Why Shadow of Oryda Is Not a Classic Metroidvania

While developing Shadow of Oryda, I deliberately moved away from some genre conventions.

Not Everything Is About 100% Completion

You don’t have to collect every upgrade or clear every corner of the map. Exploration is encouraged, but never forced — the ending depends on your choices, not on your completion percentage.

Suits Instead of a Single Combat Style

Instead of upgrading one combat style, the game features three interchangeable suits:

• Yellow — close-range combat

• Green — fast, rapid-fire ranged attacks

• Red — powerful long-range shots

Suits and their upgrades affect not only combat, but also exploration. They open new paths, destroy obstacles, and are actively used in platforming.

A World That Nudges You to Explore

I often rely on simple but effective design tricks — for example, walls exploding right in front of the player. If something collapses spectacularly before your eyes, it’s almost impossible not to investigate — even if the main objective lies elsewhere.

A Metroidvania with Light Base Building

The game includes a lightweight building system that allows you to:

• receive hints,

• craft resources,

• interact more deeply with the world and its mysteries.

The Game Has Cheats

Cheats started as a development and testing tool, but eventually became part of the game itself. They remain in the release as Easter eggs, and one of them unlocks a higher difficulty mode with no checkpoints — for players looking for a serious challenge.

Shadow of Oryda is a compact adventure designed to be completed over a few evenings, featuring three possible endings and a strong focus on atmosphere, exploration, and player choice.

If this approach resonates with you, consider adding the game to your Steam wishlist — it helps the project a lot.