I know there’s a lot of good metroidvanias floating around, but I implore you to take a look at Stardust Demon. Developed by two-person queer married team resnijars, it looks like a real charmer. All bright and fuzzy and with plenty of alien weirdness to hop over or battle, with lots of FMV cutscenes to bring those colourful characters closer to your eyeballs. It’s also out now, which is good for people like me who crave bizzarovanias.
In Stardust Demon you play as Algol, a fuzzy demon bear (?) who explores alien planets. You’ll solve puzzles, do some nice hopping, grind on neon rails, and hit baddies with your powers – of which, there are lots. You’ve got fire breathe, you’ve got sticky bombs, a reflect beam, and the best-sounding one? A pogo stick.
As for those planets, there’s Wexia, replete with “dangerous flora and fauna” and home to “worm-like and quirky Wexoids”. Klonix is the “ethereal planet” and actually home to friendly demons, while Purrafiny is an aquatic number and outpost for “nefarious poachers” and “animal collectors”. There are more (some aren’t even planets) and, honestly, they look 1000% more interesting and quirky than a lot of worlds I’ve seen in retro-fied platformers nowadays. The trailer really highlights their diversity.
Another thing I’d like to highlight is Algol’s walk: a very good little plod that makes the physical act of pottering around those vicious planets lighter on the heart in general. Never underestimate the power of a good walk animation, I say.
You can find the game over on Steam if you’re keen.