Dead Rangers

Dead Rangers is another hidden gem I dug up from the itch.io metroidvania tag. It is a Metroid-like, about 2 hours long, and has very unique momentum-based movement physics.

I had a blast with it. The exploration, level design, gameplay feel, it is all super solid. The only downsides: art and music are a bit underwhelming, it is short, and there are occasional glitches with the movement and animation. But for a free itch game, it is in my top ten (and I have played literally hundreds).

Made by a solo dev over the course of 5 years, and it was his first ever game. I think it is worth checking out, and getting over the learning curve with both the momentum-heavy movement and the grappling hook (as all grappling hook mechanics take time to learn).