Valdis Story: Abyssal City - Metroidvania Analysis

Valdis Story is one of my favorite metroidvanias. Have finished it with 100% with 3 of the characters, 2 of them on god slayer, still saving to try the gun guy for a last playthrough at some point in the future. The combat and exploration are SO GOOD! I still can't believe how forgotten it was.

This game is SO legit and doesn't get enough love.

One of my favorites - the music is top notch too.

What a hidden gem, one of my favorites as well. I finished it twice with Wyatt and Reina, the other 2 characters weren't even released when i first played it... i think? I vaguely remember being annoyed about missing content, i didn't check back on the game in a long time but i believe that was why. Thanks for putting it back on my radar, us Metroidvania fans have been eating so well over the last few years that i completely forgot i still had unfinished business in this game. I'll definitely jump back in for a Vladyn and Gilda playthrough at one point.

I played it for the first time 10 years ago while searching for metroidvanias to play. Forgot the name of the game and out of nowhere it came to my mind in 2023. Bought it on Steam and had a really good time.

Damn, I've never even met anyone else who heard of this gem.

The best OST in any MV, and maybe even combat. The sequel Wendigo Blue is in development with the same composer Zack Parrish. He’s right up there with Nobuo Uematsu and Yoko Shimomura to me. As for the game, it may be my favorite MV for the reasons above and more. The combat and builds alone are worth hundreds of hours. It’s worth clearing it on God Slayer mode with each character. The only issues I have with the game are that boss rewards are tied to your performance and are not “better” the higher your performance. This means you need an S if you want a certain upgrade, or an A for another, and have to check a guide to figure out which you want. This isn’t good for creating a build or enjoying the game. Also, the missable content, but once you know, it isn’t really a flaw. Anyway, thank you for covering it. ❤

This was one of the first indie metroidvanias I ever played, and maybe one of my first indie games in general

I pirated this when it first came out . I was a teen with no income :( . I should probably buy it

Finally this is my goat metroidvania.

Dude this one's great! I'd love to see you cover Ender Lilies and Shadow Complex sometime!

I had a similar experience on my first blind playthrough of the Blasphemous, there are multiple missable side quests and ways to get locked out of the good ending and secret content. I blindly beat the game while fulfilling all necessary requirements for these missable things and never knew it

I love your videos man, i hope one day you will make one about a metroidvania am working on! Valdis Story is truly a hidden gem and this video just made go back at it, didn't finish it yet! so that will be fun, keep it up!

Great review, is a very underrated game, i talk to the developers back in the day, and they say that they won't port the game to any consoles, it will be a pc exclusive, and second it wont have a sequal.

Thanks for this thorough review. I gave up on this game ages ago, as I couldn't really get into it and the effort it requires you to enjoy it for what it is... I guess I don't have. Still, the developers got some of my cash and your review explains the game well enough for me to leave it be, as I know I'd rather be playing something else. It's all good. Would be awesome if others discovered the game through your review and it sounds intriguing to them though! Not to put the game down, as it is an awesome achievement for a 2 person team. It's just that I have enjoyed a game developed by a 3 person team a whole lot more. Hope they DO make a sequel someday ;)

Just got into metroidvanias a few weeks back, played hollow knight for the first time and had a blast. Looking around for some recommendations for eofy sales and this channel is a gem

I had a very similar experience with this game: Got very frustrated multiple times during the first playthrough, but then everything clicked together by its end / by the start of my second playthrough. Then, I replayed it multiple times with each character, trying to do everything and chasing all S-ranks. I waited for a sequel for years...

Bought this for the steamdeck.. haven't really dug into it yet..but I tried it quickly and thought the magic casting mechanics were interesting..seemed like good combat.. really enjoyed the video..I too instantly felt overwhelmed with the UI

I want to see you cover Astlibra Revision. I really didn’t like it and feel like I’m the only one, but there’s no question that this game can be pretty deep (narrative wise) and deserves an analysis.

Can you please do a review of The Mobius Machine? I appreciate your work!