​

Initially funded through Kickstarter in 2014, Timespinner was revealed as a 2D Metroidvania game, made by new indie developer Lunar Ray Games. It was originally scheduled to release three years ago, but faced a few delays through its development, causing it to be pushed back from November 2015, to a Fall 2018 window. Now, Chucklefish, who came on as a publisher, has announced a final release date for the game, and uploaded a new gameplay trailer to give us a glimpse of what it's about. Timespinner takes clear inspiration from classic titles like Symphony of the Night, Mega Man X, and Star Ocean, as well as other assorted other PS1 and SNES games in order to create a "2D metroidvania game with tight gameplay and controls". You play as a character called Lunais, who can control time, which adds a new element of gameplay to the typical formula. Power Up Audio (of Into the Breach and Celeste fame) is also on board, in order to create a soundtrack. You can try it out when it launches for PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, and PC on September 25.

 

[Marco_Buns]

I thought for a second it said Timesplitters

 

[Reploid]

wow, pixelated indie, how exctiting...

 

[VinsCool]

Chrono Trigger, Castlevania, Metroid, and Shantae had a baby, and this is this game.

That looks simply awesome!

 

[mcamachoxd]

what happened with the 3ds version?

 

[TwistedZeon]

Woah! This seriously looks amazing! I'm actually excited for this and it's hard to believe that not too long ago I didn't really care much for 2d platformers. The gameplay was okay but I never really grew up on them, I was more into rpgs.

Go back a few weeks now and I finally gave Shantae a try after years of interest but no drive to play due to it being a 2d platformer, Now I can't stop playing them.. I've beaten Risky's Revenge and now about to beat Pirates Curse with 1/2 Genie Hero ret-2-go afterwards.

I now realize though after playing Shantae that I think my interest lies in metroidvania style platformers and so now I've got my eyes set on Symphony of the Night as well.

Back to Timespinner, well.. It checks all of the boxes, great art style (not just talking about the pixel look but the colours and what not), solid looking gameplay & mechanics, and an interesting story all on top of being a metoridvania styled game.

I look forward to when this drops and I'll definitely be grabbing it at some point.

Also! If anyone has suggestions for more games like what I've mentioned please let me know!

 

[pedro702]

fells very weird seeing pixel games with clean language audio support lol

 

[Roamin64]

@TwistedZeon Although older and with small resolution , the Castlevania trilogy on the GBA might be considered by some (at least by me) even better than symphony of the night. I'm also a RPG fan , but since I grew up on 2d platformers, they've always been part of my playing catalogue. These Castlevania games have RPG elements in them and they are great games. Then there's also Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow , on the DS, which is still pretty much the same as the 3 GBA games. The good thing about these games is that nearly all mobile devices have GBA emulators for them, nowadays I mostly use my Nvidia Shield when it comes to emulation.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

Hopefully this offers more than the messenger. I played that, it's a fun game and really good but it's $20 and not so much as metroidvania as I had hoped. Also this isn't for switch? Well guess I'll pass on this until more news.

Good sprite animation quality but kinda wish the characters was bigger and more detailed, and the color could be brighter. I mean if it's supposed to be a dark dystonia post apocalyptic world or something I get it and would know the idea from the story, plot and how people behave in the universe, or how things look but it's dark nitty-gritty color pallet isn't always the obvious answer to projecting it.

 

[jamesaa]

what happened with the 3ds version?

To quote to dev:
"As was mentioned in previous updates, the 3DS will be worked on after the game is shipped on all of the other platforms. This is because the 3DS is much more difficult to port to than all other platforms."

Which is a bit of a kick in the teeth, especially when the original eta for the game was November 2015

At this point I would think an option to get it on Switch would be a better choice, it's probably easier to port to than the 3DS too, but eh, i'm not a dev, and people will moan regardless what he chooses to do.

I just want my Steam copy now, my 3DS has been retired and i doubt i'm pulling it back out for one game, rip my extra $5.

 

[kuwanger]

Also! If anyone has suggestions for more games like what I've mentioned please let me know!

Metroid, Super Metroid*, Monster Tale, Rex Rocket, Dust: An Elysian Tail, VVVVVV*, SteamWorld Dig 1&2, Teslegrad, Bunny Must Die, Goonies II, Blaster Master & Blaster Master Zero, Monster World IV, Axiom Verge, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror*, Cave Story*, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight*, Iconoclasts

Those are all games I've played substantially enough (most I've finished) to say they're fun enough 2d platformers with some degree of Metroidvania. The ones with an asterisks I'd especially recommend. There's of course the many GBA/DS Castlevania games which someone else already mentioned but I'd recommend those as well.

Edit - Also, a good list of Metroidvanias, most of which I've not played.

 

[DarthDub]

Vita version, but no Switch? Lolwut.

 

[Arras]

Woah! This seriously looks amazing! I'm actually excited for this and it's hard to believe that not too long ago I didn't really care much for 2d platformers. The gameplay was okay but I never really grew up on them, I was more into rpgs.

Go back a few weeks now and I finally gave Shantae a try after years of interest but no drive to play due to it being a 2d platformer, Now I can't stop playing them.. I've beaten Risky's Revenge and now about to beat Pirates Curse with 1/2 Genie Hero ret-2-go afterwards.

I now realize though after playing Shantae that I think my interest lies in metroidvania style platformers and so now I've got my eyes set on Symphony of the Night as well.

Back to Timespinner, well.. It checks all of the boxes, great art style (not just talking about the pixel look but the colours and what not), solid looking gameplay & mechanics, and an interesting story all on top of being a metoridvania styled game.

I look forward to when this drops and I'll definitely be grabbing it at some point.

Also! If anyone has suggestions for more games like what I've mentioned please let me know!

Pretty much every Metroid game, both 2d and 3D. The exceptions are Metroid 1 (Zero Mission is a remake and much better), Metroid 2 (both am2r and the 3ds remake are better options), Prime Hunters (fun multiplayer, but the campaign feels lacking) and Other M (can be decently fun gameplay wise, but has many issues). Every other game in the series is basically a must play.

There's also two spinoffs. Don't bother with Federation Force, but Prime Pinball is actually a fun fanservice-y short pinball game after you beat Prime.

 

[kuwanger]

Zero Mission is a remake and much better

There are a lot of ways in which Zero Mission is better (maps, better graphics, less absurd hidden blocks, being able to crouch/shoot down) and one major way it's much worse (strives to be mostly linear). On the balance, I'd tend to call it equal from a "Metroid" perspective.

 

[pedro702]

There are a lot of ways in which Zero Mission is better (maps, better graphics, less absurd hidden blocks, being able to crouch/shoot down) and one major way it's much worse (strives to be mostly linear). On the balance, I'd tend to call it equal from a "Metroid" perspective.

the way they made boss battles and everything else makes zero mission absolute superior imo.

 

[kuwanger]

Not to get (even further) side tracked, but the core part of Metroidvanias to me is (1) open exploration, (2) item acquisition for (3), and (3) movement tech. As much as I like boss battles, a game with zero boss battles but better of those three things would be much superior to me and much more what Metroidvania is about. Or maybe more what Metroid is as part of the equation. *shrug*

 

[pedro702]

Not to get (even further) side tracked, but the core part of Metroidvanias to me is (1) open exploration, (2) item acquisition for (3), and (3) movement tech. As much as I like boss battles, a game with zero boss battles but better of those three things would be much superior to me and much more what Metroidvania is about. Or maybe more what Metroid is as part of the equation. *shrug*

i just cant play original metroid or even metroid 2 on the gb, i remnber having to use magazines and stuff to see the maps, the terrains were very very similar so its very hard to know where you are an the paths and such, it just just boring practice even back in the day, super metroid and on made it right.

 

[Ericthegreat]

​

Initially funded through Kickstarter in 2014, Timespinner was revealed as a 2D Metroidvania game, made by new indie developer Lunar Ray Games. It was originally scheduled to release three years ago, but faced a few delays through its development, causing it to be pushed back from November 2015, to a Fall 2018 window. Now, Chucklefish, who came on as a publisher, has announced a final release date for the game, and uploaded a new gameplay trailer to give us a glimpse of what it's about. Timespinner takes clear inspiration from classic titles like Symphony of the Night, Mega Man X, and Star Ocean, as well as other assorted other PS1 and SNES games in order to create a "2D metroidvania game with tight gameplay and controls". You play as a character called Lunais, who can control time, which adds a new element of gameplay to the typical formula. Power Up Audio (of Into the Breach and Celeste fame) is also on board, in order to create a soundtrack. You can try it out when it launches for PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, and PC on September 25.

Needs to be on switch, I could play it on PC but all of these 2d games are perfect on the switch.

 

[sarkwalvein]

I would get this on Switch or 3DS (but I'll have to look for a shovel to dig it up from the pile of dust that covers it), but oh well... I guess I will get it on PC

This game looks more Castlevania than Metroid, and TBH, I won't complain about that, like at all.

 

[dAVID_]

Metroid, Super Metroid*, Monster Tale, Rex Rocket, Dust: An Elysian Tail, VVVVVV*, SteamWorld Dig 1&2, Teslegrad, Bunny Must Die, Goonies II, Blaster Master & Blaster Master Zero, Monster World IV, Axiom Verge, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror*, Cave Story*, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight*, Iconoclasts

Those are all games I've played substantially enough (most I've finished) to say they're fun enough 2d platformers with some degree of Metroidvania. The ones with an asterisks I'd especially recommend. There's of course the many GBA/DS Castlevania games which someone else already mentioned but I'd recommend those as well.

Edit - Also, a good list of Metroidvanias, most of which I've not played.

I don't think VVVVVV classifies as a metroidvania.