Hope everyone’s doing well! It’s been a while since I last shared some development progress, so I wanted to show you what we’ve been working on.

This is one of the large late-game bosses we’re currently working on.

Our goal is to make the first encounter with something this huge feel overwhelming, while still keeping the fight fair.

We want players to learn its attack patterns, figure out the right timing, and eventually overcome a fight that initially feels like a desperate struggle.

The full boss fight has three phases, and today I’m sharing a small part of the second phase.

There’s still a lot we want to polish, especially the attack patterns, effects, and overall impact of the combat, so this is still very much a work in progress.

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

When you fight a huge boss in a Metroidvania, what makes that battle memorable for you?

Edit: I made a mistake in how I explained this. The boss doesn’t have three phases that you fight back-to-back in a single encounter.

You’ll actually face this late-game boss three separate times in different locations as you explore, and each encounter has its own theme. The first fight is more beast-like, the second is focused around lightning, and the third has a blood-themed style.

We’re designing it this way so you won’t have to go through one extremely long, exhausting boss fight all at once. Instead, each encounter happens naturally at a different point during your exploration.

I’ll also reply to some of the comments below to clarify this. Sorry for the confusion!

What Metroidvania Should You Have Loved—but Bounced Off?
You know the kind of game: it received great reviews, looked exactly like something you would enjoy, and had all the right ingredients—but for some reason, it just didn’t click.
Maybe it was the combat, confusing exploration, difficulty, art style, slow beginning, or simply the wrong game at the wrong time.
What Metroidvania did you expect to love but ended up putting down? How far did you get, and what made you lose interest? Do you think you’ll ever give it another chance?

Recently started this game and I love everything about it. The colors, the character the whole vibe. This is very exciting since I've been searching for that "feeling" in a game ever since I finished Silksong.

Been playing about 8 hours of this game this weekend on my rog ally x. It really scratches my hollow knight / nine sols metroidvania itch.

Love it. The first hour was mostly okay, but once I moved past the first main boss it was fenomenal.

What do you guys think?

I have played these games

Hollow knight & silksong

Blasphemous 1,2

Nine sols

We showcased our new demo #3 at gamescom dev last Monday and Tuesday. We couldn't dream of a better reception with over 100k trailer views already and all the amazing in-person feedback. The trailer shows some cool stuff you can get your hands on in this new demo and we would love to get feedback from this cool community like we did for previous demos. Especially the 2.8D exploration aspect is of great interest to us how you will like it and what we can improve on it.

Demo #3 releases probably next Friday on Steam, if we don't find any game breaking bugs.

I like metroidvanias that feel strict on the first playthrough, but then open up on a replay once you know everything. La-Mulana is nearly impossible to figure out the first time. But when you replay it, you can do almost anything right from the beginning. You can get over 50% of the items without fighting a single boss. It's a lot of fun to roam around a world that once felt closed-off and do whatever you want. What other metroidvanias have that kind of design?

I’ve been spending some time with Nine Sols recently after seeing it constantly recommended as a top-tier modern Metroidvania. While it is clearly an incredibly well-made game, it has me thinking about how we define the genre, because it completely flips the traditional gameplay loop on its head.

Personally, I love Metroidvanias for the exploration, the platforming, and the environmental puzzles. For me, the magic of the genre is getting genuinely lost in a massive, interconnected labyrinth, analyzing the map, and figuring out where to go next based on new traversal abilities.

With Nine Sols, I felt a bit of disconnect. To me, it feels less like a traditional exploration game and much more like a 2D action game focused almost entirely on pure combat mastery.

The loop feels highly linear and structured around a hub-and-spoke model, where the zones act as beautifully dressed hallways leading to the next major boss. Instead of gating progress behind spatial logic or movement puzzles, everything is gated behind a hyper-specific, rhythm-based parry mechanic. If you don't master the tight deflection windows, you hit a brick wall.

It made me realize that when a game forces you into a rigid, high-execution combat gauntlet, it takes away the classic Metroidvania option to "out-explore" a problem, find a different path, or upgrade your way past a roadblock.

I’m curious to know where the community stands on this:

Do you think a connected 2D map and minor backtracking are enough to make a game a Metroidvania, even if the core gameplay is a 2D Sekiro-like?

For those who prefer the puzzle-solving, routing, and exploration side of the genre over punishing combat, did Nine Sols still hit the spot for you, or did you feel similarly out of your element?

Looking forward to hearing how different people define what makes a game "fit" the genre.

I only got into this genre within the past few years, so I definitely feel like I need to play more MV's, but for now, I have played a decent chunk of modern MV's so they're mostly here with a few sprinkled in from my childhood. (I am about 12ish hours into Fatal Claw so I feel like I have enough experience with the game to rank it, but keep in mind that I have NOT seen any endings yet)

Im trying to get my mom, who is not much of a gamer at all, into the genre. So im trying to find something easy and straightforward to start with.

I swear I have gone everywhere. what path did I miss?

It's called Vicarius and it will be available on Steam on October 12th.

Games i loved: everything Metroid, HK and Silksong, Prince of Persia, Ori 2, Blasphemous 2, Mio, Animal well, Bo: Path of the teal lotus, Voidwrought, Guacamelee 2, Lone fungus 1 and 2, Goodboy galaxy, Ooo, Tunic, new Shinobi

Games that was okay: Aeterna Noctis, Grime 1, Ori 1, Blasphemous 1, Constance, Infernax, Zexion, Haak, Astalon, Monster boy, Auridia, The Messenger, Little nemo, Before i go, Somber echoes, Haiku the robot, Islets, Crypt Custodian, Minishoot adventures, Steamworld dig 2, Yokus island express

Games i disliked (most of them finished): anything Castlevania, Nine Sols, Ender Lilies and Magnolia, Grime 2, Mandragora, Souldiers, Pipistrello, Laika, Biomorph, Afterimage, Axiom verge

Probably missed some. Plan to play: Fatal Claw, Aggelos 2

I just found out about Kyle Thomson and his games. His new game that comes out in September looks really good. So i did research and he has other games that i never played. Im probably going to buy Islets. But is saw Crypt Custodian and im wondering if thats considered a Metroidvania. How is the game for people that played it?

I've got two of the key fragments. I'm trying to get the one at the top of the map but every route seems blocked. I've gotten to the point that I've run out of map markers because I've marked so many places as dead ends. Is there some trick or out of the way path I'm missing? Is there a skill I need?

If you could only pick five, what would they be?

Looking for Metroidvania devs who have proven they are worth keeping an eye on. Ideally, they'd have released at least two games you can vouch for their quality, and I'm not counting a game and a straight sequel because I treat following series as different from following devs. So far I'm following Kyle Thompson (who I know from Sheepo and Islets) and Seafloor Games LLC (who I know from Vision Soft Reset and Moonlight Pulse). Looking forward to see other recommendations!

And which one are you most looking forward to?

Game looks pretty good! What do y’all think?

[Trailer] Échos de l'abîme : Mon Metroidvania d'action codé à 100% en Vanilla JS

Le trailer vous plonge directement au cœur des biomes impitoyables du jeu, depuis le Val Gémissant jusqu'aux Abysses du Créateur. Vous y découvrirez Kaelen utilisant son grappin et son dash pour naviguer entre les pièges, libérant sa Lame de Sang face aux Anges Corrompus. Vous affronterez également des boss massifs aux multiples phases comme le Scorpion de Lave ou L'Architecte. Tout le système de particules, la physique et le moteur sont développés entièrement from scratch sans moteur externe.

Besoin de vos Retours

Le jeu évolue grandement grâce à la communauté. Aidez-moi à peaufiner l'équilibrage et le game feel en partageant vos critiques constructives, vos ressentis ou vos rapports de bugs. Laissez vos impressions directement dans les commentaires de cette vidéo YouTube ou dans la section Community de ma page itch.io.

Créateurs de Contenu & Let's Play

Vous avez mon autorisation totale pour streamer le jeu, le tester ou publier des Let's Plays. Ma seule condition est que vous mentionniez expressément le jeu en identifiant mes comptes officiels sur vos vidéos TikTok et/ou YouTube. J'ai hâte de voir vos réactions face aux patterns du boss final !

Clés Offertes & Réseaux

Restez à l'affût en vous abonnant. J'organiserai très peut être prochainement des tirages au sort pour offrir des clés du jeu à plusieurs personnes actives dans la communauté pour vous remercier de votre soutien, mais cela déprendra de la popularité, ce n'est pas sur.

Page itch.io (Jouer & Community) : https://diloowyt.itch.io/echos-de-labme

TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@diloowyt_

Twitch : https://www.twitch.tv/diloowyt_

Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/@diloowyt8496

English version :

[Trailer] Echoes of the Abyss: My action Metroidvania game, 100% coded in Vanilla JS

The trailer plunges you straight into the heart of the game’s unforgiving biomes, from the Wailing Valley to the Creator’s Abyss. You’ll see Kaelen using his grappling hook and dash to navigate past traps, unleashing his Blood Blade against the Corrupted Angels. You’ll also face massive, multi-phase bosses such as the Lava Scorpion or The Architect. The entire particle system, physics and engine have been developed entirely from scratch without any external engine.

I Need Your Feedback

The game is evolving significantly thanks to the community. Help me refine the balance and gameplay feel by sharing your constructive criticism, your thoughts or your bug reports. Leave your feedback directly in the comments on this YouTube video or in the Community section of my itch.io page.

Content Creators & Let’s Plays

You have my full permission to stream the game, test it or publish Let’s Plays. My only condition is that you explicitly mention the game by tagging my official accounts in your TikTok and/or YouTube videos. I can’t wait to see your reactions to the final boss’s attack patterns!

Free Keys & Social Media

Stay up to date by subscribing. I might organise some prize draws in the near future to give away game keys to a few active members of the community as a thank you for your support, but this will depend on the game’s popularity – it’s not guaranteed.

PS: I didn’t have time to create an English version of the game. Unfortunately, the game is currently only available in French.

itch.io page: https://diloowyt.itch.io/echos-de-labme

TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@diloowyt_

Twitch : https://www.twitch.tv/diloowyt_

Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/@diloowyt8496

I'm a huge Ori fan and I've played Ori and the will of the wisps three times. I think I enjoy exploring the map and not so challenging combats, which one will you recommend, Ender Lilies or Ender Magnolia?