I actually like 8-bit action RPGs a lot, moreso than the average person actually. I still disagree Simon's Quest is anything like SotN except in a very general sense.
Simon's Quest has very few rewards, even for it's time. Vampire Killer has a higher density of equipment (but it isn't permanent, so it's different from SotN as well). There are also plenty of examples from outside the series. Just compare Simon's Quest to a game like Deadly Towers, where upgrades are very prevalent. So the claim that the developers of Simon's Quest actually wanted to fill every nook and cranny with items but couldn't isn't true. It was a conscious design decision.
And no, Simon's Quest doesn't have a fake ending. The ending is determined based on the amount of time you take. All the metroidvanias (except Cotm) have you to fulfill some special requirement to unlock the true ending. It isn't time-based like Simon' Quest. It's clearly different.
There are lots of other specific traits that all the metroidvanias share and Simon's Quest doesn't. But whatever, I have the feeling we're just talking past each other.
well again no, you can't just say this a conscious design decision, just cos one game has been made with more space,
1 the coders may have had abetter way of doing it, this has happen, some games that come out after older games sometimes seem almost like a backstep, due to the fact that the guys working on knew how get the most out of nes
2 time. we have no idea how much time they had, if there was a rush on, and they had to cut content this would mean they had no other way but to leave stuff out.
3 we have no idea how much space things took up in SQ, it came out later, there for the world is expecting bigger contect, better graphics, all these things take time. and that goes back up to my second point. and all that takes up space.
4 vampire Killer is an MSX2 game and if I'm right... the MSX 2 has more space. I know it can't scroll like the nes, but as far as I know it has more space for stuff like items and affects, hinta why Metal gear. was so different on the Nes. So again you can't really use Vampire Killer.
again your baseing the rewards from SoTn from a game that was made in the 80s.
also a few lines up you juist said SQ has a false ending, you can't now turn aorund and say no, just so it can fit in wth your point.
getting there by the right time is still meating the special requirement, as you are l required to get there by a time to unlock the true ending.
but you raise a good point with Cotm. that game would also fit perfectly in the set and by your own words its and MV and that to get the true ending there no special requirement so CoTM can miss things out brake the formula you say games need to stick too get seen as a MV. And you still counted it but SQ even after all thats been pointed out still gets your tumbs down. i find that a bit odd
lets say for a sec and say Konami did leave items out by conscious design decision.
But SQ still follows the formula as i've pointed out just like CotM, but like CoTM it brakes away, but still gets counted. i find that odd
Soo... this tells me its not so much its not a MV That you don't see it as one, and thats fine, but i really don't think you can just flat out say no its not, after all this with CoTM.