11 Best Metroidvanias, Ranked

Highlights

• Carrion
  offers a unique twist on Metroidvania, letting players be the monster in a reverse-horror game experience.
• Blasphemous
  delves into Spanish mythology, offering a deep and detailed Metroidvania world with gorgeous pixel art.
• Salt and Sanctuary
  combines elements of
  Dark Souls
  with exploration in a dark, indie Metroidvania setting for a challenging experience.

There may not be a more complicated genre in video games than the Metroidvania. This portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania started to gain traction in the early 2000s – thanks to games like Cave Story – as a very particular style of game with a fully-connected and explorable map, with rooms and areas that are gated either by missing abilities or weapons. It’s an altogether fascinating genre, one that has produced some of the greatest games ever made.

Though traditionally a 2D experience, the Metroidvania has also influenced 3D game design, something titles like Dark Souls and the Star Wars Jedi series can attest to. Some of them have leaned into a horror atmosphere, prioritizing isolation and paranoia, while others have relied on more of a power fantasy that sees the player character grow in amazing ways. Whatever style of Metroidvania one decides to play, the best ones create a sense of wonder and satisfaction that is unmatched by other genres. The Metroidvania has become one of the most popular styles of video game in the industry, and these outstanding games are some of the best examples as to why that is.

11 Carrion

Metascore: 75

One of the most inventive games of 2020, Carrion is best described as a reverse-horror game, where players control the monster as opposed to a human protagonist. It is a remarkably unique game, made even better by virtue of also being one of the most overlooked Metroidvanias of the past decade.

Carrion’s map is a delight to explore, as this unnerving and multi-level laboratory is filled with some outstanding environmental storytelling. Upgrading the abilities of the monster leads to some fun and unique combat systems, as the more humans the creature eats, the bigger and stronger it becomes. It’s a tight, deftly-designed experience that is absolutely worth playing.

10 Blasphemous

Metascore: 77

Made by a team of under twenty people, Blasphemous was influenced by Spanish mythology and tells the tale of The Penitent One and his quest through the land of Cvstodia. The game features a gorgeous art style, brought to life with fabulous pixel art and some amazingly detailed backgrounds.

The world of Cvstodia is occupied by disturbing enemies pulled straight from Catholic iconography, and defeating them will help the Pentinent One level up and increase their ability to find Relics. These allow the Pentinent One to reach areas they couldn’t previously, and open up the already complex map even further. It’s an absolutely spectacular game, one that was followed up with a sequel in 2023.

9 Salt And Sanctuary

Metascore: 84

It’s safe to say that the Metroidvania genre has influenced independent developers in some pretty significant ways, as there are a huge number of games in this style on the indie scene. One of the best examples of that is Salt and Sanctuary, a Metroidvania set in a dark and dreary world.

Taking control of the Saltborn, players explore a vast and evolving map, one that borrows elements from both Dark Souls in its combat, and Metroidvanias of the past in its exploration. The combat feels excellent, and using new abilities to unlock new areas – a trademark of the genre – is present here in some fantastic ways.

8 Axiom Verge

Metascore: 84

Taking strong influence from games like Super Metroid and Bionic Commando, Axiom Verge was developed by a single person and is still one of the most impressive indie Metroidvania games one can find on the market. This incredible Metroidvania tells the tale of Trace, a scientist who wakes up on a strange alien world and must explore the expanding map in order to survive and escape.

Axion Verge features some lovely pixel art visuals and a sense of open exploration that is absolutely wonderful. The world of Sudra is full of secrets, all of which are a joy to uncover. It is a marvelous experience, filled with unique weapons and fun abilities to chart player progression.

Metascore: 84

With the sequel to Blasphemous, developers at The Game Kitchen sought to bring the dark fantasy series even closer to its Metroidvania routes. Built entirely from scratch with no leftover code from the first game, Blasphemous 2 takes everything from the prequel and improves on it in nearly every way.

Blasphemous 2 takes place after the Wounds of Eventide DLC of the first game, seeing the Pentinent One on a new journey across Cvstodia. Revisiting areas with new abilities, as well as unlocking thos new abilities, is even further cemented into the game design here, putting it in the upper echelon of Metroidvania games on the market today.

7 Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown

Metascore: 86

After a long absence, with the last mainline game being released in 2009, Jordan Mechner’s iconic franchise returned with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown in 2024. And while it doesn’t feature the Prince as a playable character, players do take control of a charismatic young warrior named Sargon as he attempts to rescue the titular character.

The Lost Crown is an amazingly-designed game, partially abandoning the action-platformer roots of the franchise and crafting a tight and highly entertaining Metroidvania in their place. Combat and exploration are deftly put together, featuring a huge map to explore, and the trademark Metroidvania ability-gating and backtracking is perfectly done in this modern classic. Beyond that, The Lost Crown innovates on the Metroidvania in clever ways, such as map markers that feature screenshots of their in-game locations, making backtracking a smoother process.

6 Shadow Complex

Metascore: 88

Written by acclaimed comic book writer Peter David, Shadow Complex was published as an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive in 2009. This ambitious game changed expectations for XBLA, as previous games on the service were rather simplistic. With Shadow Complex, developers Chair Entertainment produced an absolutely fantastic Metroidvania that was recently remastered and is available on most modern platforms.

Set in an underground facility, Shadow Complex tells the story of Jason as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend Claire from the Restoration, a group bent on starting a civil war in the US. Taking its strongest influence from Super Metroid, the map of Shadow Complex is incredibly fun to reveal, as the new armor and abilities gained make doing so a blast.

5 Guacamelee

Metascore: 88

The Metroidvania genre was experiencing some changes in 2013, as games were starting to fuse new elements into it, and the debates surrounding its definition were getting more involved. One game that contributed to that by adding its own unique flair was Guacamelee, a charming and brilliant Metroidvania starring a masked Luchador named Juan as he attempts to rescue the daughter of El Presidente.

Drawing from Latino culture and the Mexican holiday el Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, Guacamelee is a lovely game with tons of character and a fabulous sense of exploration. The hand-to-hand combat feels fantastic, as the grapple holds and wrestling moves tie perfectly into the Luchador aesthetic. Additionally, the ability to swap between the land of the living and the land of the dead becomes crucial to exploring and unlocking Guacamelee’s map.

4 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night

Metascore: 89

As one of the forerunners of the genre, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has a long-lasting legacy that is still felt to this day. This classic PlayStation 1 game cultivated a huge number of features that define traditional Metroidvanias today, including back-tracking, ability gating, and non-linear map design.

Symphony of the Night is still an absolutely stellar representation of the Metroidvania genre, as Dracula’s castle is a huge and complicated world to explore. Areas are expertly gated off, requiring new abilities or weapons to enter either for the first time, or to revisit later. Combat feels sharp and tactful, while the RPG system is just deep enough to feel customizable without taking away from the minute-to-minute action of platforming and exploration.

3 Hollow Knight

Metacritic: 90

While the wait for Silksong, this game’s highly-anticipated sequel, seems like it will never end, none of that stops Hollow Knight from being a fantastic Metroidvania in its own right. This dark fantasy Metroidvania casts players as the Knight, a tiny warrior who engages with enemies in a fallen subterranean kingdom known as Hallownest. It features some absolutely breathtaking visuals, with a lovely style and a subtle sense of dread.

Hollow Knight’s bleak, insect-based world feels intimidating, but is a ton of fun to engage with on both a combat and an exploration level. Combat is frantic and challenging, as enemies have unpredictable movements and often feel quite fast. However, much like the Soulsborne games that inspired it, overcoming the challenge leads to some great rewards.

2 Batman: Arkham Asylum

Metascore: 92

Among numerous traits and design styles, one aspect of the Metroidvania that is consistent is that it is a 2D experience. A 3D Metroidvania is rare, but perhaps the best example of that is Batman: Arkham Asylum. This excellent game, which was written by Batman: The Animated Series scribe Paul Dini, is based on the DC Comics superhero, and is perhaps one of the purest examples of the Metroidvania being executed in 3D as opposed to 2D.

Arkham Asylum sees the late Kevin Conroy return to the role of Batman, as players control the Dark Knight as he ventures through the iconic DC Comics prison. Whereas most 2D Metroidvanias use magic or some sort of science fiction explanation to contextualize abilities, Arkham Knight does so by having Batman acquire new gadgets that are used to gain access to new areas, as well as further explore ones previously visited. Combat is also a highlight, as the physicality of Batman’s strikes and combos feels weighty. It’s an altogether brilliant package that is readily available on all modern platforms.

1 Metroid Prime

Metascore: 94

After showing everyone how to make a proper 2D action-platformer with Super Metroid in 1994, Nintendo put intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran on ice for nearly ten years. When they were finally ready to bring the iconic heroine back into the spotlight, they did so with class by producing Metroid Prime, a truly remarkable game that is still one of the finest 3D Metroidvanias of all time. Forced into an emergency landing on Tallon 4 after engaging with Meta Ridley, Samus is faced with the challenge of uncovering the planet’s many mysteries.

Metroid Prime is a game that feels organic in every way, as old upgrades from previous titles like the Morph Ball and Grapple Beam feel amazing in 3D, while new armors like the Phazon Suit add variety. Tallon 4 is a brilliant and intricately designed world, and the player’s ability to become intimately familiar with its layout makes exploration incredibly rewarding. This GameCube classic was recently remastered for the Nintendo Switch, making it easier than ever to revisit this masterpiece.