[Top 15] Best Metroidvania Games To Play



15. 9 Years of Shadows - 2023 (PC / Nintendo Switch)

Enter a cursed hand-made world of darkness and play as Europa. A warrior with a noble quest. 

9 Years of Shadows is a classic Metroidvania that takes place in Talos, a cursed castle. Europa and her friend Apino will be the heroes who can save this place. Use your elemental powers to bring Talos back to life. Return the colors to a place consumed by darkness.

This beautiful game has a great soundtrack that is part of some mechanics in-game. An interesting game with a precious captivating art design.  

Choose this game if you like... 

  • Old classic Metroidvania games. This title is reminiscent of Symphony of the Night, Super Metroid, and other classic games.
  • Short games.
  • Easy peasy, piece of cake. This game unlike most of the ones mentioned in this list, is quite an easy one.   

Here we can see an epic boss fight between Europa at the right and the Shadow of Demise at the left. 

 

14. Dead Cells - 2017 (PC / PS4 / PS5 / XBOX / GNU / macOS / iOS / Android /  Nintendo Switch)

Dead Cells is a mixture of Metroidvania and rogue-lite genres. 

Play inside an ever-growing castle where the greatest adventure awaits. Use over 150 weapons and skills to pass over your enemies. Enjoy infinite exploration where every run is different. Discover secret rooms and passages and take a moment to breathe and observe stunning landscapes.

This title is a highly challenging game with fast-paced combat that will make you want to rage quit over and over again until you finally get better. Don’t give up just yet! 

Dead Cells is simply the best Roguevania game out there. 

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Replaying games- The best part of Dead Cells is that you can play forever. Since the map is constantly changing and being updated, each run will be different.
  • Highly challenging fast-paced gameplay. 
  • Addictive playing. This game will probably take your life away.

 

This is the second tier 1 boss fight in the game. The character to the left is fighting “the watcher” also known as “Conjunctivius”. A pretty annoying enemy but is just the beginning. 

 

13. Bloodstained Ritual of the Night - 2019 (PC / PS4 / XBOX / iOS / Android /  Nintendo Switch)

This title is an ode to Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Bloodstained brings in modern visuals and gameplay inspired by Symphony of the Night. 

Dive into a 2D background with 3D characters, three of which are playable. Enjoy a gothic design with an interesting story: A devilish alchemist cursed a group of humans making them slowly crystalize. You were a victim of this situation and your flesh is turning into crystal. Now your thirst for revenge and salvation can finally be quenched. 

Find your way through a castle filled with demons and take them all down.

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Gothic horror aesthetics. 
  • Huge amount of different spells and weapons available.
  • Stunning soundtracks. It offers arcade music during the whole game which is a blessing.

The main character is fighting a demon inside the Cathedral. This type of enemy drops the “Sinister Fang” and “Sinister Heart” items.

 

12. Lunacid - 2022 (PC)

Although Lunacid is a dungeon-crawler, it has some Metroidvania elements. 

Earth has been covered by a poison fog and the outcasts have been thrown into the “Great Well”. You are one of those. Crawl down and break through this dark place filled with hungry and lonely creatures. No guides, no holding hands. Just you and your thirst for exploration.

Uncover the many secrets hiding in the depths while listening to a great soundtrack. The “sleeping one” will be waiting for you at the end. Make sure to become as strong as possible on your way through or die trying. 

 Choose this game if you like...  

  • Labyrinthic gameplay. It’s pretty easy to be completely lost in Lunacid, which is precisely why this game is great.
  • Alucards (from Symphony of the Night) voice. He’s the intro narrator.
  • Retro style. This game can work on any kind of PC, luckily.  

This is pretty much a great visual of what awaits inside this huge dungeon. Creepy enemies ready to jump over you in the most chilling darkness.

 

11. F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch - 2021 (PC / PS4 / PS5 / XBOX / Nintendo Switch)

Do you love rabbits? If so, go ahead and get this unforgettable game with the best rabbit protagonist ever. 

Play as Rayton, a robotic furry who is on a quest to save Torch City from its invaders. Explore a distinguished diesel-punk-looking map while mastering your skills to make the greatest combos. Use your fist, drill, and whip to face your enemies and reclaim what once belonged to the furries. And if you feel it's too easy for you, just wait for the final boss.  

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Furries. It is very important otherwise you’ll be missing a great aspect of this game which is saving the furries.
  • Gearpunk aesthetics.
  • Underwater environment. A huge part of this game takes place underwater.

This is Torch City. you can capture Rapture vibes here. Somewhat modern but with a similar color palette. 

 

10. Pronty - 2021 (PC / Nintendo Switch)

Have a blast under the sea in the best fishy adventure. 

Pollution has taken over Royla, a once-thriving underwater kingdom. So much waste has caused its inhabitants to turn into mutants. Swim and battle these mutants on your way to salvation. Master Pronty and Bront's skills to fight the brute creatures lying ahead. 

Are you good enough to save Royla? Prove yourself worthy while enjoying a beautiful and dreadful atmosphere. 

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Underwater gameplay. As a fish, this whole game takes place in the ocean.
  • Cute design for characters and environment. 
  • Secrets and more secrets. The entire game is filled with many secrets.

This is one of the first boss battles. Pronty our little fish protagonist fights against the “Para-Keto”, a weird maggot-looking creature that throws sea trash at you.

 

9. Aeterna Noctis - 2021 (PC / PS4 / PS5 / XBOX / Nintendo Switch)

Get ready to play as the King of Darkness in the world of Aeterna. Face the Queen of Light as the Supreme God of Chaos commanded it. Explore a dark, gothic non-linear world with 16 interconnected areas in the company of a beautiful soundtrack.

Aeterna Noctis offers two gameplay modes: -Aeterna Mode, which offers a 100% Metroidvania experience. -Noctis Mode, a high-difficulty challenging mode that focuses mostly on the platform and puzzles. 

Be patient because this huge world has too much to offer!

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Dark aesthetics. Don’t expect vibrant shiny colors here, please.
  • Hand-drawn frame-by-frame animations, incredible animations by the way.
  • Challenging platformers. This game focuses on the platform's difficulty more than any other aspect. (Combat isn’t as hard as platforming). 

Noctis battling a skull archer and a Lich which can be found in the Heroes Rest map.

 

8. Metroid Dread - 2021 (Nintendo Switch)

Metroid Dread is legit on the top 3 of the best Metroidvania games ever made. Follow the path of Samus, an intergalactic bounty hunter. 

Samus is on an investigation quest after listening to a mysterious transmission coming from planet ZDR. Explore and collect power-ups to defeat all the alien creatures trying to hunt the hunter. 

Planet ZDR is infested with sinister forms of life, among them the powerful E.M.M.I. Samus will have to battle fiercely for her own sake and to save this planet from the worst threat in the game series. 

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Aliens. As a galactic game, most creatures found are aliens, except for Samus. Some bosses' designs were inspired by the Alien saga.
  • Futuristic setups. Metroid Dread is all about robotic, metallic, artificial vibes.
  • Female protagonist. Believe it or not, Samus is a girl.

Samus encounters the purple E.M.M.I. The last one in the game. These creatures chase you around until you get a chance to kill them. 

 

7. Gato Roboto - 2019 (PC / XBOX / Nintendo Switch)

Gato Roboto is a black-and-white adventure that follows the journey of Kiki, a cat who’s on the run to save its owner. 

Kiki and the captain of the ship Gary (and Kiki’s owner) crash-landed on an alien planet. Gary has been kidnapped and secluded in a lab far away. Our cute cat must find a way to enter the lab's facilities and save Gary before something terrible happens to its beloved human. Luckily Kiki has a mech suit and other useful tricks to face the hardest scenarios. 

Gato Roboto is a short authentic unique experience. But what matters the most is that you can be the cutest cat in a mech suit!

Choose this game if you like...  

  • 1BIT Artwork. This game has an incredibly beautiful black-and-white 1BIT design. 
  • Speedruns. To get the most fun out of Gato Roboto, you must try a speedrun!
  • Cats and everything relating to it.

This beautiful scenario shows Kiki in its mech suit in a room where you can find Rebba the frog. You can eject Kiki from its mech suit in situations where is not needed. 

 

6. Sundered - 2017  (PC / PS4 / XBOX / GNU / macOS / Nintendo Switch)

Welcome to a chaotic fast-paced adventure in the most stunning Lovecraftian style. 

Play as Eshe, a wanderer trapped in a constantly changing place filled with grim creatures. Use the ancient powers of tainted relics to face swarms of weird-looking monsters and huge bosses. 

Sundered offers procedural levels. Meaning the map is an ever-changing dungeon where you can explore and discover new secrets each time.

Embrace the void or preserve your humanity. The choice is yours! 

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Lovecraft aesthetics and cosmic horror. Some bosses and creatures are a representation of the H.P. entities. One of them is Nyarlathothep.
  • Repetitive battles while facing constant hordes of enemies. 
  • Beautiful stunning art designs.

The first boss you come across in the game. This one is called Dominion. It can summon portals around the map that can fist-punch you. 

 

5. Supraland - 2018 (PC / PS4 / XBOX / GNU / Nintendo Switch)

Dive into a unique first-person Metroid experience made almost entirely by one man. 

Don’t let the cute cartoons cheat you. Supraland was made for skilled players. 

Explore a sandbox world freely to discover the many secrets and chests with juicy upgrades. Beat the smartest puzzles using your deep-thinking skills. Enjoy a great fast-paced combat system and a very simple story to get you on the run. 

Supraland is a brilliant superb game that stands out impressively on its exploration system and puzzles designs.

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Exploration. Supraland has endless exploration as any other sandbox game.
  • Innovative gameplay. There’s no other game like Supraland, for real!
  • Replaying games. Supraland can be played as many times as you want and each run will be different. 

This screenshot shows a red character which is the player being chased by small skeletons. Supraland has a cartoonish design but don’t let it trick you. The game is superb.

 

4. Carrion - 2020  (PC / PS4 / PS5 / XBOX / GNU / macOS / Nintendo Switch)

Tired of being the hero and the savior? Great, Carrion is for you. 

Assume the role of an amorphous creature that has been imprisoned and is thirsty for human blood. Show no mercy and tear their weak bodies apart. Nothing can stop you.

Carrion is the greatest horror adventure designed with stunning aesthetics. A refreshing experience to kill, kill, and kill. 

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Cool interesting puzzles.
  • Short entertaining games. Carrion can take about 5 hours to complete.
  • Being the villain. It’s not always about saving humans, sometimes is about killing them.

That weird red tentacle thing in the middle is what the player will control. A shapeless creature that looks like a bunch of blood and veins. 

 

3. Haiku, the Robot - 2022 (PC / macOS / Nintendo Switch)

Play as Haiku in the cutest little robotic game. The world of Arcadia has been corrupted and all the robots have gone mad crazy after a computer virus infected them. Now Haiku has the right powers and size to discover the darkest secrets of this world. 

Meet endearing characters in your journey as well as terrifying enemies. But don’t be afraid, this title is quite friendly and easy to play. 

Haiku the Robot is a great start for those who are newbies in the Metroidvania genre.

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Collecting. The game allows you to collect items, skills, and upgrades.
  • Pixel art.
  • Simple and short but entertaining gameplay. Haiku can be beaten within 6 hours of gameplay. 

The little ball to the left is our friend Haiku. He’s meeting Splunk, a friendly and sad toaster. Everything he needs is your attention. 

 

2. Grime - 2021 (PC / PS4 / PS5 / XBOX / macOS / Nintendo Switch)

Grime is simply the perfect game. Featuring RPG, frenzy action, and platforms, Grime is a complete masterpiece with the most spectacular aesthetics. Find surrealistic, cosmic horror in a delicious organic design. 

Explore an unknown spectacular map filled with strange creatures from whom you can obtain powers and evolve. Use your black hole to absorb your enemy's skills and customize your play style. Choose between different weapons to master and tons of cosmetics for your character. 

Grime has a very satisfying combat system with exceptional visuals and mechanics.

Choose this game if you like...  

  • High-quality games. Grime has an incredible amount of details. The developers have taken care of every single aspect of it. 
  • Zdzisław Beksiński art style. Grime’s map is fully organic, enemies, gear, obstacles and everything else has an organic design.
  • Great soundtracks.

This is by far the most shocking visual in this list. Meet Shidra, the most epic boss ever made. Shidra is a memorable and impressive character in Grime.   

 

1. Blasphemous II - 2023 (PC / PS5 / XBOX / Nintendo Switch)

Embark on another dark journey as the Penitent One. 

Once again you have been thrown into an endless loop of life and death. Explore this labyrinthic place, uncover all its secrets, and defeat the terrible creatures lurking in every corner. Enjoy the new gear, skills, and combos, and dance to the rhythm of death. 

This time your quest is to prevent the rebirth of The Miracle curse.

Blasphemous 2 is both an improvement and a decline compared to the first game. Some things have been streamlined. Although it’s still a great and entertaining adventure, it isn’t as magnificent as the first game. 

One thing is good and that is the battle system feeling smooth. Graphically looks like an improvement. Enemies are easier to fight. Even if it isn’t as good as the first game, it still deserves a try for the love of art. 

Choose this game if you like...  

  • Great lore concerning religious matters.
  • Beautiful 2D art.
  • Hardcore gameplay. It can get really easy if you don’t play in hardcore. 

This is the third boss encounter in Blasphemous. The Penitent One on the left fighting the Great Preceptor Radames. 

 



Running from the barbarian lands of Latin America, this little bright elf creature brings all of her knowledge collected on her journal. A wise creature ready to face any adversities in this world.
Gamer Since: 2003
Favorite Genre: MOBA
Currently Playing: League Of Legends; Hello Guest; Dishonored;
Top 3 Favorite Games:Dishonored, Dragon Age: Origins, League of Legends


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