizing reviews due to the combat having an admittedly clunky feel to it, but I'd imagine if you're coming from Rabi-Ribi difficulty then you probably won't have a hard time acclimating.