To me, Hyper Light Drifter is what Zelda should always have been. I know this is a provocative thing to say, but Zelda, while having laid the template for so much, and so well, fails spectacularly on two things: currency, and combat. Combat in Zelda is more a matter of what equipment you have and less of skill. As for currency, the less said about those green emeralds the better. Platformers have you collect things for the sake of collecting things, it's true. But it's different for an action adventure game: there's so much you can do with the mechanics of money in a video game. Hyper Light Drifter has Zelda's exploration, puzzle solving (albeit very slight) but where it truly excels is the feeling it gives you after landing a rightly timed slash of the sword followed by two quick shots with your laser pistol. There's nothing quite like it in video gaming history. The pixel art is also beautiful.
When you read reviews of Witcher 3, you come across at least two tendencies among reviewers: there will be those who will claim that they're very old gamers, and rarely have they come across a game that is so lavish and so generous. The other kind of reviewer will grudgingly accept the wonders of Witcher 3, but also admit to boredom before long. I fall somewhat in both categories: for someone who has tried to play various kinds of games in many genres, it's astounding how the Witcher 3 seems to do so much right all at once. There is exploration, conversations, crafting, combat. Then there is the story, which has perhaps some of the best writing in a video game I've ever seen. But I have been bored with this game as well, and this largely when I have rushed through it and approached it like I would a game like Arkham City. That is playing it all wrong. While the difficulty in the game can be adjusted to suit your needs, this is a game that demands that you experience it ...
In a sense, Ori's second game is the perfect metroidvania for those who can't stand the genre. It's possibly an open secret that metroidvanias sacrifice skill for exploration and ability upgrades. The perfect metroidvania is one which could do everything well - offer you a variety of abilities to suit different situations, let you explore to your heart's content without feeling bored, and challenge your platforming chops. Would you believe it then if I told you this game does them all?
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