It's sad that not to many recent games have embraced the Metroid-vania model of gameplay, apart from "Shadow Complex" and, well, "Metroid: Other M." Granted, it's a lot of work to created a massive, explorable map and interesting power-ups, but dang if it isn't one of my favorite types of games. While we wait for major publishers to jump on the Metroid-vania bandwagon, indie developers are filling in the gaps nicely. Take, for example, "K.O.L.M." from Armor Games. It's a Flash game that manages to capture the exploration-heavy nature of Metroid while adding in a dose of depression and sniping of an unloving parent.

Many Metroid-vania games being with you collecting some basic ability like, say, Jump. "K.O.L.M." goes one step further, as you begin the game as a robot without eyes or legs. Your vision is severely hampered and you can only move at a snail's pace. Stumbling around in a blurry jumble, you eventually stumble upon your eyes and legs and discover that it's up to you to collect the rest of your parts. It's all in an effort to please Mother, an unknown force who watches your actions on CCTV. In the text box at the bottom of the screen, she'll send you passive-aggressive messages, egging you on through your quest.

The gameplay isn't terribly unique for a Metroid-vania game, but the dark, depressing tone and haunting piano soundtrack give "K.O.L.M." its own feel. The whole adventure takes about a hour, making it a solid way to spend your lunch break. It's also a Flash game, so it'll run on most computers and is completely free.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think in the comments or on Twitter.