In 2025, if you’d told me a game would use having a 160×90 screen resolution as its major selling point, I’d have told you to jog on. That is the screen resolution that Microvania has, though, and it is used to great effect. The whole concept behind this solo-dev experience is to microfy everything you’d expect from a Metroidvania game into something that could be cleared in around 3 hours or one sitting. It is a treasure trove of fun and challenge, with some clever design ideas.
First, let’s deal with that screen resolution. Yes, you can make the game full screen, it’s just part of that pixelated charm, and you can reduce scan lines and clean the game’s look too. Where the resolution plays more of an active role in the game design is that your mech character will move quite a distance in a single step, and that initially makes platform jumping a little tricky. I found that using the D-Pad was easier than using the analogue stick, as I could line up hovering on the edge of blocks more easily. Your character hangs over the side precariously but is completely safe, and some jumps require you to play that balancing game to make them. Collision detection feels precise and accurate, which is a strong point for Microvania, as enemies will lob all kinds of things at you.
At the start of the game, you can move, and that’s it. Quickly, you’ll pick a gun and the ability to shoot at 45-degree angles by standing firm with a button press. Later on, you’ll get missiles and bombs, and these are useful for not just killing enemies, they also break certain blocks and open certain coloured doors. Much of the early game gating comes down to this, before your suit upgrades kick in. The biggest upgrade is ball mode, turning you into a small ball that can roll into chutes and pipes. Almost every room has one hidden somewhere, and this opens up a world of interconnectivity. Later on, you’ll get access to the spike ball, which lets you climb walls, and suddenly every room is flipped on its head again. I loved and enjoyed exploring the world map again with fresh eyes, as secrets were plentiful and backtracking was entertaining. The map is condensed and succinct, and whilst you will be backtracking, it’s almost always with new skills and so your path will never be the same twice. Late game unlocks the ability to swim in lava and a grappling hook, the latter being particularly fun.
I’ve mentioned secrets often, and Microvania incentivised players to find them because they are tied to your optional upgrade system. Your suit has room for battery storage, and when you’ve found a certain amount of battery power, you’ll unlock the ability to equip SD cards with new or improved abilities. It might be faster movement, or a double jump, or a longer gun range. There’s a selection of them to find, but you can only equip a few, and even then, you need to find all the batteries to open the equipment slots. This is where I used the map the most. I’d leave markers for when I’d found something I couldn’t reach and would return whenever I had the upgrade that might help me snag the card or battery.
Microvania is a speedrunners’ dream. There is a 30-minute Steam achievement that I’ll never get, as it took me over 3 hours to make it through on my first playthrough. To do that, I used one of several accessibility settings to make life easier. The accessibility options can turn on rapid fire, but also where you respawn after a death. One of those options lets you respawn mid-boss battle, and I needed that for one of the bosses. Bosses in Microvania are varied and tough. They come immediately after you gain a new ability, and if you can’t get used to that ability straight away, you will struggle with the boss. There’s a specific boss where a scorpion flits around the screen, and you need to ball dash jump quickly onto its arms to shoot its body. My skills failed me, and I know it’s my skill issue, as eventually I got the hang of it, but just not in that boss battle! I ran into a couple of minor bugs… or features… in boss battles, and more often with enemies, where they’d continue to fire through the environment even when I didn’t think they should or could. Even if you leave a room, their shots fire through. Eventually, they give up and stop firing, but it felt a bit odd and brought on a rare soft-lock. It’s a tiny blemish on what is an otherwise well-functioning and smooth experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Microvania. It doesn’t waste your time, but doesn’t skimp on quality, complexity, or fun either. Sometimes, making things tiny translates to streamlining a concept so there is no fun left to be had. I’m delighted to say Microvania has all the thrills and spills of a traditional Metroidvania title, just in pint-sized form.
Review copy provided by the developer. Microvania is out on PC.
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