Necrosphere

♥ I love to hate this f &*% game! ♥
I've shouted at it so much that I don't even wanna shout at traffic jams anymore. Better than meditation.
This game is easy to learn but hard to master.
It's about an agent trying to scape a limbo-ish place... He is kinda dead already btw, but he keeps on dying so many times!
Surprisingly it's not frustrating at all, because you have so many checkpoints. It only gives you even more will to try it again.
The genius level design clearly shows to your face where you're screwing it up, but it's just so hard to make it right, so you keep on trying again and again and again.
Till you finally get the timing right and run around the house in celebration scaring the hell outta your dogs... and neighbours if it's 4am.
What the heck am I doing with my life? I hate the devs xD ♥

Necrosphere is a great old school platformer with a gimmick. The game is laid out like a metroidvania-lite. What I mean by that is that there is one big level and as you gain new abilities as you progress, these abilities let you access new areas, and these areas are designed to use these abilities to their fullest. The reason I say "lite" is because there is very little backtracking(a good thing IMO), once you finish an area you get warped back to the start of the game and then you can use the acquired ability to reach a new area.
The gimmick of this game is that it only uses 2 buttons, left and right on the keyboard, or L and R on the controller. The control is super responsive but the odd control scheme may cause some to shy away from it. When I first started playing the game I loved it, as more abilities became unlocked my enjoyment of the game faltered a bit as I was dying more to the control than the obstacles. I gave up on the game and posted a negative review.
The developer saw my review and we began talking about it, he then messed around with the code of the game a bit and emailed me a version of the game that addressed my concern, and the game played like a dream. The fact that a developer would take the time to listen to the complaints of a single customer and implement a fix tailored for that customer is pretty mindboggling. Developers who care this much about their customers are a rare breed and this fact alone is enough for me to want to support him.
Having said that, once the fix was implemented the game played like a dream. The controls are super tight and the game offers a very nice challenge. This game is tough, everything kills you in one hit and there are tons of obstacles everywhere. There are very liberal checkpoints in the levels and instant respawns which means the game is rarely frustrating, it is simply addicting and each death makes you want to try one more time.
Level design in this game is perfect, each level looks unique, and is loaded with unique challenges tailored to that level and that particular ability used to access it. The variety of obstacles in this game keep things fresh and it never gets boring in the 2-3 hours or so it will take you to beat this game.
If you want a great retro themed platformer with an interesting gimmick, give this game a try.

Necrosphere is a pixelated metroidvania.
There are only two keys, left and right. The levels are progressively harder, but every time you die, you begin right before your challenge. That may sound easy, but it must be said, the challenges are not forgiving at all.
With the game progression, there are abilities unlocked, such as double tap for a sprint/jump, two key pressing for a limited jatpack or destroying blocks wich you didn't know they could be a new passage.
The levels are well designed, with enough complexity to make even the more experienced sweat.
If you like the genre, you will most likely like this game.

Two-button controls for masocore platforming is an interesting idea, and I think this game implements it as well as can be done. That said, there's nothing remotely comfortable about such a scheme -- and because I would like to use my index fingers for a variety of things, and not just destroy them playing games with intentionally awkward controls, I will never play Necrosphere again. I also know to steer clear of any game that follows in its footsteps. I don't regret playing the game, though, since it was a unique experience, and I'm all about unique experiences; my fingers will recover.
Why an upvote? Awkward controls notwithstanding, the level design is superb, and the creator does have a flair for attractive pixel graphics. Also, I must compliment him on taking risks, even though his game could end up giving somebody arthritis. Buy on a sale.

Necrosphere is absolutely unforgiving. It's sometimes frustrating, but when you get it, it's soooo incredibly satisfying. When it's going well you don't want to stop because it's fun, and when you're failing the same series of jumps over and over again you don't want to stop because you "almost got it" and because you don't want to give up.

The only real flaw I found with it is that sometimes you backtrack and when you go the wrong way you have to do a 'level'/part again because you can't go back to the entrance.
Still, only a minor inconvenience.
The game is total level design porn, would definitely recommend if you like crying in frustration but like, in a good way.

Really original game! The levels are well designed, and the two buttons concept is WAY more challenging than it appears on first sight. Finding this game was really a pleasure. Kudos to the developer, I just wish there was a mobile version.

Best hidden gem I found in Steam recently.
Takes the best of a metroid-like game and boldly presents it as a two-buttons only game.
It is also specially made with speed runs in mind.
As of now, I can't recommend any game more than this one.