A bit off topic, but Kaizo Mario World was an excellent platform hell game. I beat the entire thing. Might replay it.

I consider myself a fairly good player of the Metroidvania genre.

I have yet to reach the third screen of IWBTG.

I appreciate the suggestions. I'll definitely be getting Cave Story and probably gifting it to my friend as well.
An Untitled Story also looks good. I'll try out most of the games suggested, though we (my friend and I) tend to lean towards open-ended, adventure-y ones rather than platformers that only progress linearly.

Oh, and I have played IWTBTG before. I think it's a great game, though not exactly the type I was thinking of. Still can't get past the screen with the giant falling moon though.

IWBTG isn't exactly a metroidvania: Upgrades are an important part of the genre, y'know.

IWBtG does have upgrades you can get. They just don't do anything.

Gameboy Advance & DS have several Castlevania games, all in the same style as SOTN. If you're able to get access to an Xbox 360 I would also highly recommend Shadow Complex.

IIRC doesn't one upgrade you from three shots to four and another makes your shots go slightly further? I may be pulling this completely out of my ass, but I seem to recall this being the case.

Definitely recommending Cave Story as well.

Bunny Must Die was interesting as well. Very bizarre though.

You have to outsmart the Moon!

Not that I'm aware. I don't think your shots have a limited range anyway, do they? It's been awhile since I played.

Holy Crap, how in the world did I miss Cave Story? I purchased it a few minutes after my last post in this thread and have been playing non-stop since then!

@Moogle0119
I don't have a 360, but my friend has access to one. I'll definitely look into Shadow Complex for him.

P.S. - Was also directed to both TV Tropes and VGMuseum "Metroidvania" sections.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MetroidVania
http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/multi/Es...idpumpkin5.htm (can anyone say Geocities circa '98?)