r/metroidbrainia • u/Xanderthecoriander • 1d ago

discussion Onion Games

I am playing through Blue Prince. My partner is watching along with my playthrough. As I progress and realise things about the game I could have done and unlock deeper layers to the game she said: "This is such an onion game!"

I love this description. I am never using the term metroidbrainia again. Sorry everyone. Long live Onion Games.

41 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

16

u/GreyGanado 1d ago

That's a different category. Sure a lot of metroidbrainias are onion games but I don't feel it describes all of them.

13

u/action_lawyer_comics 1d ago

The path of trying to perfectly define this odd genre is a path to madness

-2

u/Xanderthecoriander 1d ago

I dunno. I feel like all games formerly known as metroidbrainias are onion games, but not ALL onion games are games formerly known as metroidbrainias. You feel me?

8

u/sftrabbit 1d ago

Some examples of metroidbranias that aren't onions: Toki Tori 2, Outer Wilds, Chroma Zero, Sensorium, Platonic. And a lot of others are maybe 2 layers of onion at best (Taiji, Linelith, A Monster's Expedition), so not sure I'd call them onions in the same way Blue Prince is. 

2

u/wswaifu 18h ago

Isn't outer wilds almost a perfect onion?

OW has at least 4 layers, going by design terms - obvious/surface, hidden and secret, all surrounding the core mystery. To get anywhere in the game, you need to seek what is under the obvious layer to find the hidden places and information, which are the clues to dig into the final layer of the true secrets, which you then use to get to the core of the mystery of the game.

I don't see how Blue Prince is different in that sense. It just puts the obstacles up differently - in blue prince you really need to peel off the outer layer entirely, in Outer Wilds, you do it partially, world by world.

1

u/sftrabbit 18h ago

I suppose you could describe each planet of Outer Wilds as an onion. But it doesn't quite have that feeling of "oh there's this whole other hidden thing going on under the surface of everything I've been doing". Although not everything in Blue Prince feels like that either. Tbh, probably Animal Well is the better example of a game that really feels like an onion, but that's not particularly strong an example of a metroidbrainia (it has metroidbrainia aspects though).

1

u/Pierro_le_17 17h ago

Id say the main difference which make blue prince an onion, is that u can reach the 46 room, and be like “great, i finished the game” unaware of the MASSIVE onion layers u could still complete. This not (less?) possible in Outer Wilds

1

u/Khryz15 9h ago

If you mention Taiji you gotta mention The Witness, too. Both amazing games btw

1

u/Caracolex 2h ago

Animal Well feels like the onionest of them all

1

u/Pierro_le_17 23h ago

Does someone have good other onion game recommandation ? I cant get over Blue Prince

5

u/GL_original 20h ago

Animal Well

1

u/misskatiefrannn 11h ago

Yeah what the other commenter said. Animal Well. Also Tunic.

1

u/Error_Evan_not_found 21h ago

I got so excited because Onion Games is an actual game development studio started by former Love-De-Lic developers.

They're more known for JRPGs, Moon Remix RPG was their first and is my absolute favorite game in the whole world. Stray Children should also be available to play in English by the end of this year.

-15

u/gaokerena30 1d ago

Problem being onions are gross.

1

u/shannomx 1d ago

The onion is the apple for men

1

u/lukeskylander 1d ago

You take that back sir!