Genopanic is a completely linear sidescroller that cosplays as a Metroidvania despite having zero claim to the name.

It is pretty boring, and repetitive for 80% of the game. You are following a preset path, every room feels about the same, and it’s just an absolute grind. Suddenly the last areas of the game get more difficult but feel cheap and annoying rather than fun and challenging.

That said, I probably would’ve given it a 2/5 if that’s the only crime. It has decent pixel art and really good UI and kinda tactile feel to things. But where it rubs the me the completely wrong way is the constant mention of “metroidvania” by the developer.

It’s right there in the Steam description. If you look at their Twitter ads, it’s packed into the limited characters they can use. And it is based on absolutely nothing.

The game has a map (for no reason) and abilities (like many linear platformers). It even has quests for god knows what. It’s so obviously cheap and deceptive that it really makes this my least favorite game of the year.