Best Metroidvania Games

Tomorrow Hollow Knight: Silksong — one of the most anticipated games of recent years — will be released. The hype around the project once again demonstrates how mainstream the metroidvania genre has become. Games that can be classified as such are released regularly, especially when it comes to indie titles. Navigatin in all of this variety is not an easy task. Therefore, to help you with choosing next exciting adventure, we decided to list the best metroidvanias — both classics and modern titles that should not be missed.

Before moving on to the games themselves, it is worth once again clarifying what actually makes a game a metroidvania. We are primarily talking about 2D or 3D projects with an emphasis on exploring a single interconnected world, where new abilities or gadgets of the character unlock access to previously inaccessible locations. Many popular games, like Dark Souls or Resident Evil 2, have individual metroidvania elements — backtracking or complex level design — but not all the key traits to be considered full representatives of the genre.

The name of the genre comes from combining Metroid and Castlevania. And it was Super Metroid that defined the key elements that have since migrated from one metroidvania to another. For example, the concept of progression tied to the hero’s abilities, or the abilities themselves, like higher jumps or super speed.

Despite its age, Super Metroid is still worth of your attention: the graphics may be dated, but they carry a retro charm that indie developers often try to imitate. And most importantly, the game’s structure remains exemplary by the standards of the genre.

Unlike Super Metroid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night did not bring radically new ideas to the formula, but it popularized the genre, earning the right to be called the second “parent” of metroidvanias. The success of Symphony of the Night on PlayStation brought such games to the masses and inspired many developers.

Still, there were some innovations. Symphony of the Night added RPG elements like character leveling, loot, and bosses with health bars, which dozens of later games copied.

No list of metroidvanias can begin without Hollow Knight — the game has so many devoted fans for a reason, who preach about the greatness of Team Cherry’s project in every gaming community. However, recommending newcomers to the genre to start with this game is a debatable decision, as it creates a curious problem. Hollow Knight is so far above most metroidvanias in quality that it sets unrealistically high expectations for other games.

In metroidvanias, the key aspects are the complexity of world design and non-linearity. And Hollow Knight excels at this: the developers never hold the player’s hand and allow them to explore the colossal labyrinths of the underground kingdom in almost any order. The game feels like a true adventure, full of dangers and mysteries, enhanced by a unique melancholic atmosphere and mysterious lore in the style of Dark Souls.

If you own a Nintendo Switch, then Metroid Dread is a worthy alternative to Hollow Knight as your first metroidvania. It’s also an extremely polished game, and with a production value that other genre representatives can envy: it regularly delights players with full-fledged cinematic cutscenes.

Metroid Dread has all the qualities of the strong metroidvania game (engaging levels, excellent boss battles, extremely fun abilities), but in terms of overall structure it’s a relatively linear journey, which is more of a upside for newcomers, since it’s harder to get lost.

Possibly the most atmospheric and beautiful metroidvania to date — and that already matters a lot. But in addition to its gorgeous animated-film-like style, Ori and the Will of the Wisps also boasts a touching story, a variety of distinctly different levels, and extremely enjoyable gameplay. The combination of responsive controls, mesmerizing animations, and visual effects immerses the player in a sort of trance, allowing complete involvement in everything happening on screen.

An engaging metroidvania with rewarding exploration and tense combat, equally appreciated for its dark art style and atmosphere. Blasphemous 2 is a grotesque fantasy inspired by Spanish Baroque and the religious motifs of medieval Andalusia. The game is filled with imagery of pain and sacrifice: gothic sculptures, mutilated bodies, enemies that look like they came straight from paintings of martyrs. You won’t find visuals like this in any other project in the genre.

A spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, created under the direction of Koji Igarashi, who worked on the cult-classic Symphony of the Night. Fans of the old game will feel right at home: here you have a huge gothic castle full of secrets, hidden rooms, and bosses; abilities that open access to previously inaccessible zones; and a similar atmosphere and music. At the same time, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night doesn’t just take inspiration from old Castlevania titles, but also offers fresh ideas like the shard system, when new abilities drop from enemies.

An unexpected return of a cult franchise — and in the form of a full-fledged 2D metroidvania with a complex world, secrets, bosses, and backtracking. Platforming is top-notch: jumps, wall runs, and other acrobatics performed by the main character Sargon play an important role not only in combat, but also in exploration, allowing access to hard-to-reach places. To progress further in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, you also need to actively use special abilities like mid-air dashes. In short, everything is by the book.

An important distinctive feature of the project is its focus on a deep and highly spectacular combat system. Similar to Metroid Dread, the game’s camera in The Lost Crown showcases action from cinematic angles during boss fights, emphasizing the drama of the battle.

Since we’re talking about metroidvanias with excellent combat systems, we can’t ignore Nine Sols. In this game, the cat hero Yi battles enemies that look like a mix of robots and divine figures from Chinese mythology. Combat resembles Sekiro: enemies have a posture bar, and if you deflect attacks with parries, the opponent loses balance and becomes vulnerable. That means you can’t just attack mindlessly — you must carefully time your actions. Miss the timing — take heavy damage. Parry successfully — finish the fight faster. And all this comes in a game that gives as much focus to exploration as any other in the genre.

An unusual metroidvania where the player doesn’t run through developer-designed corridors but instead digs their own underground tunnels. With the starting pickaxe, you won’t get far — solid rock will block your way. But access to new areas of the mine becomes available as you upgrade your pickaxe and find other tools like a drill or grappling hook. This is how SteamWorld Dig 2 builds the trademark step-by-step progression of the genre.

A colorful, dynamic, humorous, and charming game inspired by Mexican culture. Every fight looks exciting because the protagonist Juan uses spectacular wrestling moves against enemies. But more importantly, Guacamelee! 2 features engaging platforming: during exploration, you must use various abilities, including transforming into a chicken, to solve puzzles and unlock new routes.

Back in the day, the original Metroid Prime proved that 3D metroidvanias had a right to exist. Retro Studios created a thrilling first-person shooter that successfully adapted the concepts and mechanics of Super Metroid, which before its release seemed almost impossible. Metroid Prime impressed gamers so much that among Nintendo fans it earned a reputation comparable to the first Half-Life. Today the game remains relevant, especially if you play the remaster for Switch. What’s more, now is the best time to play it: right before the release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Although Batman: Arkham Asylum laid the foundation for the popular Arkham series, it stands apart from its sequels. Later games in the franchise transformed into more traditional open-world action titles, while Arkham Asylum is pure 3D metroidvania. The first installment focuses on tight design, interconnected locations, progression tied to abilities and gadgets, and deliberate backtracking to previously explored areas. Tools like explosive gel, the grapnel gun, and the line launcher not only unlock new levels but also expand combat capabilities, bridging the two key aspects of the project — exploration and fighting.

A 3D metroidvania that also borrows plenty of elements from souls-like games, such as stamina and parrying. But exploration works strictly according to the rules of Metroid and Castlevania: without new abilities, access to new locations in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is impossible, and re-exploring already visited areas with new powers plays a key role. In other words, everything fans of the genre love.

The first part, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, might be slightly inferior to the sequel in terms of level design, but it’s still worth playing if you appreciate good metroidvanias.

Remedy Entertainment’s project mixes many genres, but in Control the influence of metroidvanias is most strongly felt, shaping the structure of the game. Events take place in the Oldest House — a giant building where rooms and corridors intertwine into a massive web. Access to new areas is limited by the abilities of the protagonist Jesse, which unlock as the game progresses, as well as clearance levels. Control requires to backtrack to already explored locations to visit previously inaccessible rooms — especially in the late game, when levitation is unlocked, radically changing navigation through the Oldest House.

That’s all for now. Which metroidvanias did you enjoy the most? Share your thoughts in the comments.