izigame.me

---see where this game landed on my Metroidvania tier list beneath this review!---

Elderand is an excellent Castlevania/Soulslike-style metroidvania.
A number of 2D soulslikes don't give you enough movement upgrades to make the exploration fun (at least for me). That is not the case with Elderand.
Combat feels a lot like Castlevania. For a number of enemy types i would find myself jumping in to attack, then dashing backwards to move out of the enemies swing, and repeating that 10 times til they died, which although repetitive at times, i still enjoyed.
You can't cancel out of a swing. There is no parrying.
Sound & music are definitely on the positive side and i enjoyed the minimalist use of electric guitars when they showed up in a couple of places.
The graphics and animations are good as well, the game is well produced.
It was a little on the shorter side (I got to 98% map completion over 11 hours) which I didn't mind.
A lot of people consider Elderand to be the little cousin of games like Blasphemous and Death's Gambit. While those are larger games and I did enjoy them, I think I actually liked Elderand more!
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My Metroidvania Tier List (excluding Metroid & Castlevania titles)
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S+ Aeterna Noctis |
S Tier (Truly Special) Astalon: Tears of the Earth | Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom | Hollow Knight |
S- Blasphemous 2 | Cathedral |
A+ Doomblade^ | Afterimage |
A Tier (Amazing) Elderand | Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Environmental Station Alpha |
A- Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights | Depths of Sanity |
B+ Blast Brigade | Haak |
B Tier (Really Enjoyed) Alwa’s Legacy | Steamworld Dig 2 | Islets | Blasphemous | After Death | Pronty^ | Mortal Manor | Escape From Tethys | Treasure Adventure Game | Chasm | Monster Sanctuary | Elliot Quest |
B- Haiku, the Robot | Rabi-Ribi | Outbuddies DX | Kunai |
C+ Lone Fungus | Momodora: Reverie under the Moonlight | Ghost Song | Death’s Gambit: Afterlife | Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night |
C Tier (More or Less Enjoyed) Aggelos | Plague of Yamorn | Sheepo | Infernax | MF-01 Aerostrike^ | Xanthiom Zero | Carrion^ | Wuppo | Iconoclasts | Catmaze | Omega Strike | HunterX |
C- Rusted Moss^ | Moonscars | The Messenger | Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth | Ato | MindSeize | Grime |
D Tier (Liked some things, but had issues) Castle In The Darkness | Alwa’s Awakening | Pharaoh Rebirth | Yoku’s Island Express | Guacamelee! 2 | Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse | Beholgar | Clunky Hero | Headlander | Axiom Verge | Strider | Minoria | Souldiers | Bone Appetit | The Witch & the 66 Mushrooms | Transiruby | Destroy Space Aliens | La-Mulana | Guacamelee! | 8Doors | Gato Roboto | Super Panda Adventures | Phoenotopia: Awakening |
E-Tier (Didn't like) Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap | Ginsha | Dandara | Vernal Edge | Blaster Master Zero | Medusa | Sundered | Salt & Sanctuary | Valdis Story | Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet | Touhou Luna Nights | Chronicles of Teddy | B.I.O.T.A. | Shadow Complex | Timespinner | Rex Rocket | Aquaria | Nyaruru Fishy Fight | Apotheon | Bad Pad | Lootbox Lyfe | Angel’s Gear | Fearmonium | Magicians & Looters | Dust: An Elysian Tale |
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