Metroidvania

The Metroidvania Genre is hands down my favourite due to the combination of exploration, combat, challenging boss fights and exploration abilities, so here are THE BEST Metroidvania Indie games that you can play right now!

Updated April 10, 2021

#15 Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition

Luchadors and chickens reign supreme in this title inspired by Mexican culture! While there is a sequel, I still prefer the original, now enhanced to STCE!

#14 The Messenger

A clever twist makes this Ninja Gaiden-esque title more than meets the eye, and if you played through it at launch, be sure to check out the free DLC!

#13 Blasphemous

Dark and brutal, Blasphemous impressed with the hi-bit pixel art and delicious macabre motifs, with the bonus of frequent free content patches post launch.

#12 Rabi-Ribi

While often overlooked due to the suggestive anime aesthetics, Rabi-Ribi is still a pretty neat bullet hell platformer that’s worth a look!

#11 Yoku's Island Express

This self styled Pinball-vania is so cleverly designed with ingenious merging of genres, but is a smaller title with some ideas that don’t feel fully fleshed out!

#10 Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-

An out of left field revival of an IP, this is a very SOTN-like title which was a welcomed addition in 2021.

#9 Valdis Story: Abyssal City

An underappreciated title, Valdis Story sports a combo-based combat system which feels great, plus a variety of character builds and secrets!

#8 Iconoclasts

Developer Joakim Sandberg spent 10 years working on and off on Iconoclasts, and impressed with the vibrancy of the pixel art and colour scheme!

#7 Environmental Station Alpha

While the minimalist pixel art visuals may not be for everyone, this is still a deceptively difficult title which is excellent and a hidden gem.

#6 SteamWorld Dig 2

The sequel to one of the most compelling games out there makes it bigger and better, with polished up visuals, new upgrades and a bigger world to explore.

#5 Touhou Luna Nights

The Touhou Project amazes me with the sheer number of media it covers, where the time stopping maid Sakuya is front and centre here.

#4 Axiom Verge

Things have a funny way of coming around full circle, with this being the most Metroid-like title on the list (with an intentionally glitchy twist!) and is worth a play.

#3 Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight

Technically the fourth entry in the Momodora series, RUTM impressed with the pixel art and moody atmosphere. A little like Bloodborne but with more anime and monster girls.

#2 Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

It was a miracle the Bloodstained turned out as well as it did given the multiple delays and the less-than-awesome reception of initial demos, but a MV from Koji Igarishi is always worth checking out.

#1 Hollow Knight

The undisputed KING of the metroidvania still sits atop the mountain, where the combination of an awesome world, challenging combat and wonderful exploration makes it second to none.

Upcoming Metroidvania Games

To see what else is coming up in Metroidvania Games, check out these videos linked below!