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[MeshGearFox]

Serious answer but maybe try MDDClone.

[Terrytheplatypus]

maybe aether by tyler glaiel and ed mcmillen, not huge, but it captures that feeling, i think http://armorgames.com/play/2153/aether

[lobstersteve]

Hey
Can you recommend me some more games that fall into the stated category?
I like to play games with simple mechanics, that are short or can be played in short bursts from time to time.
I don't want to make any "official" list, just would like to have some recommendations that would fit my taste..
Probably there are hundreds of games that would fit the category, but maybe you guys know some real gems

Here are some games i've beaten:

super meat boy
castlevania
super castlevania
contra
super contra
electronic super joy + groove city
VVVVVV
volgarr the viking
tiny barbarian
shovel knight
limbo
dustforce
bleed
fez
offspring fling
love
meat boy
the punishment
skullface
n+ co-op mode
heart of darkness
chip'n'dales
wizard wizard
140
c*ndy crash
rogue legacy
hotline miami
binding of isaac
battleblock theatre
super time force
give up robot
mario 1, , super mario world, 3d land, new super mario bros 1 & 2
metroid fusion
kero blaster
ink
trash tv
blitz breaker
downwell
flywrench
escape goat 2



Games i've tried but won't finish for various reasons:

megaman
ghosts'n'goblines
they bleed pixels
dark souls..

[Netsu]

Super Hexagon and Teleglitch.

[matwek]

Are you only looking for indie style games?

I found the original Devil May Cry series of games challanging once you reach the harder difficulty levels, and not just in the "lets make everything stronger and hit harder" kind of way.

The vanilla game is relatively straight forward when played on normal, but with each successive playthrough you unlock more skills/abilities and the enemies get stronger, smarter, more numerous and gain new attacks.
On the more high end difficulty levels they start to introduce unique mechanics, such as enemies getting a boost in aggression and damage delt if left undefeated for too long.

You mentioned that you liked games that can be played in small bursts, well each of the games is split into short missions that can be finished in 10-15 mins. You also get ranked at the end of each mission, not just on how well you performed but how much showboating you did whilst doing it.

The main games are all over the place in regards to the timeline, so DMC 3 is actually the first in the story. Which is fine because its one of the better games and a good place to start. Just avoid DMC 2 at all costs.

Some of them also have a pretty decent survival mode and alt characters to play as.

[joseph ¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

I got u:

la mulana

super mario bros: lost levels

[Schoq]

Most of Locomalito's stuff (he pretty much specialized in it)
Pixel's Guxt (probably easy for shmup fanatics but I HAD FUN)

[lobstersteve]

Thx for the suggestions

Super Hexagon and Teleglitch

I was talking more about games you can beat, not highscore hunting games. Also played teleglitch once, it was alright, but i wasn't blown away. but thx

Are you only looking for indie style games?

Nah, totally not, but i feel like indie games are leaning torwards the more experienced players. Hm, i'm not a huge fan of hack'n'slashs, but i didn't try out a lot of them. The ones i played felt like you are doing a lot the same and didn't need a lot of strategizing..but well, i never really checked out DMC so i'll have a look

BTW: you made poncho, right? still gotta check that too 

la mulana
super mario bros: lost levels

Oh yeah, right..la mulana 
Lost levels seems to have a bit bullshit level-design judging by videos, but maybe i'll try that out too ^^

Most of Locomalito's stuff (he pretty much specialized in it)
Pixel's Guxt (probably easy for shmup fanatics but I HAD FUN)

Yeah, i know his stuff and i would really like to like it, but there is something about his games that turns me off... maybe it's the sounds, the controls, i don't even know..
Yeah, guxt is cool, i actually played it already 

[Kayzaks]

Deadlock II - Shrine Wars

It's rather old, but challenging!

[matwek]

Are you only looking for indie style games?

Nah, totally not, but i feel like indie games are leaning torwards the more experienced players. Hm, i'm not a huge fan of hack'n'slashs, but i didn't try out a lot of them. The ones i played felt like you are doing a lot the same and didn't need a lot of strategizing..but well, i never really checked out DMC so i'll have a look

I must admit the early stages of the game (especially the original game) feels a bit too much like a standard hack'n'slash game, but as you progress you unlock a vast array of skills, moves, weapons and guns, each of which can be switched on the fly.
I think the 4th game even has a selection of 'stances', which you can change mid battle to alter up your move set, along with a couple of actions avaliable to experienced players, such as charging up shots and timing button presses to add a bit more punch to a combo.

You could probably play through normal mode just hacking and slashing your way through, but the later difficulties require you to mix things up.

BTW: you made poncho, right? still gotta check that too 

Yeah, I did the art for the game. I wasn't aware the game had much of a presence on these forums, so its nice to be noticed. Its a tough little game as well, A little on the twitch platforming side of things.

You might actually be interested in another game I worked on. Freedom Planet...



The basic levels are hassle free, but some of the bosses can be tough.
Think Sonic meets Megaman Zero, but with Gunstar Hero style bosses.

[zilluss]

It might be hard to acquire the necessary means to play this game (legally), but Viewtiful Joe is a great hard/fair game.

[ｂ∀ ｋｋｕｓａ]

-Ultonius :a tale of pretty revenge
-Not a Hero

[baconman]

You might look into Zelda II.

[Türbo Bröther]

Oh God Hand definitely. Fast track it to the top of your list since it's pretty much the game you're looking for.

[s0]

God hand best gam

[Türbo Bröther]

As you do better the game gets tougher because that's the only reward you need.

[FrankieSmileShow]

100% agree about God Hand

Shadow of Rome is a really great but often overlooked gladiator fighting game on the PS2.
Its one of my favorite games, its got very satisfying hyper-gory combat based on disabling opponents by cutting their limbs or crushing their bones, and an arcade-ey points system where the public watching the gladiatorial games reward you for being brutal and using diverse moves. Gotta give em a good show.

It has a huge learning curve. Learning the basics of combat is one thing, but then the moment-to-moment decision making during battles, like how to tackle incoming opponents based on their equipment and your situation and learning to improvise becomes increasingly more important. Stuff like, your little mace is about to break and some dude is coming your way with a big halberd, so instead of taking him on in melee, you throw your weapon at him and use this extra second of surprise/stun to pummel him with your bare hands, snatching his weapon away. Stuff like that, its great.

You beat the whole game at normal, even that really difficult final boss, then try the game again at Hard and you hit a wall of difficulty really quickly, as if you were a beginner again. Then you clear Hard and it unlocks EXTREME which is, for all you've learned from playing the game through twice already, yet another wall of difficulty, enemies not giving you a moment of respite.

That said, its got some unfortunate parts to it that kind of bring it down, like somewhat boring story sections where you sneak around to avoid guards as some other character, like a very poor Metal Gear Solid clone. Get past those though, and the game is really damn good.


Also, you said you played Castlevania 1 and Super Castlevania? Well rejoice, because you still havent played what are arguably the two hardest and possibly best games in the series, Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse (nes) and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.

Castlevania III: Dracula's curse is my favorite NES game, its super good. I bought a top loader NES to play it and its famicom version (for some reason you cant play this game at all on knockoff NES consoles, you need the real thing) Its like a harder Castlevania 1 with alternate paths and sidekick characters who have their own abilities and properties. It also has amazing music, and very creative tilework that has been an inspiration for my pixel art for a long time.
I recommend finding the japanese rom if you are emulating, its got way better music due to an extra soundchip and it has a few differences that make the game more fair, like it adds an extra checkpoint in the final level, without which you need to replay the whole damn level every time you die at the final boss. The japanese version also makes some early game enemies do less damage, making the difficulty a bit more lenient for the early game.


Castlevania X: Rondo of Blood is probably the best classic-style Castlevania game. It adds to the formula of Castlevania 3, with branching paths within the game that can lead to alternate bosses or levels, and its just as difficult as the old games, unlike Super Castlevania which, although still a really good game, was kind of a cakewalk compared to its NES counterparts, save for a few really nasty sections here and there.
You might have played Castlevania Dracula X on the SNES. It is sort of like a remake of Rondo Of Blood, but with stripped down content, generally inferior level design, and made more linear. It does look better though, and it really is kind of like a different game of its own so it might be worth a try too, but its generally seen as way inferior, so if you tried that and didn't like it, don't let it taint your view of the real deal.


Also I noticed you said you played Mario 1 and World. You should consider playing Mario 2 and 3 as well.
Mario 2 is very different, but is still very good.
Mario 3 is I think the best game of the series! People will probably endlessly debate whether 3 or World is the best of the classic platformers, but I think 3 clearly wins out. Its got this weird board game-like approach to a world map, tons of secrets and scores of different little level gimmicks and powerups. Its also arguably much harder than Mario World, but never gets out of hand with it. I recommend playing its Super Nintendo remake as part of the Mario All-Stars game pack, its the same thing but with improved art.

[Netsu]

I was talking more about games you can beat, not highscore hunting games. Also played teleglitch once, it was alright, but i wasn't blown away. but thx

You can beat Super Hexagon, it's 6 levels of increasing difficulty, you need to survive 60 seconds in each to beat it. But yeah, I guess it's a different, more arcade category.

[lobstersteve]

oh wow, thx for the suggestions everyone

i should be a little more precise - i actually played a bunch of this games already, but i just listed the ones i've beaten. i often like games and play them up to ~70 %, but for some reason, if something distracts me or the games don't suck me in completly i leave them undone.

Freedom Planet.

- never liked sonic games, so sorry ^^

Viewtiful Joe

- looks good, i like the graphical style don't have a gamecube though

Ultonius :a tale of pretty revenge

- naah... ^^

-Not a Hero

- played and liked it, but it lagged in the last stages

Zelda II.

- don't like the concept with the boring enemy encounters very much..

God Hand

  - well, seems like a gotta check this out

@FrankieSmileShow: thx for the huge post!
shadow of rome actually sounds like somethings i would like especially the constant decision making you mentioned. that's what i miss in a lot of beat'em'ups / hack'n'slashs. most of the decision making is not crucial to winning..
i actually played the rest and pretty much agree with everything you said ^^ mario 3 vs world is indeed debatable ..but to play mario 3 in the all stars pack is a good idea

You can beat Super Hexagon

Oh, ok, sorry. Maybe i'll give it a go then

[Cobralad]

nuclear throne