Games › Metroidvania › Metroidvania + Time Manipulation
Should I ship a Time Manipulation Metroidvania?
Metroidvania + Time Manipulation
Only 10 developers shipped a Time Manipulation Metroidvania in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Chrono Gear: Warden of Time, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 20 more are announced, ×5.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.
Only 4 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $59k against a market of $480. 20 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $15k (exactly $15,290) |
|---|---|
| Median | $59k (exactly $58,911) |
| Top 25% | $129k (exactly $128,871) |
| Top 5% | $513k (exactly $512,715) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 10 |
| Released games | 27 |
| Announced | 20 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $14.99 |
momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue up 190% on the market, supply 35% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 4%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Metroidvania
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- Time Manipulation
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Metroidvania, Time Manipulation
- Price point
- $14.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 94% positive over 2,351 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $16k. 7 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 20 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Metroidvania with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + ParkourPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + CraftingPoor odds
- + SimulationPoor odds
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + CollectathonPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Survival HorrorPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
- + VampiresPoor odds
- + Inventory ManagementPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
Comparable games
Touhou Luna Nights 2019 · $7.4M 
Timespinner 2018 · $1.7M 
CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story™ 2023 · $943k 
Chrono Gear: Warden of Time 2025 · $513k 
Ary and the Secret of Seasons 2020 · $161k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Touhou Luna Nights | older | $17.99 | 13,776 97% | 413k | $7.4M (exactly $7,434,907) | Team Ladybug, WSS playground |
| | Timespinner | older | $19.99 | 2,823 86% | 85k | $1.7M (exactly $1,692,953) | Lunar Ray Games |
| | CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story™ | older | $29.99 | 1,048 87% | 31k | $943k (exactly $942,886) | Double Stallion |
| | Chrono Gear: Warden of Time | $17.99 | 950 98% | 29k | $513k (exactly $512,715) | Team Chrono Gear, GalaxyTrail | |
| | Ary and the Secret of Seasons | older | $39.99 | 134 64% | 4.0k | $161k (exactly $160,760) | eXiin, Fishing Cactus |
 | DragonLoop | $8.99 | 567 91% | 17k | $153k (exactly $152,920) | 沙因, 小阮 | |
 | MotionRec | $9.99 | 430 99% | 13k | $129k (exactly $128,871) | HANDSUM | |
 | Retrace the Light | $17.99 | 170 85% | 5.1k | $92k (exactly $91,749) | Xiaming Game | |
 | Lord Ambermaze | $14.99 | 131 91% | 3.9k | $59k (exactly $58,911) | Potata Company | |
 | Otherskin | $29.99 | 63 69% | 1.9k | $57k (exactly $56,681) | Game Atelier | |
 | Mai: Child of Ages | $14.99 | 34 88% | 1.0k | $15k (exactly $15,290) | Chubby Pixel | |
 | Time Flipper | $9.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $899 (exactly $899) | Lusho | |
 | Mayday | $6.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $210 (exactly $210) | GTD | |
 | Times Dungeon | $1.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $119 (exactly $119) | Mad Quark |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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