I think Metroid Dread came pretty close for me. Samus moves so quickly and the toolkit you unlock only makes maneuvering her better. Plus the parry/counter thing is kind of like the sword slice-you can quickly 1 hit enemies with good timing, and on the enemy side the timing for their parryable attacks is tuned well for you to blaze through a level.
Actually here's another contender: The Messenger. Speed, precision, flow. I think one of the important parts of making flow is that enemies are obstacles, but the game actually manages to make you want to go and kill them. in Zero most enemies are 1 shot with the sword and often just in your path, so you slash right through them and run/dash/jump along. In Gravity Circuit they do much of the same thing but they take a few more hits, however now they become projectiles so you can chain kills into each other giving you the same feeling of pace as Zero does. In The Messenger your grapple pulls you to enemies, *turning them into your dash* for the game. Also your sword 1 shots most things here too. Though admittedly The Messenger leans a bit more on its precision than speed, comparing it to Zero. I still feel like it does the flow though
After playing this game it doesn’t hold a light to the messenger pretty dissatisfied with gravity circuit overall beat it in 6 hrs not really anything special imo
i know is all about megaman zero , on megaman X4 i can get this same feeling mixing with EXskills u turn invencible... literally if u got the timming to use the EX skills, u can def.... get out of any situation the cames brings you.... Megaman Zero is such a masterpiece
I did 3 playthroughs of Gravity Circuit in the 3 days after it came out. It's a blast start to finish and definitely captures that feeling, even going beyond it and making it more fun in my opinion. 🐾
Heck yeah! I had a blast playing this game! The mega man/zero formula of gameplay will always be one of my favorites, and I’m glad to see more games channel that.
Gravity Circuit is a masterpiece, no doubt about it. It really blew me away. Not only is the movement satisfying, the whole game is brimming with a certain charm and personality that is hard to recreate.
Movement that flows well combined with speed that makes you feel like an absolute gamer, is ART. when listening to the video i also had certain racing games in mind, or wintersports games - when you get to board downhill with speed, through a nice snowscape with all sorts of obstacles, shortcuts and secret passages to discover, it's such a nice feeling.
Gunvolt 3's main character IS a sword user, btw. I feel like a lot of people skipped Gunvolt 3 despite it being one of the best 2D character actions games ever in terms of feel.
I don't like the game from a story standpoint and gunvolt not being a standalone character but an omega mode you use is a thing I dislike even in laix2 making the ultra mode a legitimately different playstyle is annoying and a bitch
And now they even added a second character who plays just as good. In games like this is seriously couldn't care less about the story, it's just super fun.
Gunvolt 3 was not very good, and the sword gameplay doesn't feel right since you're meant to go through the stages with Kirin's teleporting slash thing.
Gunvolt is such a weird series. Every character they introduce is more fun to play than Gunvolt. I was done with the series until I played a demo of GV3, then decided to give it one more go. I'm glad I did, but now that I've played Gravity Circuit, I don't think I can go back.
Was not expecting to get brain blasted on a random work night when you mentioned Gunvolt man. I played a free demo of it on my 2ds years ago when I was still in school and that brought back some sweet memories! Great vid as always tho dude
Copen in Gunvolt 2 is exactly what one could be looking for Flying through the stage, slicing through enemies with your gun or ex weapons (ice blade in particular) It's very much the flow contrasting with gunvolts more deliberate gameplay
I instantly recognized that green slashing shape in the thumbnail. The Zero series' flow is so exceptionally snappy and precise that the X games feel downright clunky if you pick one up right after playing a Zero title. I'd say that Copen's gameplay style from Gunvolt 2 and Luminous Avenger iX 1 is the closest Inti came to recapturing the flow of the Zero series in my eyes.
This is such a fun topic! It's less anything scientific and more about the vibe of games. I'm sure we all have those games that have one or two aspects that we just adore and wish to see more of in other games. We can find some of them in some place, but it's rare to find something that REALLY captures the same feeling. And when you do, it's almost sort of magical. Two different games from different times, somehow providing such similar feelings. It's almost like a tether between the past and present, and it can make the child in all of us smile.
I highly recommend giving Cyber Shadow a look if you haven't already. The difficulty is quite high (but fair) and the dash isn't unlocked until part way through the game, but chaining dash strikes through enemies is one of the most satisfying feelings.
People say Cyber Shadow is a Ninja Gaiden-like game, but I argue that it plays more like a Megaman Zero game. The only thing it has in common with Ninja Gaiden is that you play as a ninja.
Gravity Circuit was the first game I've played where it felt like the game was teaching me how to speedrun in real time. The level designs just scream "Hit this guy, so you can throw him at that guy, so you can make that jump clean, so you can slide under this stage hazard, etc etc" its an astoundingly good game.
tried gravity circuit because of this video, enjoying it very much so far. I have one circuit left and coming back to this video just makes me wanna keep playing. thank you
You should try Luminous avenger ix its an spin off of azure striker with a better focus on the "flow": you have a limited number of dashes but every time you bounce to a wall, roof or florr with it reloads, it include enemies and when you bounce to an enemy makes a target lok on so every shot goes to him and that makes the gameplay so fast and smooth Ps : sorry for bad English
Honestly my main complaint about any of the GV games is that they're focused on score attack and not actual boss difficulty. I wish Inti Creates just made a normal one
@@Zephhisorry for going off topoc but do you know any 2d platformer game that focuses on well placed regular enemies? I want something as aggressive as Magenta Horizon and a nice enemy density as the Megaman Zero games.
Seeing Gravity Circuit really makes me want to give making a Mega Man Zero-inspired game idea that I've had rattling around in my brain for a while a try
Inti Creates have done such a good job with the entire Megaman Zero series. I wish they had been able to make more (copium for a futile official ZX 3). Seeing the combo tech refined throughout the Zero series feels great and is very rewarding to learn and master. . Even after playing other action platformers, the MMZ-ZX series is what i always get back to, especially Zero 3 and ZX. . Gunvolt was great and i think they tried to get back "melee" from Zero by introducing Kirin in GV3, and i think it works well if you unlock XX mode.
Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze have a really good sense of flow, but they do it because of the momentum you can build up rather than instant turning and stuff as you have a more weighty feel.
Like everyone else recommended, I'd love for you to review the Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX spinoff, or try Copen's campaign in Gunvolt 2 (the lead character of the spinoff). The speed and precision in both of those games are actually much higher than any Mega Man Zero game, as the gimmick of that is dashing into enemies to lock onto them before shooting homing shots. This means you need to be precise to airdash either forward or even diagonally into enemies which you can easily zip past if you time it wrong. They also have different level gimmicks that accommodate his abilities.
Love the appreciation for the mmz series. Also love that gravity circuit seems to have used the z-knuckle, chain rod and recoil rod as part of its game play. Definitely gotta give it a try now
Haven’t seen anyone mention it yet, but personally 30XX was a really good game for me to get my Megaman kicks off to. Platforming roguelike with a ton of callbacks to classic Megaman, all the way down to the loading slide before you enter a boss room (just because they could) anyway great video man, love seeing roguelike enjoyers discuss the niches that made us all fall in love.
Reminds me how sometimes in rocket league you can feel like you're some telepathic and time-foretelling god because you ended up at the right place at the right itme.
I think there's a better word intead "flow" : "Rhythm" I say this because, the games you showed have this 3 things, but te "Rhythm" is diferent. Some are more slow, others have more pauses, the combination betwen all ingredients seems more like a rhythm
I would definitely recommend trying Pizza Tower if you haven't already. It's not quite the same as the MMZ series, but I would say it has all three of those pillars you're talking about. It even has a grab/throw mechanic and the ability to just plow through enemies, if you know what you're doing
@@knightofthenorth926yeah, i think thats more important to obtaining flow than an instantaneous direction change. 1 frame turnaround DOES make it easier, but if you design your levels to accommodate your player character's movement, it's not required Pizza Tower not only accommodates for the sliding during a dash reversal, it _depends_ on it for certain challenges, deliberately sliding off one platform to hold onto your dash for the one below you In addition, dashing in Pizza Tower is both an offensive and defensive state, so you don't NEED to "stop and start" as much to avoid attacks or unexpected hazards. Instead, you are expected to use your knowledge of the game to _anticipate_ a challenge, and clear an obstacle without ever dropping your mad dash It's the flow that the Genesis Sonic Games were built around, though Sonic 1 and CD have a lot more "flow breakers"
If my pfp is no indication I love MM, and Zero and ZX are some of my favorite for the very flow that you mention in this vid, i'll have to check out this game after your vids on it, just seeing the trailers alone I thought it looked cool, but this analysis has me sold
I saw this game advertised in like... January, and immediately I wish listed it. When it dropped, I bought it that same day. One of the best gaming decisions I've made this year.
Megaman Zero was my favorite series when I was a kid, and you described it perfectly. That feeling is why I got into Smash bros Melee and Rivals of Aether too, they’re the only fighting games to capture that flow
my god I knew I forgot about something from 2023!! My GOTY games are HI-FI RUSH and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Knuckle Sandwich coming in November will be too, but this game, that movement oh my, this is a definietly one of the best games this year too, I need to buy it as fast as I can! Thanks man for this awesome video, I strongly reccomend you playing these three games that I mentioned if you didn't, keep going with this awesome content!
Gravity Circuit's weapon mechanics seem like a more polished version of the ones throughout the Zero series. The Chain Rod was clunky in execution compared to GC's hook, and the grab attack is like a reworked Z Chip from Zero 4.
What got MMZ series for me was not only the flow, but the game had a good story to back-it up too.the side characters had personality, and you could approach the game with different playstyles..
Gravity Circuit was the final game in my backlog that was a "megaman-like". They others had failed to wow me. After 1 hour of Gravity Circuit, my kids asked me how I was liking it. I said, honestly, that I wasn't very good at it yet, but that it might actually be the best Megaman Zero like game I had ever played. Now that I'm finished with it, I can confirm that.
Strider 2's speed is so much fun! Double tap forward, mash that slash button, and dash towards the game's ending within a half hour. It's just a satisfying snack!
Funny enough I was gonna say "Have you played Gunvolt" and then I saw gunvolt lol. It is made by the same people so that's why it's so close. Inticreate is a great studio.
Rayman origins/legends has a similar feel, but to a lesser degree. Because the game is designed around flow and speed it feels a bit less accomplishing to play it that way
I think you really hit the whole speed thing. Basically as soon as I got used to the controls I will practically play through the stage with the sprint button practically glued down as I bounce from enemy to enemy smashing everything in a wild flow state. It’s become a great game to relax to and I can put something on to keep my higher functioning brain parts thinking and enjoying a podcast while my lizard brain and body just blast through the stage trying to get everything and be faster than before. My only complaint is that at the end of the game I gotta either start a new game or new game plus to experience the intro stage and the Ark again and I hope that there’s an update to fix that. Once I beat the whole game I want to be able to play everything again and just grind away at all of the stages to get faster times and to re fight Nega and the Circuit Boss Rush. Both are thrilling boss battles and it’s a real shame that I gotta go through all of this work to fight them again.
I DO BELIEVE Hollow Knight reaches a certain point where the upgrades really make you feel the "flow" effect, with all those talismans at that state you almost feel like the real threat of the game ends being yourself (which is not a coincidence as this is embedded in the story and design)
Watching this video the whole time I was thinking "has this guy played the Mega Man X games yet I have a feeling not, he would probably love X4" then he said the zero games were 20 years old and I have been playing mega man x style games for 30 years and realized I am fucking old.
I can't believe you didn't talk about the bosses. They're so good 😭 Because invincibility frames are really low, you will always do damage to the boss with your attacks. So the fight is almost always going at your pace. Chain dasher turns everything you said here up to 11. I haven't thought about it, but it's probably an all-time best video game ability for me. Being able to dash into enemies to begin your combos or even finishing them off with the dash is so satisfying. Then you can throw them and double jump.
Sanabi is a very recent game that I instantly thought of when you put up those three qualities. I've heard it described as Katana Zero with a grappling hook, but I haven't played KZ yet so I can't vouch for it. Sanabi has insanely fun and smooth gameplay that takes a while to click, but once you get why/how to swing in the right direction and speed at a given moment, you fly through enemies with that "pro gamer" feel. The main attack is somewhat of a slash where you grapple onto an enemy and ride it for a second before dashing away from it, so it might capture that feel that Gunvolt lacked. And that's not even talking about the story. Like, wow, the story is insane. For fear of spoiling any of it, I won't say a word about it except that it's exceptionally crafted and completely explained in a normal playthrough (as opposed to games like Hollow Knight, which make you dig through lore and/or watch video essays to understand it). Overall an amazing game that is relatively unknown (I mean it came out mid-November so I'm not surprised).
When you seaid the speed and precision combine to make the 3rd element, I instinctively said "Flow". Im glad to have gotten it right, as a while ago, I really got into Sonic Heroes. The game can be a bit glitchy here and there, but when i started getting the hang of the game's unique design, I felt that unique sense of flow, as the game isnt as focused on momentum as the classics or on pure speed like the boost games. There was satisfaction in overcoming each obstacle using the right character at the right time, and as I started playing Mega Man Zero more and more, I began to feel the same way despite it being a totally different game.
I’m really curious on your opinion of the later games in the ASG/LAiX series. Especially Copen’s gameplay which relies a lot more on movement and has melee elements. Gravity Circuit is everything though and I definitely agree with your sentiment. It understands the assignment and delivers.
That flow term that you described as made-up... Well, there is an academic paper by P. Cairns and E. Brown that describe the terms "immersion" "flow" and "presence" and what feeling it leaves to the player... So, I can safely say that what you described as flow is pretty close to what they said 😁 If you want you can check it out, it's called "A grounded investigation on game immersion" and it's pretty short, so you can have a look if you want
As much as this is a love letter to the Zero X series, I also see something familiar in the melee mechanics... and that's Melee. Directional jump attacks, grabs and throws that scratch the itch Super Smash's adventure modes never did.
Doom eternal, while it’s a fps, it’s got that speed and precision and is absolutely top notch. It’s brutal yet fair with the best enemy design and resource management I’ve seen.
Haven’t tried Gravity Circuit yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good about it. I’ll add it to my wishlist if it’s not on there yet. When talking about speed, flow, and precision though, the first game that always comes to my mind is Bleed 2 (totally not biased). I rarely find anyone who knows about it, and I think more people should. The speedrun potential is huge.
Shiiii, Gravity Circuit does look neat. It feels a lot like my initial Pitch a couple of years back when I was trying to make a Megaman Zero inspired Metroidvania. Meele Combat, throwing enemies into hazards and other enemies, grabbing bullets a shield ability that could hold off physical projectiles and throw them back? Didn't have a grappling hook though. Guess everything get's better with a grappling hook! Would be hard to design a Metroidvania with that in mind I guess. (And not have boring level gates everywhere)
One game that taught me speed, precision and flow has got to be Dead Cells. The game not only punishes you for not being precise and decisive with every of your actions. It rewards you when you actually do. Clear a floor fast enough, you can access a treasury room that gives you better weapons and tools. You're also rewarded when you tear through a certain amount of enemies without taking a single hit. To add to that, you are given a speed buff if you kill 8 enemies in a row. There are multiple mechanics that gives you that feeling of the "flow" such as dodge rolling, dive cancelling (which requires moderate timing and precision), shield dashing (exclusive to the Assault Shield). You want to go defensive and tactical? Fine by me. The game provides you all the tools for that stuff. But it *encourages* you to become a speed demon, tearing through every obstacles in your way just like the hot headed war-mongering soul you are (lore inteded joke)
as a speedrunner of this game and this game alone i can say this is absolutely the best movement and speed game ive ever played, pizza tower is close but it doesnt have the smooth combat, and celeste isnt really my thing, although it is funny how watching any gravity circuit footage that isnt speedrun looks so cursed now and just makes me think of timeloss lmao
Narita Boy is pretty awesome, the speed ain’t there for comparison.. but it’s definitely fun swinging a sword around, and riding a floppy disk surfboard, and other really fun stuff to see. The mechanics are fun too
i dont have time to game anymore, but i still think videogames are neat and enjoy hearing about whats happening in the culture. seems like a nice spiritual successor to such a classic game. and in general, i always support indie games over the aaa ones
if you haven't played it yet, I'd highly recommend giving "cogen sword of rewind" a try. it's a one hit and you'll you die kind of game, but like the title implies, you are able to rewind time to about 3 seconds into the past.
I think Metroid Dread came pretty close for me. Samus moves so quickly and the toolkit you unlock only makes maneuvering her better. Plus the parry/counter thing is kind of like the sword slice-you can quickly 1 hit enemies with good timing, and on the enemy side the timing for their parryable attacks is tuned well for you to blaze through a level.
Probably my favorite Metroid game and the best controlling by far. Can't believe it's already a 2 year old game
Metroid Dread is so good. Can't wait for Metroid 6!
It appears slower than the SNES games but the flow is so smooth that it does not lend a feeling of drag.
Nintendo sucks donkey ballz
@@jarlwhiterun7478wait whuh, I felt like I saw a letsplay of it on oxbox just yesterday... where did my time go?
Actually here's another contender: The Messenger. Speed, precision, flow.
I think one of the important parts of making flow is that enemies are obstacles, but the game actually manages to make you want to go and kill them. in Zero most enemies are 1 shot with the sword and often just in your path, so you slash right through them and run/dash/jump along. In Gravity Circuit they do much of the same thing but they take a few more hits, however now they become projectiles so you can chain kills into each other giving you the same feeling of pace as Zero does. In The Messenger your grapple pulls you to enemies, *turning them into your dash* for the game. Also your sword 1 shots most things here too. Though admittedly The Messenger leans a bit more on its precision than speed, comparing it to Zero. I still feel like it does the flow though
Very underrated game
Don't forget the absolute banger soundtrack.
After playing this game it doesn’t hold a light to the messenger pretty dissatisfied with gravity circuit overall beat it in 6 hrs not really anything special imo
The Messenger is a 10 with an asterisk for there being no glide button, would make the platfoming a lot smoother
I always loved listening to what kinda bullshit the Shopkeeper has to say in that game.
I find that Katana Zero does an excellent job with speed, precision, and capturing that flow that when you get it, you feel like a God Gamer.
I'll have to check it out!
2 years and still no dlc....
how much is that game
@@marcierex4547it's cheap, goes on sale a lot, worth buying when on discount for sure.
i know is all about megaman zero ,
on megaman X4 i can get this same feeling mixing with EXskills
u turn invencible... literally
if u got the timming to use the EX skills, u can def.... get out of any situation the cames brings you....
Megaman Zero is such a masterpiece
I did 3 playthroughs of Gravity Circuit in the 3 days after it came out. It's a blast start to finish and definitely captures that feeling, even going beyond it and making it more fun in my opinion. 🐾
Heck yeah! I had a blast playing this game! The mega man/zero formula of gameplay will always be one of my favorites, and I’m glad to see more games channel that.
Gravity Circuit is a masterpiece, no doubt about it. It really blew me away. Not only is the movement satisfying, the whole game is brimming with a certain charm and personality that is hard to recreate.
Movement that flows well combined with speed that makes you feel like an absolute gamer, is ART. when listening to the video i also had certain racing games in mind, or wintersports games - when you get to board downhill with speed, through a nice snowscape with all sorts of obstacles, shortcuts and secret passages to discover, it's such a nice feeling.
Gunvolt 3's main character IS a sword user, btw. I feel like a lot of people skipped Gunvolt 3 despite it being one of the best 2D character actions games ever in terms of feel.
It’s such a “too little too late” kinda thing. They knew people probably wanted a sword user out the gate and they have one THIRD game in.
I don't like the game from a story standpoint and gunvolt not being a standalone character but an omega mode you use is a thing I dislike even in laix2 making the ultra mode a legitimately different playstyle is annoying and a bitch
And now they even added a second character who plays just as good. In games like this is seriously couldn't care less about the story, it's just super fun.
Gunvolt 3 was not very good, and the sword gameplay doesn't feel right since you're meant to go through the stages with Kirin's teleporting slash thing.
Gunvolt is such a weird series. Every character they introduce is more fun to play than Gunvolt. I was done with the series until I played a demo of GV3, then decided to give it one more go. I'm glad I did, but now that I've played Gravity Circuit, I don't think I can go back.
Was not expecting to get brain blasted on a random work night when you mentioned Gunvolt man. I played a free demo of it on my 2ds years ago when I was still in school and that brought back some sweet memories! Great vid as always tho dude
Copen in Gunvolt 2 is exactly what one could be looking for
Flying through the stage, slicing through enemies with your gun or ex weapons (ice blade in particular)
It's very much the flow contrasting with gunvolts more deliberate gameplay
I instantly recognized that green slashing shape in the thumbnail. The Zero series' flow is so exceptionally snappy and precise that the X games feel downright clunky if you pick one up right after playing a Zero title. I'd say that Copen's gameplay style from Gunvolt 2 and Luminous Avenger iX 1 is the closest Inti came to recapturing the flow of the Zero series in my eyes.
4:42 You know what else Inti Creates made aside for the ZX games and Gunvolt? They also made Mega Man Zero games
Gunvolt was literally Inti going "well we can't make Zero anymore, let's make our own Zero." It was to Inti what Command & Conquer was to Westwood.
This is such a fun topic! It's less anything scientific and more about the vibe of games. I'm sure we all have those games that have one or two aspects that we just adore and wish to see more of in other games. We can find some of them in some place, but it's rare to find something that REALLY captures the same feeling. And when you do, it's almost sort of magical. Two different games from different times, somehow providing such similar feelings. It's almost like a tether between the past and present, and it can make the child in all of us smile.
also the Hollow Knight sticky sparked ALL the dopamine.
Gunvolt 3 has a sword user as the main protagonist and as far as the demo showed me, it works extremely well.
I highly recommend giving Cyber Shadow a look if you haven't already. The difficulty is quite high (but fair) and the dash isn't unlocked until part way through the game, but chaining dash strikes through enemies is one of the most satisfying feelings.
People say Cyber Shadow is a Ninja Gaiden-like game, but I argue that it plays more like a Megaman Zero game. The only thing it has in common with Ninja Gaiden is that you play as a ninja.
cyber shadow was ok for me until stage 5. After that the game was way too hard and just pure frustration.
@@FreedomDaveX Cyber Shadow is more like Kage and Shatterhand(Solbrain) from NES. Also it sucks in level design.
hell yeah,cyber shadow mentioned
Pizza Tower & Neon White both have an immaculate "flow" feeling.
Gravity Circuit was the first game I've played where it felt like the game was teaching me how to speedrun in real time. The level designs just scream "Hit this guy, so you can throw him at that guy, so you can make that jump clean, so you can slide under this stage hazard, etc etc" its an astoundingly good game.
love to see the respect for Zero. definitely one of the tightest games of all time
tried gravity circuit because of this video, enjoying it very much so far. I have one circuit left and coming back to this video just makes me wanna keep playing. thank you
You should try Luminous avenger ix its an spin off of azure striker with a better focus on the "flow": you have a limited number of dashes but every time you bounce to a wall, roof or florr with it reloads, it include enemies and when you bounce to an enemy makes a target lok on so every shot goes to him and that makes the gameplay so fast and smooth
Ps : sorry for bad English
Copen is such a great character
Honestly my main complaint about any of the GV games is that they're focused on score attack and not actual boss difficulty. I wish Inti Creates just made a normal one
@@Zephhisorry for going off topoc but do you know any 2d platformer game that focuses on well placed regular enemies? I want something as aggressive as Magenta Horizon and a nice enemy density as the Megaman Zero games.
Seeing Gravity Circuit really makes me want to give making a Mega Man Zero-inspired game idea that I've had rattling around in my brain for a while a try
Yes!
Do it!
And make the free demo available on steam!
And tell your mother that you love her.
@@Rezornch_and_Dvelenktronx I will. do all of those things!
Dead cells. Case and point. Literally this bit with 20 weapons for each weapon slot (there’s 4). Tho it’s a bit higher detail.
The secondary character they added to the gunvolt series Copen feels a lot like a continuation/evolution of the Zero gameplay
Inti Creates have done such a good job with the entire Megaman Zero series. I wish they had been able to make more (copium for a futile official ZX 3). Seeing the combo tech refined throughout the Zero series feels great and is very rewarding to learn and master.
.
Even after playing other action platformers, the MMZ-ZX series is what i always get back to, especially Zero 3 and ZX.
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Gunvolt was great and i think they tried to get back "melee" from Zero by introducing Kirin in GV3, and i think it works well if you unlock XX mode.
Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze have a really good sense of flow, but they do it because of the momentum you can build up rather than instant turning and stuff as you have a more weighty feel.
Like everyone else recommended, I'd love for you to review the Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX spinoff, or try Copen's campaign in Gunvolt 2 (the lead character of the spinoff). The speed and precision in both of those games are actually much higher than any Mega Man Zero game, as the gimmick of that is dashing into enemies to lock onto them before shooting homing shots. This means you need to be precise to airdash either forward or even diagonally into enemies which you can easily zip past if you time it wrong. They also have different level gimmicks that accommodate his abilities.
I loved the games and always pretended to be Zero as a kid!
The Megaman Zero/ ZX Advent games are so frikken good, thank you for the video!
Love the appreciation for the mmz series. Also love that gravity circuit seems to have used the z-knuckle, chain rod and recoil rod as part of its game play. Definitely gotta give it a try now
it is my solemn duty to upvote every YT video praising Gravity Circuit ; this game is amazing
Haven’t seen anyone mention it yet, but personally 30XX was a really good game for me to get my Megaman kicks off to. Platforming roguelike with a ton of callbacks to classic Megaman, all the way down to the loading slide before you enter a boss room (just because they could) anyway great video man, love seeing roguelike enjoyers discuss the niches that made us all fall in love.
Ori did it perfectly for me and I have a very good feeling I'm also going to achieve flow in Silksong
6:31 the wavedash asmr
Gravity Circuit character looks hell-of-a-lot like Shredder from the Ninja Turtles xD
Reminds me how sometimes in rocket league you can feel like you're some telepathic and time-foretelling god because you ended up at the right place at the right itme.
Gravity Circuit = If Classic X and Zero fused together!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think there's a better word intead "flow" : "Rhythm"
I say this because, the games you showed have this 3 things, but te "Rhythm" is diferent. Some are more slow, others have more pauses, the combination betwen all ingredients seems more like a rhythm
Great video, I love Megaman Zero
I would definitely recommend trying Pizza Tower if you haven't already. It's not quite the same as the MMZ series, but I would say it has all three of those pillars you're talking about. It even has a grab/throw mechanic and the ability to just plow through enemies, if you know what you're doing
totally agree, the turning around might not be instant, but levels are designed in a way that lets you circumvent that and keep speeding all the way
@@knightofthenorth926yeah, i think thats more important to obtaining flow than an instantaneous direction change. 1 frame turnaround DOES make it easier, but if you design your levels to accommodate your player character's movement, it's not required
Pizza Tower not only accommodates for the sliding during a dash reversal, it _depends_ on it for certain challenges, deliberately sliding off one platform to hold onto your dash for the one below you
In addition, dashing in Pizza Tower is both an offensive and defensive state, so you don't NEED to "stop and start" as much to avoid attacks or unexpected hazards. Instead, you are expected to use your knowledge of the game to _anticipate_ a challenge, and clear an obstacle without ever dropping your mad dash
It's the flow that the Genesis Sonic Games were built around, though Sonic 1 and CD have a lot more "flow breakers"
may i also mention the luminous avenger games in the gunvolt franchise it may be closer to what you’re looking for
Mmz is just sooo smooth. Its the gold standard for contoll in my opinion
Thank you so glad to see people talking about this game
Titanfall 2 explores these concepts as well on different ways
If my pfp is no indication I love MM, and Zero and ZX are some of my favorite for the very flow that you mention in this vid, i'll have to check out this game after your vids on it, just seeing the trailers alone I thought it looked cool, but this analysis has me sold
house of dead ninjas nailed the speed and maneuverability while effortlessly cutting through enemies thing a long time ago.
I saw this game advertised in like... January, and immediately I wish listed it. When it dropped, I bought it that same day.
One of the best gaming decisions I've made this year.
On the topic of Flow this video essay is a great example of that. You nailed the pacing excellently.
Megaman Zero was my favorite series when I was a kid, and you described it perfectly. That feeling is why I got into Smash bros Melee and Rivals of Aether too, they’re the only fighting games to capture that flow
my god I knew I forgot about something from 2023!! My GOTY games are HI-FI RUSH and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Knuckle Sandwich coming in November will be too, but this game, that movement oh my, this is a definietly one of the best games this year too, I need to buy it as fast as I can! Thanks man for this awesome video, I strongly reccomend you playing these three games that I mentioned if you didn't, keep going with this awesome content!
I think that Katana Zero has what you are looking for 😉
Gravity Circuit's weapon mechanics seem like a more polished version of the ones throughout the Zero series. The Chain Rod was clunky in execution compared to GC's hook, and the grab attack is like a reworked Z Chip from Zero 4.
Interesting how I was able to guess Flow being the third aspect.
What got MMZ series for me was not only the flow, but the game had a good story to back-it up too.the side characters had personality, and you could approach the game with different playstyles..
Gravity Circuit was the final game in my backlog that was a "megaman-like". They others had failed to wow me. After 1 hour of Gravity Circuit, my kids asked me how I was liking it. I said, honestly, that I wasn't very good at it yet, but that it might actually be the best Megaman Zero like game I had ever played. Now that I'm finished with it, I can confirm that.
Strider 2's speed is so much fun!
Double tap forward, mash that slash button, and dash towards the game's ending within a half hour. It's just a satisfying snack!
Funny enough I was gonna say "Have you played Gunvolt" and then I saw gunvolt lol. It is made by the same people so that's why it's so close. Inticreate is a great studio.
Just got my physical copy of this for switch the other day. Excited to play it when I find the time, because there's just too many games these days.
Smash Melee players at 6:31 :
_"Yes, this is THE game of the year."_
People fail to realize all the games your naming as contenders are games that come out at least 10 yrs later
Rayman origins/legends has a similar feel, but to a lesser degree. Because the game is designed around flow and speed it feels a bit less accomplishing to play it that way
Ok I know we're getting old but did you have to hit us with the "which also came out 20 years ago" lmao
Then shows the release year being "2006", which should have been told as 17 years old instead of 20 years old in the vid, as of 2023
When you've mastered the dashes, sprints, bullet jumps, and aim glides in Warframe, the flow is there too
I think you really hit the whole speed thing. Basically as soon as I got used to the controls I will practically play through the stage with the sprint button practically glued down as I bounce from enemy to enemy smashing everything in a wild flow state. It’s become a great game to relax to and I can put something on to keep my higher functioning brain parts thinking and enjoying a podcast while my lizard brain and body just blast through the stage trying to get everything and be faster than before. My only complaint is that at the end of the game I gotta either start a new game or new game plus to experience the intro stage and the Ark again and I hope that there’s an update to fix that. Once I beat the whole game I want to be able to play everything again and just grind away at all of the stages to get faster times and to re fight Nega and the Circuit Boss Rush. Both are thrilling boss battles and it’s a real shame that I gotta go through all of this work to fight them again.
I like gravity circuit a lot, the only issue for me is how they break flow by giving bosses Invincibility for combo-ing
I DO BELIEVE Hollow Knight reaches a certain point where the upgrades really make you feel the "flow" effect, with all those talismans at that state you almost feel like the real threat of the game ends being yourself (which is not a coincidence as this is embedded in the story and design)
Silksong
Will flow even better than HK when it comes out in 2030.
Watching this video the whole time I was thinking "has this guy played the Mega Man X games yet I have a feeling not, he would probably love X4" then he said the zero games were 20 years old and I have been playing mega man x style games for 30 years and realized I am fucking old.
1:44 "Hollow Knight too"
- My Brain "hollow night 2, silksong GIMMI GIMMI!"
30XX is fun too. The character Ace is literally Zero.
I can't believe you didn't talk about the bosses. They're so good 😭
Because invincibility frames are really low, you will always do damage to the boss with your attacks. So the fight is almost always going at your pace.
Chain dasher turns everything you said here up to 11. I haven't thought about it, but it's probably an all-time best video game ability for me. Being able to dash into enemies to begin your combos or even finishing them off with the dash is so satisfying. Then you can throw them and double jump.
all that gameplay praise and on top of it all the game looks so good
Sanabi is a very recent game that I instantly thought of when you put up those three qualities. I've heard it described as Katana Zero with a grappling hook, but I haven't played KZ yet so I can't vouch for it. Sanabi has insanely fun and smooth gameplay that takes a while to click, but once you get why/how to swing in the right direction and speed at a given moment, you fly through enemies with that "pro gamer" feel. The main attack is somewhat of a slash where you grapple onto an enemy and ride it for a second before dashing away from it, so it might capture that feel that Gunvolt lacked.
And that's not even talking about the story. Like, wow, the story is insane. For fear of spoiling any of it, I won't say a word about it except that it's exceptionally crafted and completely explained in a normal playthrough (as opposed to games like Hollow Knight, which make you dig through lore and/or watch video essays to understand it).
Overall an amazing game that is relatively unknown (I mean it came out mid-November so I'm not surprised).
I'll have to check it out. Somebody else recommended it too, I wanna see what all the hype's about lol
When you seaid the speed and precision combine to make the 3rd element, I instinctively said "Flow". Im glad to have gotten it right, as a while ago, I really got into Sonic Heroes. The game can be a bit glitchy here and there, but when i started getting the hang of the game's unique design, I felt that unique sense of flow, as the game isnt as focused on momentum as the classics or on pure speed like the boost games. There was satisfaction in overcoming each obstacle using the right character at the right time, and as I started playing Mega Man Zero more and more, I began to feel the same way despite it being a totally different game.
sweet, so its like a love child between megaman, mischief makers and teeworlds
I’m really curious on your opinion of the later games in the ASG/LAiX series. Especially Copen’s gameplay which relies a lot more on movement and has melee elements.
Gravity Circuit is everything though and I definitely agree with your sentiment. It understands the assignment and delivers.
That flow term that you described as made-up...
Well, there is an academic paper by P. Cairns and E. Brown that describe the terms "immersion" "flow" and "presence" and what feeling it leaves to the player...
So, I can safely say that what you described as flow is pretty close to what they said 😁
If you want you can check it out, it's called "A grounded investigation on game immersion" and it's pretty short, so you can have a look if you want
As much as this is a love letter to the Zero X series, I also see something familiar in the melee mechanics... and that's Melee. Directional jump attacks, grabs and throws that scratch the itch Super Smash's adventure modes never did.
I didn't know this game. Thank you!
Doom eternal, while it’s a fps, it’s got that speed and precision and is absolutely top notch. It’s brutal yet fair with the best enemy design and resource management I’ve seen.
Haven’t tried Gravity Circuit yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good about it. I’ll add it to my wishlist if it’s not on there yet. When talking about speed, flow, and precision though, the first game that always comes to my mind is Bleed 2 (totally not biased). I rarely find anyone who knows about it, and I think more people should. The speedrun potential is huge.
Shiiii, Gravity Circuit does look neat.
It feels a lot like my initial Pitch a couple of years back when I was trying to make a Megaman Zero inspired Metroidvania. Meele Combat, throwing enemies into hazards and other enemies, grabbing bullets a shield ability that could hold off physical projectiles and throw them back?
Didn't have a grappling hook though. Guess everything get's better with a grappling hook! Would be hard to design a Metroidvania with that in mind I guess. (And not have boring level gates everywhere)
Do it.
Make the demo available for download!!!
Also,
Stay hydrated.
How
this game plays gives me a mischief makers vibe
Gravity Circuit is phenomenal.
One game that taught me speed, precision and flow has got to be Dead Cells. The game not only punishes you for not being precise and decisive with every of your actions. It rewards you when you actually do. Clear a floor fast enough, you can access a treasury room that gives you better weapons and tools. You're also rewarded when you tear through a certain amount of enemies without taking a single hit. To add to that, you are given a speed buff if you kill 8 enemies in a row. There are multiple mechanics that gives you that feeling of the "flow" such as dodge rolling, dive cancelling (which requires moderate timing and precision), shield dashing (exclusive to the Assault Shield). You want to go defensive and tactical? Fine by me. The game provides you all the tools for that stuff. But it *encourages* you to become a speed demon, tearing through every obstacles in your way just like the hot headed war-mongering soul you are (lore inteded joke)
Totally Agree. I would comment Dead Cells!
as a speedrunner of this game and this game alone i can say this is absolutely the best movement and speed game ive ever played, pizza tower is close but it doesnt have the smooth combat, and celeste isnt really my thing, although it is funny how watching any gravity circuit footage that isnt speedrun looks so cursed now and just makes me think of timeloss lmao
Always loved the Mega Man, Mega Man X, & Zero games. Might be my favorite platformer.
-.... Mega Man Zero
*Instant Like* yes you are right. That's how simple I agree Mega Man Zero Is a great just because.
30XX is easily the best Mega Man style game in recent times. If you haven't played it, I highly suggest you do.
I assume someone already pointed it out but, luminous avenger is also up there, it's the spin off from gunvolt that has that melee aspect you wanted
So glad that people still remember that this game exists
Anyone played 30XX isnt that meant to be amazing like these?
Narita Boy is pretty awesome, the speed ain’t there for comparison.. but it’s definitely fun swinging a sword around, and riding a floppy disk surfboard, and other really fun stuff to see. The mechanics are fun too
This video reminded me how much I loved mmz2 and still consider it to have the best map designs of the series.
I am glad that I am not the only one who sees Hollow Knight being inspired by Megaman Zero.
Btw, try Moonrider.
i dont have time to game anymore, but i still think videogames are neat and enjoy hearing about whats happening in the culture. seems like a nice spiritual successor to such a classic game. and in general, i always support indie games over the aaa ones
Great video! Thanks for making it.
Thanks for watching it!
Being able to code it is the true challenge, no matter what.
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse feels like this once you unlock every ability. It’s the only Shantae I like for that reason
if you haven't played it yet, I'd highly recommend giving "cogen sword of rewind" a try. it's a one hit and you'll you die kind of game, but like the title implies, you are able to rewind time to about 3 seconds into the past.
Tip of the hat to the presentation. Rewinding to mark hyperbole to note call-back, and your subscribe segue, are s-tier. #masterclass
Glad to see Megaman Zero getting some respect. There is so much depth in that game that most people never seem to find.