Searching for good representative games in my personal hexfecta

[k8track]

By hexfecta, I am referring to six specific types of games (I don't want to use the term "genres of games" as it is a bit broader and there is some overlap amongst some of these types) that I am currently fixated on. Basically, I would just like to know of other great games within each category that I have yet to discover. They're a bit narrow and focused, but do feel free to expand the parameters a bit if the game is a must-play.

1. Metroidvania games. You all know this type of game. Free-roaming and exploring; need to find items to access previously closed-off areas. My favorite two games of this type are Rygar (NES) and Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap (SMS). I know there are many more. Which are the best?

2. Ai Senshi Nicol-type exploration games. Wonderful, colorful graphics, expansive worlds, lots of hidden items. Similar to Metroidvania but more linear (you can freely explore each level, but you progress forward level by level and can't go back to any previous level). Ai Senshi Nicol (for the Famicom Disk System) is truly a wonderful and obscure little gem. I'd love to play anything like it.

3. Isometric adventure maze/puzzle/strategy games like Solstice (NES), Knight Lore (MSX et. al.), Pentagram (MSX et. al.), and Airball (Atari 8-bit). Any more like this?

4. Puzzle-action games like Adventures of Lolo (NES), Eggerland (Famicom and MSX), Kickle Cubicle (NES), and Kings Valley 1 and 2 (MSX), where you have to execute a series of moves in the proper order in order to advance to the next level, and each level is a single screen (or sometimes a few screens). (Note: I'm not including pure Sokoban-type games in this as it is an entire sub-category in and of itself.)

5. Castle/Pyramid exploration-type games where you explore room-by-room and have to find the right keys to open the right doors and eventually escape to the next level, collecting treasure as you go. Games like Castlequest (NES) and Montezuma's Revenge (various) are the kind I'm thinking about.

6. Pitfall II-Type adventure games where you freely explore a vast world with many platforms, collecting treasure as you go. I'm specifically thinking of games like Pitfall II (specifically the Adventurer's Edition for the Atari 5200 and 8-bits, and the Pitfall 2 Plus hack for the 2600) and Journey to the Centre of the Earth (C64) which I've mentioned here a few times in the past.

I look forward to discovering many hidden gems!

[portnoyd]

While not a true Metroidvania (in the sense that there are no item blocks), VVVVVV for the PC is an excellent game in that regard. Short but excellent.

Solstice has a sequel called Equinox on the SNES.

[Drixxel]

If you've played any of these before, my apologies for pointless recommendations.

Metroidvania-wise, you may enjoy Zillion on SMS for its good sense of platforming exploration. It doesn't really feature the same sort of backtracking/obstacle reevaluation of a Metroid type but there is a large world to see and the gameplay is fairly unique.

Ai Senshi Nicol strikes a chord with me similar to The Guardian Legend on NES, that one's a shmup/overhead adventure hybrid but the overhead stages (which account for the majority of the game) definitely bear a resemblance.

The first that leapt to mind in the isometric puzzle/maze/strategy category was Landstalker on Genesis, the controls may take a moment to get used to but there is certainly some devilish puzzle solving to be found here.

As for puzzle/action, Moai Kun on Famicom is pretty neat. Unlike Lolo, it plays like a platformer but the basic idea is the same in that you need to collect x number of on-screen items to open the exit, overcome obstacles and survive wandering enemies.

A memorable room-by-room puzzler that I'd recommend is Solomon's Key for NES. The puzzle solving is all built around conjuring/disappearing blocks. There's a sequel called Fire 'N Ice which polishes the look of the game to that late-NES standard and adds an overworld.

In terms of an explorative collection fest platformer, I've had a lot of fun with Kirby Super Star's The Great Cave Offensive mode on SNES. It's 2-player cooperative and there's a ton of treasure to uncover.

[k8track]

Thanks guys! Keep 'em coming! Remember, don't feel restricted to just these narrow parameters--if there is something even vaguely reminiscent in the ballpark and evokes the spirit of one of these kinds of games, by all means, share. I want to unearth more fun little nuggets.

[k8track]

Oh, a couple of great puzzle/action/platformers just sprang to mind: Donkey Kong (Super Gameboy), Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Gameboy Advance), and most especially Wrecking Crew (NES)! Wrecking Crew in particular is in my personal top-5 NES/Famicom games or so. How could I have forgotten?

I've been looking up info on the games that Portnoyd and Drixxel (any relation to Drexel?) recommended, and they all look interesting, particularly VVVVVV and Moai-Kun. I'm getting excited about video games again!

[portnoyd]

To reinforce Drixxel's recommendation, you must play Landstalker on the Genesis. Must. One of the best games on the system.

Guardian Legend is also excellent. The overhead stages are very Zelda like, but the whole game is totally Metroidvania.

[k8track]

I just thought I'd bump this and see if you guys had any more suggestions. The weather is getting colder and I'm going to be staying inside more and getting back to doing a little video game playing. Any more obscure and forgotten jewels out there?

[Drixxel]

I'll take another crack at the hexfecta breakdown with some other titles I dig. Hopefully there's something in here you'd consider worth playing in the colder months!

Wizards & Warriors III is the most Metroidvania-like of the series, with a sense of ongoing exploration made possible by a running inventory of magic items.

Blaster Master, while not as much like Ai Senshi Nicol as I would prefer to be offering it as a likeminded recommendation, does offer some good nonlinear exploration, both side scrolling and overhead, in a stage-by-stage format.

Altered Space on Game Boy is an interesting isometric puzzle game, definitely in the same vein as Solstice. From Solstice's developer, even.

Goof Troop on SNES is a surprisingly enjoyable overhead puzzler and, as an added bonus, it can be played by 2 players simultaneously. You explore each stage in something of a Legend of Zelda fashion and there's either a puzzle every few screens (usually involving the strategic kicking of blocks) or a bunch of baddies that need to be cleared.

Spelunker (various platforms) and its sequel are worth a look for a Pitfall II or Montezuma's Revenge kind of experience. Spelunker II is considerably more involved with a larger world and a number of new gameplay mechanics.

[treismac]

1. Metroidvania games.

Holy Diver by Irem for the Famicom.

Getsu Fūma Den by Konami for the Famicom.

2. Ai Senshi Nicol-type exploration games.

Cadash by Taito for the Turbografx-16, Genesis, and arcade.

4. Puzzle-action games

Chew Man Fu by Hudson Soft for the Turbografx-16 and, now, the Wii's Virtual Console.

[k8track]

Thanks, guys, this is much appreciated. These are exactly the kinds of recommendations I've been looking for. As I mentioned earlier, looking at my list, you can probably get an idea of the kinds of games I would enjoy, so if you have any recommendations that don't fit exactly into any of those categories, I'd sure love to hear them.

Two games I really enjoy (and which both happen to end in the word "dash") are the Boulder Dash series (for multiple platforms) and Diamond Dash (for Colecovision, programmed by DP's own Daniel Bienvenu). Diamond Dash would definitely fall squarely in that fourth category. As for the Boulder Dash series, I'm obsessed with it, so I'm sure I'd enjoy any game even remotely like that (would that be considered an action puzzler?).