Metroidvania Mega-Review pt. 6 - Animal Well, Rebel Transmute, and Ultros

[@KrochetX]

Hi! Ultros dev here. Judging by your commentary and footage, there seems to be some corruption in your garden save file for Vasa's Legacy, causing the game to break down when you attempt to leave that area, or save in it. This happened to a few especially advanced gardeners around release, triggered in part by some weirdness in connecting plants that grow through an area transition, but I thought we weeded all of that out around April. If you're still getting these issues, even on your existing save, we'd love to see your save file! Thank you for reviewing, your appreciation means a lot to the team!

[@dalgusmaximus4557]

@@KrochetX your game looks awesome dude!

[@Nerrel]

Sure, hopefully this works. Can't say for sure which file it was specifically apart from being one of the later ones mega.nz/file/KdEmEQAL#CWgeAtapInDyWNbthkWFP_xTEuUqc4PDcffJ8qmJcmQ

[@CubeSeal]

I love metroidvanias! I want to be a Samus Belmont when I grow up.

[@Barquevious_Jackson]

Me too buddy 😔

[@liammcnicholas918]

Simon Aran

[@talonoverstreet136]

I want to be Nerrel when I grow up

[@Enan63.]

Nah I love platformers! I want to be Super Mario when I grow up.

[@irritated_name]

GUYS ITS TIME TO DEFROST THERES NEW NERREL VIDEO

[@dougiejones5719]

But it's about a topic I'm not interested in FUCK

[@RubianGaming]

*crunching sounds as I sit up out of the roots that have grown around me* "Neat."

[@Ozz9223]

YEAHHH NERREL

[@hosatus2433]

​@@RubianGamingwalking out the water like Godzilla

[@HesarealNoWhereMan]

Have you ever farted and felt lumps in your pants?

[@nomorenames]

I heard Metroid Prime 4 was coming next year, it looks like a good Metroidvania you might wanna check out

[@Cebollaverde]

It looks fun I heard you can play as Samus from Smash Bros

[@szabolcsgangl993]

Finally someone else has heard of that obscure gem!

[@niemand7811]

Metroid Prime 4 is NOT a metroidvania. The franchise name Metroid is used in metroidvania. But the Franchise itself existed way before someone on reddit used that term. 1d10ts!

[@MrMoon-hy6pn]

@@niemand7811Terms can be applied retroactively. We have the technology.

[@Cepheus773]

​@@niemand7811Metroid is my favorite video game protagonist of all time.

[@haz9438]

Heartwarming to see that a lack of Silksong has not stopped Nerrel from getting his daily fix of metroid complaining. Team Cherry delays only for fear of his wrath.

[@emilytheimp]

I hope Silksong actually fixes Hollow Knight

[@grell9296]

​@@emilytheimp Hard to fix a masterpiece, but I think we're all hoping TC pulls off something amazing with the next one

[@kekcrocgod6731]

@@emilytheimpI think it’ll probably be a better experience overall. At the very least, hornet’s moveset looks infinitely more interesting than hk’s, and the environments look better and more interesting, too. As a person who’s firmly in the “hk really isn’t that good” crowd, I’m honestly looking forward to silksong because at least to me it seems like team cherry learned from their mistakes and are making a more interesting and fun experience this time.

[@isaiahwebb3743]

@@kekcrocgod6731why isn’t HK that good

[@josephmercier7291]

Two things always stand out to me about your videos -Straight to business. No “Hey guys sorry I haven’t posted in a while life has been so busy I’m gonna upload more often anyway here’s my theme song”. Nope it’s “X is a game where you Y. Z is good about it, W kinda sucks in a Hollow Night sorta way.” Makes me feel like this is a part of KZbin that respects my time. -The humour isn’t overdone. Possibly more a staple of the KZbin of yesteryear, a lot of videos out there languish in their slightly overdrawn jokes. But here it feels like humour is used so sparingly and the delivery is so dry that my mind gets blown every time. Like this monotone guy spitting facts and carefully considered opinions slaps Dafoe into a cabbage for a split sec. My video is paused right after that. That made me write this. By definition, that joke was inspirational. Avenge me. Brilliant.

[@ronthorn3]

Nerrel doesn’t dick around.

[@josephmercier7291]

Exactly. Highlights how much a lot of other people do. Not that they’re all terrible for faffing a bit, but this is so refreshing.

[@buggs9950]

Nail, head, boff.

[@squmulonimbus]

His About section says "Not interested in sponsorships, partnership programs, paid product endorsements, or other tacky garbage.", which shows how committed he is to not wasting your time

[@josephmercier7291]

@@buggs9950 Awh cool, didn’t know that. Because he never even points it out in any videos, that I’ve seen at least!

[@ThreeEyedFish]

I immediately was reminded of El Huervo when seeing Ultros and apparently he did work on it. For those who don't know, El Huervo did a lot of artwork and music for Hotline Miami

[@noahstrube1027]

There's an option to bundle them on Steam. Never knew that connection, but now that makes sense.

[@CatInSuit69]

@@noahstrube1027 i mean theyre also both psychadelic and weird and fucked up so it works at a surface level too

[@DesignDoc]

Animal Well feels like they took the interactions in Super Metroid with the wall jumping monkeys, the shine-sparking horse, and the Mother Turtle as a base and expanded that into a full game.

[@LeanFuture]

I’ve noticed several indie games are abandoning the “drop your stuff when you die” mechanic and I couldn’t be happier. It’s the biggest curse on gaming since regenerating health.

[@kageakiminato8536]

Both are terrible but I think stat soft caps from Soulsborne completely ruin the game

[@LeanFuture]

@@kageakiminato8536 I rather liked Ender Lillies system where enemies would respawn on checkpoint use but experience wasn’t lost on death. That way, it’s actually worth fighting the lesser enemies on the way back to the boss.

[@kageakiminato8536]

@@LeanFuture hell yeah, ender lillies rocked. Just a few tweeks to HK or souls mechanics and a little upgrade agency make a world of difference.

[@LeanFuture]

@@kageakiminato8536 Thats very true

[@Psytherea]

Nerrel vids are like cicadas. Comes out after being in a gamer comatose state of jaded cynicism, and I come out to listen on it

[@waltertrey]

Every single time 💪

[@BIGJUNK1MILLION]

Nine Sols is my current game of the year and one of the best metroidvanias I've ever played. definitely recommend it for the next roundup.

[@Phoenix_The_Wolf]

I genuinely want to see someone having to chase after their ghost after they die having a good time. Seriously why has this become a trend. I can’t think of a single person who says “My favorite part of *insert metroidvania* was when I had to backtrack every five seconds to get the ghost where I died”.

[@aortaplatinum]

Noooo you're not allowed to criticize souls mechanics get downvoted!!

[@NOIDEDU]

Dark souls and hollow knight did it

[@pickyphysicsstudent201]

Shovel Knight was the only game I found it *tolerable.* Partly because it was actually novel back then, over having a lives system and partly because all you lost was money, which wasn't too much of an issue since you could always grind more with ease.

[@OffAirProductions]

@@NOIDEDU Yeah, and I didn't find it fun in Hollow Knight, for the precise reasons that Nerrel detailed in this video. Dark Souls gets away with it because it's mostly linear. You get a bit farther each time until you hit the next bonfire. I think there may be some narrative significance to the mechanic in HK, but that doesn't make me suddenly like the mechanic or anything.

[@NOIDEDU]

@@OffAirProductions but thats what people like and you have to like it too!

[@fabianpantoja5325]

Tip for anyone picking up Animal Well. USE THE PENCIL!!!! Mark up that map. there's too much to remember on your own and it really suck if you have to step a way for a day or two to have to remember codes and where routes lead.

[@nameforcomments4092]

No one ever believes me, but most of Nerrel’s complaints about Rebel Transmute also describe by time with Hollow Knight. It was like Homer Simpson’s first visit to New York City. I just happened to take the least fortuitous path at every possible place I guess, but the game annoyed the hell out of me and I haven’t gone back yet. Someday I will, and I’m sure I’ll have a better time.

[@TBL-AMELIA]

The first quarter of the game is really rough. I was having a really bad time until about 5 hours in. Keep going! You won't regret it I swear

[@YourUncleBenis]

17:31 Oh. So THAT'S why this video took so long to come out.

[@Lt31337Luca]

10:00 "You should *never* have your player feel 'eh, I'll check that room later' IN A GAME ABOUT CHECKIN ROOMS" moment

[@thepersonwhocomentz]

You cannot avoid reviewing Rabi-Ribi forever, Nerrel.

[@DeepWeeb]

Or Shantae!

[@Wapcvm]

He's waiting for the sequel, clearly.

[@yurifairy2969]

I am very curious to see what he thinks about Rabi Ribi because its actually a pretty damn good game

[@kageakiminato8536]

Rabi ribi is an actual kamige immaculate super game. To bad shallow westerners hate it because moe characters

[@kageakiminato8536]

Also everyday I pray for Saiste or Tsunako to draw R18 content. How great they are at bodies feels wasted on these all ages console games

[@antoguino]

no way it’s my favorite guy that talks about metroids and also textures sometimes

[@runaway74]

Samara Sun being an anagram of Samus Aran like come on man

[@userr1225]

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!???

[@userr1225]

I mean, COME ON what a SHIT LOAD OF FUCK

[@VTorner]

Seems like the name of some uhh... "body professional"

[@userr1225]

@@VTorner how is Samara Sun and anagram of Metroid??

[@ethanwomer]

I'm really happy you tried out Ultros. It never really blew up but was so strange and different that I kept hoping it would get a small cult following.

[@Glory2Snowstar]

Wells are one of those things that I forget exist until I see one on a walk or something. When somebody brings up a well, you know they're gonna do it justice.

[@adventuringwolf8517]

Where there's a well there's a way.

[@NameTaken1191]

This statement also extends to music. Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse always does great by wells.

[@Platitudinous9000]

it's called a well because it's illegal to represent one poorly

[@Sluggadome_Rotunda_Bernardson]

@@Platitudinous9000well that would certainly live up to its name well enough

[@christopherrohlf1975]

I love this channel so much so please keep making these. I'd watch em all! Still have the best Star Wars videos on the site, bar none. God bless you, Nerrel!

[@BeefinOut]

Animal Well's strength is also it's weakness in the fact that it doesn't really draw attention to itself. I found a few rabbits during my run which turned out to be these wild rare achievements they any other game would have had a big cutscene for. Infinite-height bubble hopping felt great and there was a secret room that demanded you to master it, but it simultaneously felt like a weird exploit rather than a hidden mechanic. I could tell that there were tons of mysteries I could solve, but I didn't know why I should or how to start. For such a mellow, cute game, it demands as much determined focus and out of the box thinking as games like Void Stranger if you want to experience anything more than the base game, and I'd bet that half the players wouldn't even realize that there's multiple layers of nuance and mechanics beneath the game. Hell I didn't even realize how many items there were at first because the item menu doesn't have blank spots for them; it stretches out when you find them.

[@lukascoleman2328]

I'm surprised you haven't played/talked about the new Prince of Persia game since it's the only Metroidvania made by a big publisher since Metroid Dread. If you were waiting for it to come to Steam, it did finally get put on it a few weeks ago although you may want to wait for the DLC.

[@vorbo01]

Do you need Ubisoft connect to play it?

[@lukascoleman2328]

@@vorbo01 sadly, yes. If you purchase it. If somehow a copy of the game were to end up on your computer a different way, I don't know personally.

[@vorbo01]

@@lukascoleman2328 well then the game can safely be ignored by people with scruples to review. And if anyone wants to play it, emulating is your friend

[@BlueLightningSky]

@@vorbo01 what are you talking about? Just install the damn app or just say you want to pirate it. Why go through the trouble of emulation when those two options are much easier?

[@vorbo01]

@@BlueLightningSky I don't think the game is cracked yet. Or at least wasn't last I looked

[@XATH0RN]

17:11 I can only hope that one of the many to go is La-Mulana, I am sure you would have a very interesting take on that game series...

[@crabulous]

Somehow, Nerrel releases are always perfectly timed to drop about 4 days after I start rewatching the older ones, thank you Nerrel

[@Uhcip]

Nine Sols and Prince of Persia also happened. This could be the best year for the genre.

[@jankmedia1985]

Genotype for VR is a good first-person metroid style game. Pretty basic but designed well and incredibly polished. A good example of a developer knowing their limits and using them to their advantage.

[@octorokreviews]

I just spent twenty minutes watching Nerrel review three games I'll never play. Twenty minutes well spent.

[@Professor_Utonium_]

There's too much media now, I'm thankful for channels like this.

[@dalgusmaximus4557]

Animal well and ultros look pretty fun

[@DonWeaselYeehawEdition]

I really appreciate how fair and honest your reviews are.

[@mariokarter13]

I have a feeling the enemy bouncing in Rebel Transmute was tested by reloading the room after each attempt. The developers didn't have to deal with enemies being out of position because they were constantly being respawned at the starting position.

[@leonardodelimaferreira8509]

8:37 super metroid uses something extremely similar with the ice beam, but the reason why it works is that 1 it doesn't do damage, only after you hit the enemy froze 2 you are SUPPOSED to use it only on a specific enemy that has a specific set movement pattern, it is always the same for the room you are in, plus this enemy can't be killed, so unless you want to exploit the ice beam, you'll never find problems with it platform wise, while also letting you try to exploit the level design yourself, if you fuck up, it isn't and can't be the game's fault The devs really did a super amateur decision while trying to evolve from Hollow Knight and Super Metroid

[@papersonic9941]

Hollow Knight also made the enemies you're meant to pogo off not be harmed from above

[@joshjohnson2780]

I love the metroid theme at the end of the vid. Something I've been trying to learn on the piano myself

[@nikkeli3942]

Does anyone else find themselves rewatching these videos over and over again. A lot of the time I just put Nerrel on the background so I can fall asleep easier.

[@JohnDoe-uf3lj]

I WAS JUST Thinking of you nerrel! Truly our love is one that is meant to be! And by that, I meant the responsible and plutonic love of a KZbinr and his newly found subscriber.

[@lightbulbcan]

We need a proper EP release of all the cover songs from the credits for these videos. The Axion Verge one from a few videos ago was just painfully beautiful. And now this!

[@dalgusmaximus4557]

He has them on his Patreon. Maybe some day he will release them on yt.

[@kynqts3411]

Btw Super Mario Eclipse has been released. It's a mod made by the team behind Super Mario Sunburn and it's half-remake/half a sequel to sunshine and I've thoroughly enjoyed it so far. Anyway I figure you've probably been aware of it's existence for a while but just in case, it's sounds like you're kind of stuff and would probably benefit from your recommendation (if you ever like it) for visibility sake.

[@JoeDejacque]

Time to reform from a pile of ashes for the latest Nerrel video

[@ghost-in-the-ciel]

Nerrel, I don't want to add to your 16 billion dollar backlog, and this one is older, but Valdis Story is absolutely one of the best games in this genre and has had relatively little attention. It has a hand-drawn art style, and the combat combines thoughtful encounter design with combo-based characters that lean more towards DMC stylistically. There's probably a low chance that you look at it, but I thought it deserved the spotlight. Its trailer and marketing were really bad, but it rocks. Make sure you go for S-rank on the bosses!

[@jenispizz2556]

I now finally know my opinion on these games I haven't played. Keep up the good work Nerrel.

[@VLikaru]

Holy sht Nerrel. THis is my favorite video series of yours, thank you. I appreciate the hard work and reviews you make for us.

[@azechase6597]

Ultros is the kind of creative i feel starved of like a calf being prepared to become veal to a capitalistic gaming hellscape.

[@Hysteria98]

It's a shame you didn't see AW through until the 100% ending, because after you beat the bosses, the other half of the game begins, wherein you discover how every single unique facet of the map harbours a secret. It's the most secret-packed MV I've ever seen (akin to the feel of Jonathan Blow's 'The Witness'), but granted the terrible world and inventory design absolutely butcher the fun to be had out of the later experience, so I don't entirely blame you for clocking out early, but I believe you really did only see half the game. Also worth mentioning despite how overrated it is because of Dunkey's fan base, it's incredible how Billy Basso made the entire game single-handedly, even down to the engine and all it's effects. Everything from scratch.

[@Nerrel]

I'll try to finish it someday, maybe when Silksong releases since I'll have plenty of free time and won't be playing anything then

[@mewd138]

@@Nerrel You're a sick man (good vid as usual)

[@Hysteria98]

@@Nerrel haha, I always wondered who it was riling up every Nintendo Direct Live chat.

[@aliasmcdoe]

If you think AW is full of secrets, you should give La-Mulana a try. A game for true sickos.

[@LunamrathP]

"akin to the feel of Jonathan Blow's 'The Witness'" But less nauseating, right?

[@breadraptor]

dang i played ultros for about 2.5 hours and totally didnt grasp that the plant system went so deep lol. im glad to see it getting some love!

[@SoffiCitrus]

I love animal well but the post game really soured me on it. The items you get don't actually do anything, they may as well be keys that unlock one or two bits of the map that you would never know to look for. It's a game that's designed to be completed as a community, except by the time i played it like two days after its release everything was already solved. All that's left is to google the answers to puzzles which are otherwise impossible to do on your own.

[@elsamarks8477]

My favorite Metroidvania of the past few years was Vernal Edge. It was limited by its low enemy variety and difficulty, BUT the low poly world map, and the final power up being the ability to read (after a ton of gags throughout the game about being illiterate) made it memorable for all time

[@RickyG93]

That game was painfully mid

[@YoyMcFroy]

Animal Well is easily my GOTY so far, despite the very real problems you point out. I've never felt as immersed by a metroidvania, and the multi-layered design is a huge part of that. It creates a real sense of wonder when you find such substantial things hidden where it feels like you shouldn't even be. It felt like when I was a kid imagining what might be out of bounds in a game, like if I could break out of Veridian Forest I'd find a whole other region with new pokemon lol.

[@kunairuto]

You played way more of Rebel Transmute than I would have with those issues.

[@JorganGJorgan]

Are you allergic to guacamelee 2 or something

[@ctpp64]

fr the game deserves more coverage

[@MrF3legendary]

I've been waiting for Nerrel to review 'Dust: an Elysium Tail' since he hinted at it in his first metroidvania review video 4 years ago. But it's okay, I can wait.

[@kageakiminato8536]

Guac 2 is wonderful, love it. But Valdis story is a real sleeper gem I wish more would review

[@DergonQuert]

Okay, Environmental Space Station Alpha is a funny one to show when mentioning "homages" that basically just copy Metroid when the second half of the game is closer to Animal Well.

[@mlgcactus1035]

About animal well item management, it is true that it gets annoying to deal with the scrolling through them, but you can just use the item selection menu to select the specific item, while the game is paused. It dose slow down the game play, but it is better then scrolling through items while... something is chasing me.

[@malvessidrums]

bought a pack of cream cracker and a tin of condensed milk just to watch Nerrel tonight

[@yofyo]

13:30 I love you Nerrel

[@byel2844]

i was literally just binge watching your entire channel lol

[@johnnyvalverde7987]

Damn, I was hoping to see you talk about Prince of Persia in this one. Hopefully it'll be in the next mega-review.

[@lethauntic]

I still remember how much it caught me off guard when he basically said that A Robot Named Fight was so bad you shouldn't touch it even if your life depends on it. It both makes it harder to take seriously, but also when he says a game is good, it must have something going for it

[@caseymccarthy6746]

why did you like the game?

[@rustyguacamole]

In my experience i used the pencil and stamps to mark out the trajectory of the pipes in AW. Most of them have another backtracking pipe nearby though not always.

[@Cleve_Crudgington]

I loved Animal Well up until the first credit roll. I went on to get all the eggs but kind of wish I hadn't as I found as time went on the enjoyment just got less and less. In the end I was left with a game where half of my time with it was kind of a slog. Also I have to disagree with the bubble being a stingier version of a double jump. You can use it repeatedly to stay in the air forever. Less a double jump and more a space jump. Ultros is a game that was love at first sight for me but that love fizzled out quickly. I think it was the looping structure that didn't really vibe with me. I do plan on giving it another go one of these days though.

[@stakemz721]

You want a good metroidvania? Check out Prince of Persia The Lost Crown. Damn, that was the most fun I've had with a game in years. It's got cool combat, clever puzzles, an innovative mechanic where you can screenshot areas of the map that you can view at any time on the map screen. It's got a few bugs though...nothing game breaking. Still got 100% on it. Seriously good game!

[@Dudex11a]

That Animal Well criticism was on point, I was supprised to find myself agreeing to all of it despite liking the game so much

[@dalgusmaximus4557]

I've never played the game but the fact it looks so fresh and original I don't think the flaws would bother me that much.

[@cootermcgooter1027]

thanks for releasing a video on my birthday

[@MidlifeCrisisJoe]

I just think it's neat that Nerrel has become the best reviewer for Metroidvanias exclusively.

[@goodgamer1419]

i agree so much with your opinion on soul retreval mecanics, it always feels like they are just thrown in without any regard for what they actually add to the formula

[@lorenzotalk]

I sincerely hope more Metroidvanias continue to take risks and try new ideas, even if they fail, rather than trying to just combine Metroidvania with Dark Souls.

[@PlatinumAltaria]

Dark Souls is a Metroidvania by the loosest definition.

[@natalimoina]

Different =/= good.

[@lightning_round]

Time to stop watching Nerrel to watch Nerrel

[@DjKlzonez]

I am glad to see more METROIDvanias than SOTN-likes. So many games take inspiration from Hollow Knight and SOTN that they forget the Metroid part.

[@SamuelTinkerJr.]

I'd love another of these in different genres you enjoy. Great video

[@TheGershon]

I would've dropped Rebel Transmute like a bad habit after encountering even half of the problems you described. That playthrough sounds miserable

[@reynoldssmith6696]

that squirrel bite counter WILL go up

[@joereno955]

Animal Well was amazing if you like puzzle-focused Metroidvanias. Up there with Tunic, Fez and The Witness

[@HueyTheDoctor]

Great video. I was always super curious about Ultros and its DMT-inspired art direction. It's as though McKenna were alive to advise on a video game.

[@flippinfluff6778]

please never stop making this series. Would love to see you cover Rusted Moss btw.

[@royale9985]

I don’t know why, but that farmer bit made me laugh for so long. It was so well made, kudos Nerrel. Hope your harvest goes well.

[@Legiteral]

Something in my blood made me rewatch all the Metroidvaniathon reviews last night. My Nerrellink is surely at work 👀🤖

[@anguset]

I know you cover 2D games in this series, but have you checked out Pseudoregalia? The vertical movement and acrobatics you unlock felt like the truest translation of Metroid into 3D I'd ever experienced (more than Prime ever did, to me at least), and it was my GOTY 2023. If you can get past the main character's design, that is.

[@soapbiter36577]

The main character design also being a plus depending on who you ask

[@ValkyrieTiara]

@@soapbiter36577 We don't kinkshame here.

[@anguset]

@@soapbiter36577 oh no, I know, I just get the feeling Nerrel would layer any video on it in heavy irony haha

[@jeffboy4231]

i played it when it released, so it had no map and idk what other stuff they added since then, but tbh i had a BIG problem with the sequence breaks, they were too easy. WAY too often i'd accidently do a sequence break, try to find my way back to the actual route, do a pretty hard challenge, only to be rewarded with nothing because i already took the reward. sequence breaks are awesome, but when they are easier than the challenge room for the item and you don't notice it's a sequence break then it's pretty dumb

[@ArthurGaming146]

@@jeffboy4231 i accidentally sequence broke a good third of the game and only realized it when i ended up getting the maguffin in the fourth area of the game before the third. The area with the third one I entered once then left because I assumed it was the final area of the game (and to be fair, the final boss room is just beyond it) but this led me to not getting a vital upgrade there which made my experience in the keep and theater kinda miserable. I only returned when i finally hit a roadblock in the theater that i couldnt possibly manage, and i somehow managed to get past the outdoor segment with just the wall kick. Granted, it's probs my fault for not exploring the area and making assumptions.

[@TheRealmDrifter]

misread the title when the notification popped up, and thought this was about a new Metroidvania Mega Man 64 fan game.

[@arussthebus]

Thanks for playing these games so I don't have to... Being able to replay Super Metroid in pixel perfect 4:3 with the Project Base mod meets all my needs at this point. None of the three games shown in this video looked interesting to me in the slightest, but I appreciate the effort taken.

[@nerdzone]

As usual I don't fail to completely disagree with you on something. :D Rebel Transmute is an absolute gem. As someone who plays a lot of metroidvanias I feel it was made for me personally. Its mechanical complexity and challenging platforming that gives you tools to solve the platforming sections yourself and not solution to platforming cases was phenomenal. The feeling that you mentioned with disdain "I felt like I had to sequence break in order to progress" is exactly what felt best. I don't agree that the game is just linear enough to make you backtrack a lot. If you push hard enough, if you become good enough with the mechanics, it's blown open the way a great metroidvania is. Rarely had I had this feeling of dread and hopelessness with a metroidvania (besides La-Mulana). Rarely had I had this feeling that I am lost. Rarely had I had this feeling that I was pushing through all odds (which I actually think I was in most cases anyway). Rarely had I had this feeling that I am unwanted in this base. I feel that all of those are marks of a great metroidvania. The mainstreamization of the genre of the last 5 years made it so that games like Rebel Transmute feel out of place. It's a lot of handholding, a lot of "good game design" disallowing players to struggle, to feel frustrated. Also, I feel that what you said about it copying Hollow Knight is overstated. These mechanics became ubiquotous at some point, most if not all even not originating from Hollow Knight. The badge system exactly like this was in Rabi-Ribi, fast travelling points and systems were a part of metroidvanias since time immemorial and the collectible that gives you money I swear I saw way before 2018's game that every redditer and youtuber credit's everything with. (although it looks visually the same, showering with credits, which was cool) I agree that you dropping your body Diablo style does not fit with metroidvania game design and this is the biggest stain on Rebel Transmute for me. Otherwise I liked it a lot. It's a game not for newbies in a niche genre that became increasingly targetted towards them. Reviews like those you displayed and like yours make me think that I need to share my opinion with the author. They made something valueable and needs to know that. I bet they feel like shit and hope that I help at least somewhat.

[@starbombere7071]

hey thanks for crediting the movies/tv show clips, i really appreciate it over having to search for a obscure joke

[@greyfire64]

You need to play Pseudoregalia It’s one of the very few metriodvanias I’ve enjoyed as of recent

[@Allen-qs2xr]

Hollow Knight: Bugs Silksong: Arachnids Animal Well: Animals Ultros: Plants Bird metroidvania when

[@cantbehelped]

I just beat Visions of Mana and thought about Nerrel's Mana videos, and then this upload appeared. Synchronicity?

[@Alex-yj6ju]

4:45 I like how the game called deviator doesn’t seem to deviate from hollow knight much at all

[@contextsensitive8484]

animal well was a real treat. I wish I hadn't broken the seal on looking up the locations of eggs/the other postgame puzzles as soon as I did

[@PauLtus_B]

…I actually think Hollow Knight's influence, and I suppose by extension Soulslikes, makes Metroidvanias worse. It's difficult to get the standard linear item progression right but the semi-openness I really feel becomes a mess.

[@toxicfish247]

Highly recommend going back to finish the postgame of animal well. Some of the best moments in the game come from the discoveries you make trying to get all the eggs. Combing over the map still gets tedious but there are ways to narrow down where they are and to get around quicker than using the pipes

[@obitosenju3768]

The fact he needs people encuraging him to do it and not the game itself drawing him towards it is the reason he won't do it

[@chip_ilon]

FATHER IS BACK

[@DeepDiveDevin]

I'm glad to see people recommending Pseudoregalia in the comments. Besides the FAT FURRY ASSES it has great depth to the movement and world design for such a short game.

[@4Wilko]

Always appreciate the music cover outros.

[@kirby9447]

Wake up babe, new Nerrel video just dropped

[@vinterskog]

I'm longing for something closer to Shadow Complex. I loved that damn game.

[@diszydreams]

Thanks for yet another really good video! Ps. Have played Animal Well, and just bought Ultros (which is 50% off on Steam ATM).

[@DeepWeeb]

Kind of a shame how it seems every other Metroidvania nowadays wants to be the next Hollow Knight to the point copying it wholesale, if there's something those games should be copying instead *it's its level of quality because **_a lot of them are lacking on it judging by Nerrel's own videos_* I think this series could look at some less-recent attempts (La-Mulana, Iconoclasts, Momodora, Shadow Complex, etc.) as a palate-cleanser, "oldies but goodies", as they say

[@mlgcactus1035]

Animal well is a more recent game that tries to be more original.

[@DeepWeeb]

@@mlgcactus1035 I know, I watched the video

[@mlgcactus1035]

@@DeepWeeb 🤓

[@gangganggang2219]

Thanks for talking about Ultruos. I was very interested but as soon as I read roguelike I bounced. I'll try it out based on this recommendation!

[@ZappBranniglenn]

Now that it hit Steam I've been working my way through Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Sure it's not the scrappy indie game that is typical of these reviews, but I can certainly recommend playing it. My only real issue is it also has those equippable medals. Especially once you start purchasing upgrades for your favorites, you'll find even less of an excuse to try on a new one, and that makes their acquisition feel like less of a reward.

[@bunnysmacker77]

Animal Well might have been a perfect game for me if it wasn't for the boss fights. Really enjoyed the map and creative use of the environment.

[@SomaKitsune]

The Ultros soundtrack changed my life!

[@James35142]

Finally! It's been so long since the last upload!

[@JAMPLEYDEV]

Always enjoy these videos, keep it up.

[@rogueguardian]

4:27 there's that hollow knight bashing I subscribed for 😂