My next Metroidvania kick is an ingenious mix of Zelda-like exploration, twin-stick combat, and pitch-perfect controls – with 97% positive Steam user reviews

In a year overflowing with great-looking Metroidvanias, Minishoot' Adventures popped out to me for the sheer oddity and novelty of its premise. It's a top-down twin-stick shooter where you play as a small spaceship in a bright, colorful world under attack from a shadowy villain called the Unchosen. And I do mean you play as a spaceship, not someone piloting a spaceship, which really adds to the charm of the world. I've only played the opening act, but it's officially my next weekend game, because it's immediately clear why it's been so well-received on Steam, with over 1,500 97% positive user reviews at the time of writing.

There's a lot of Zelda in the way Minishoot' Adventures – that rogue apostrophe is the game's, by the way, not mine – hits you with collectible heart pieces, caves, and room-based fights. There's even an achievement for blowing up a room full of pots. Likewise, while some ship upgrades are normal skill tree stuff like more damage and a faster fire rate, you'll also find bespoke upgrades that give your ship new gadgets or weapons entirely and let you access different areas of the world, a distinctly Metroidvania rhythm entering the mix.

That world is surprisingly complex and even has its own map, slowly filled in by hidden fragments. Changing areas is pretty instant, too, thanks to a designated world preload period you get upon start-up. I've already found a bunch of secrets and even stumbled into an area I was clearly under-geared for. These are fun, familiar elements, but experienced through this twin-stick framing, they feel fresh.

There's something endearing about the way your little ship moves around, and the controls are immaculately tuned. Tons of subtle animation and audio details make the most of the simple look, like the angling on sharp turns and the smaller booster effect you get when you pump the brakes. It takes a lot to give a tiny yellow triangle a sense of personality, but the way your ship shimmies and spins to celebrate unlocks or slowly ducks into caves and tunnels really sells it. It feels like a vehicle and more like a character. It's an oddly cute element of an obviously cute game.

Minishoot' Adventures had been on my wishlist for a while, and after trying it myself after developer SoulGame Studio sent over a code for it, I'm pretty smitten with it. Reviews from other players indicate it's a fairly short game – likely longer if you go for the hardcore difficulty – which is music to my ears as I shoot past 200 hours in Unicorn Overlord. It's $15 on Steam, and you can try the demo first too.

This Metroidvania had my curiosity after boasting of an Elden Ring-sized map, now it has my attention after showing off some slick JRPG and Soulslike elements.