Metroidvania

[Jinsai]

Oooh I forgot about Battle of Olympus. I'll have to check that out.

Totally do it. I loved that game as a kid, and if you like Zelda 2 you'll love it.

Yeah you're exactly right about Infernax and CV2. They even make a joke about the bad translations.

There's another easter egg in it (tied to a trophy) where if you kneel next to a cliff, a tornado comes and picks you up... and then rips you apart... a reference to that bit in Castlevania 2 where you're (somehow) expected to know to do that.

Did you guys ever try that F.I.S.T. game? It was a Metroidvania but I haven't played it yet.

Never heard of that one... I try to keep up with the genre. I'll check it out.

Some lesser known modern Metroidvanias that I think people should check out:

Elder Lilies - this one is really cool, even if it gets a little samey as you go along.
Cookie Cutter - If you can get past the (occasionally gross) sexual humor, there's a good Gucamelee clone in here, even if the boss battles are pretty weak. Great art style.
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth - This is great. Super obvious homage to Symphony of the Night based on an anime. Few gripes about controls and difficulty curve but whatever.
Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deep Blue - Inti Creates, cute super-Chibi anime game, but it's really fun and only takes about 4 hours to 100% it.
Touhou Luna Nights - Same team as Deedlit, more cartoony, projectile weapons. Same art assets LOL... comes out in a couple days for PS5 and Switch.
Dust: An Elysian Tail - I really liked this one... Great art style.
Shadow Complex - I guess this is better known than the others here, but it's worth remembering because it helped revive the genre.
Axiom Verge - How to do a retro metroidvania right. Better than the sequel.
Rouge Legacy - I haven't gotten into 2 enough, but I loved 1. Rogue-lite metroidvania that does something really unique and creative.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse - This is ok. People like it better than I did, but it's polished and colorful.
Salt and Sanctuary - Dark Souls meets Metroidvania. Better than the sequel.
Timespinner - Short and cool retro game on PS4/Vita/PC. I liked the combat mechanism, but they expand it too far.. you never use 99% of the abilities...

Some disappointing ones:

The Bounty Huntress - Stay away unless you want a quick/easy platinum trophy. Super lame, feels unfinished, horrible controls, art, everything.
Paragon Soul - See Bounty Huntress but set in a sci fi environment.
Death's Gambit - Looked so cool, but ultimately was clunky and soulless/derivative
Chronicles of Teddy - Some people like this, I didn't. Couldn't get into the retro art style, general world... I got stuck at some point and just gave up. No regrets.
Chasm - ooof... this could have been so cool, but the randomly generated levels just kill it. Part of the whole genre is exploration and level design, which is just dead here.
Strider - It's a decent game, but really could have been so much more. The potential is squandered, and there doesn't feel like much adventure going on.

On a side note, I'm loving Prince of Persia. This is how you do it... even if I'm currently stuck and have no idea where to go.