The Forbidden Arts
Metroidvania
Metroidvania
A throwback to the 3D action-platformers of the late 90s, The Forbidden Arts emphasizes precise movement and combat, tasking players with mastering a suite of elemental spells. Its most compelling quality lies in its Metroidvania-lite approach to world design, rewarding exploration with hidden upgrades and offering a steady drip-feed of new abilities that open up previously inaccessible areas. While the story is fairly unremarkable, the fluid traversal and satisfying combat make it easy to overlook its shortcomings.
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Top 4 Alternatives to The Forbidden Arts
Hollow Knight
2017 · Platform
Hollow Knight
2017 · Platform · Adventure · Indie
Like 'The Forbidden Arts', this game offers a sprawling, interconnected world to explore, but with a darker, more melancholic atmosphere and a combat system that demands precision and mastery.
Why recommended
- Features a vast, hand-crafted world filled with hidden paths, secrets, and environmental storytelling that encourages deep exploration, similar to the Adventure core of 'The Forbidden Arts'.
- Criteria - Strong Story is conveyed through environmental details, cryptic NPC dialogues, and discovered lore tablets, piecing together the tragic history of Hallownest.
- Engaging 2D platforming and challenging boss battles that require skill and pattern recognition, providing a similar sense of accomplishment to 'The Forbidden Arts'.
Ori and the Blind Forest
2015 · Platform
Ori and the Blind Forest
2015 · Platform · Adventure · Indie
Experience a visually stunning metroidvania with fluid movement and emotional storytelling, much like 'The Forbidden Arts', but with a greater emphasis on environmental puzzles and a more linear narrative.
Why recommended
- Offers a beautifully realized world that unfolds as new abilities are gained, allowing access to previously unreachable areas, aligning with the Adventure criteria.
- Criteria - Strong Story is central, focusing on a deeply emotional narrative of sacrifice and rebirth, told through cinematic sequences and character interactions.
- Features precise platforming and combat mechanics that evolve as Ori gains new skills, providing a satisfying sense of progression and challenge.
Blasphemous
2019 · Platform
Blasphemous
2019 · Platform · Action · Adventure
If the dark fantasy and challenging combat of 'The Forbidden Arts' appealed to you, 'Blasphemous' offers an even more brutal and atmospheric metroidvania experience steeped in religious iconography and lore.
Why recommended
- A meticulously crafted, non-linear world filled with grotesque beauty and secrets, rewarding exploration with new paths, items, and lore, fulfilling the Adventure criteria.
- Criteria - Strong Story is delivered through a rich, albeit cryptic, narrative steeped in religious allegory, discovered through item descriptions, NPC dialogue, and environmental details.
- Demanding combat system with precise parrying, dodging, and a variety of weapons and prayers, offering a challenging and rewarding experience similar to 'The Forbidden Arts'.
Guacamelee! 2
2018 · Platform
Guacamelee! 2
2018 · Platform · Action · Adventure
While 'The Forbidden Arts' delves into fantasy, 'Guacamelee! 2' brings a vibrant, humorous take on the metroidvania formula with satisfying combat and a world ripe for exploration, all while telling a cohesive story.
Why recommended
- Expansive, interconnected world that gradually opens up with new abilities, encouraging thorough exploration and secret hunting, fitting the Adventure criteria.
- Criteria - Strong Story with a clear narrative arc, memorable characters, and humorous dialogue that drives the player through the game's various dimensions.
- Features a deep combat system with wrestling moves and ability upgrades that make fighting enemies and bosses incredibly satisfying, akin to the action elements in 'The Forbidden Arts'.
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