Trash Quest

'Tis fine for what it is and how cheap it is. I don't know what not having checkpoints adds to the game but also most runbacks aren't long enough for it to matter and there -are- checkpoints before bosses anyways so.

The combat is... fine, I'm not a huge fan of gunny shooty games and I think the button mapping is strange but you get used to it. A few bosses have attacks that don't quite feel fair but it's all. Fine.

I can't say I disliked it? But it's also not particularly interesting or memorable and not very long, either. If you really need your metroidvania fix for cheap, then I guess, sure.

I got this game for 60 cents, thinking it would be short and wouldn't have too much to offer besides maybe an hour of gameplay. The more I play, the more I realize it's a pretty big and decently interesting game. The pixel art is cute and surprisingly clean, it doesn't get confusing between what is and isn't a platform. Movement is smooth and fast, without the character feeling too weightless, and the abilities are fun to use. The hover ability was an interesting concept, took me a bit to get used to but it's cool. Combat isn't crazy though, you're mostly here for a fun short platformer with some minimal shooting here and there. I did love that it saves right outside boss rooms though, it'd be really tedious to go all the way back from the main spawn point.
It's not perfect: the music loops tend to get annoying if you stay in an area for too long, and there is only one respawn point, besides the ones outside of boss rooms, which are only for that instance. But for its price, especially on discount, this is a steal.

A short and sweet metroidvania with simple mechanics and challenging platforming.
The one checkpoint mechanic sounds like something that could get frustrating but everything is so tightly placed around that central location and shortcuts open aplenty making it real quick and easy to get back to where you were to try the tougher platforming sections again without much pain. The base game takes less than 2 hours so even with the backtracking when you die it's an easy clear in an afternoon.
That said, the platforming is tight, fast, and precise. Some sections will take some work to get through and the Salvation "DLC" (included and accessible in the post game after reloading your save) has even harder platforming right out the gate; so something to keep in mind if difficult platforming isn't your thing.
The bosses are mostly just bullet hells. They aren't anything crazy mechanically, but they provide just enough of a challenge to not be an easy one shot first time through. Their patterns aren't difficult but they'll take some learning and luckily while there are no other checkpoints in the game besides the starting one, during a boss fight it does drop you right outside the boss room if you die so you don't have to deal with any platforming to get back to the fight.
The game is cheap and short enough that I think it's worth a try if you have any love for difficult platformers or metroidvanias.

This game made me smile so hard. It's super cute, the music is really good, and it's a Metroidvania!

Very well made, short and fun. I appreciate that they didn't make you run all the way back from the main spawn to the bosses (at least so far). Some of these achievements seem totally impossible, though!

A fun micro-vania whose twist (you always respawn from the same place) leads to interesting design which highlights shortcuts and getting to know the map as you dash back to the last place you died. The story is only a light touch - the main draw here is the gameplay, and the retro feel of the visuals and music.
For a short game, Trash Quest has a far bit of challenge if you want to opt into it. One of the upgrades took me a while to get, and there seems to be a lot of post-game content to engage with which is significantly harder. But the main game itself is a nice ~2hour game that doesn't feel unsatisfying on its own. Works great on Steam Deck too.

A neat bitesized metroidvania. Nothing groundbreaking but I had fun with it. a bit easy and the only interesting upgrades come after you beat the main game but it's fun to mess around. If you want a quick metroidvania it's a decent time.