Games like the post game of esa

[Landl0cked]

I love games with puzzles like this and the mystery behind it and the gradual breakdown of the game. I want to know about more like it. I know about la mulana and have it.

Also I like games with upgrading and big boss battles and lots of them and secret bosses and hardcore fights and metroidvania aspects. I have salt and sanctuary and beat it and know about dark souls. And dead cells. Hollow Knight.

I have a hard time finding good games in this catagory and stumbled upon esa and loved it.
And i do know there is another discussion of this topic but I wanted to boil it down to two catagories
Intense puzzle solving mystery and preferablly action
or
Intense fighting upgrading boss fight

[⬧Towers⬧]

For the second category there is the aquatic adventure of the last human and axiom verge.

[x-calibar]

It's hard to find games that have that interesting mysterious creepy atmosphere that esa captures... plus those bosses! I wish more people would play ESA...

Anyways, I've played a lot of games and here's a few that might be worth your time (mostly indie):
@ Iji - platformer
A free game created by Remar who works for ludosity now I believe...
It might not look like much, but it's superb. Excellent bosses, good upgrade system, and best of all, a darkly compelling sci-fi story... It's in a linear stage format, but your actions matter and change the story as you go. Secrets to uncover! Google: remar iji
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33mxD4FjD3w

His site also has some other free games with great battles... Hero Core, Hyper Princess Peach, Princess Remedy In a World of Hurt (on steam as well), and the non-free steam game Princess Remedy In a Heap of Trouble (I think that's the name).

@ Cave Story+ - metroidvania platformer
On Steam (or the freeware version online) should be checked out if you want to experience some pre-ESA like gameplay with some nice bosses and story.
Afterwards there are some free Cave Story mods that might be just what you are looking for. Like Rave Story, for one... there are plenty more I can look up if desired.

@ Iconoclasts - metroidvania platformer
Just came out recently on Steam, it has some unique boss battles, puzzles, and a dark sci-fi plot. It'll keep you guessing.

@ Hyper Light Drifter - isometric perspective action rpg
Back to action games, this one gives you a challenge without a wordy story. Some puzzles, but mostly about beautiful action. Not a platformer, but plenty of bosses, exploring and deciphering of the world.

@ Wuppo - metroidvania platformer
I might suggest Wuppo the metroidvania-like game if you like to read and explore. There is some mystery, but it's mostly about being charmed with a very detailed platformer AI driven world. Looks really simplistic from first glance but is packed with detail. Boss battles are alright too. Not a lot of fighting overall though.

@ Undertale - RPG with action battles
This well known RPG game has some unique action battles. It also has lots of optional text... And secrets.

@ One Shot - RPG
RPG again... Again, the less you know the better. No battles, but it's got a few puzzles and very interesting concepts upon replay.

@ The Way - RPG with mini-games
This is a free long RPGmaker game which haunts me to this day. Lots of challenging mini-games, lots of classic grinding RPG fights as well... But that dark story... By Lun. Gets better each chapter. Google: Lun rpgmaker game the way

@ Pony Island - 2d arcade game?
Another um... different game. Again the less you know about it the better. You'll enjoy it more that way ;)

@ Doki Doki Literature Club - visual novel
Might have heard about this odd visual novel. If you don't know anything about it... Maybe you'd like it... No, there are no boss battles and gameplay is text based... but...

Those are some of the best I've played that might somehow fit your requirements... Not all platformers though.

HEre are a few more :
Titan Souls (all boss battles and some mysterious secrets)
Night in the Woods (mini-game adventure with mystery and things seem to be breaking down)
LIMBO and INSIDE (Both are polished short action puzzle games with a dark story)
Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human (mentioned earlier, this 2d game has nice boss battles)
Wings of Vi (If Dark Souls were a platformer...)
Owlboy (Starts kinda unpleasantly, but becomes a pretty nice flying platformer adventure...)
Ghost 1.0 (Sci-fi upgrade based platformer)
Rain World (Metroidvania platformer... mysterious, and very tough to survive)
...
That's probably more than enough... But, like I said, most of these were the best I've played.

[Landl0cked]

Thank You a ton. Hopefully this thread will help others as well.